Federal Register weekly update: Lowest final rule total since first week of January


The Federal Register is a daily journal of federal government activity that includes presidential documents, proposed and final rules, and public notices. It is a common measure of an administration’s regulatory activity.

From September 7 to September 11, the Federal Register grew by 1,112 pages for a year-to-date total of 56,470 pages. Over the same period in 2019 and 2018, the Federal Register reached 48,546 pages and 46,848 pages, respectively. As of September 11, the 2020 total led the 2019 total by 7,924 pages and the 2018 total by 9,622 pages.

The Federal Register hit an all-time high of 95,894 pages in 2016.

This week’s Federal Register featured the following 402 documents:

• 336 notices
• five presidential documents
• 30 proposed rules

• 31 final rules

One final rule concerning gluten-free food labeling was deemed significant under E.O. 12866—meaning that it could have large impacts on the economy, environment, public health, or state or local governments. Significant actions may also conflict with presidential priorities or other agency rules. The Trump administration in 2020 has issued 24 significant proposed rules, 50 significant final rules, and one significant notice as of September 11.

Not all rules issued by the Trump administration are regulatory actions. Some rules are deregulatory actions pursuant to President Trump’s (R) Executive Order 13771, which requires federal agencies to eliminate two old significant regulations for each new significant regulation issued.

Ballotpedia maintains page counts and other information about the Federal Register as part of its Administrative State Project. The project is a neutral, nonpartisan encyclopedic resource that defines and analyzes the administrative state, including its philosophical origins, legal and judicial precedents, and scholarly examinations of its consequences. The project also monitors and reports on measures of federal government activity.

Click here to find more information about weekly additions to the Federal Register in 2019, 2018, and 2017: Changes to the Federal Register

Additional reading:
Click here to find yearly information about additions to the Federal Register from 1936 to 2018: Historical additions to the Federal Register, 1936-2018