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, accounting for both regulatory and deregulatory actions.

From Oct. 2, 2023, through Oct. 6, 2023, the Federal Register grew by 2,256 pages for a year-to-date total of 69,872 pages.

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

This week’s Federal Register featured the following 745 documents:

• 593 notices
• 13 presidential documents
• 58 proposed rules
• 81 final rules

Ten proposed rules, including proposed amendments to the Schedule of Fees for Consular Services from the State Department, and seven final rules, including amended energy conservation standards for commercial water heating equipment from the Energy Department, were deemed significant under E.O. 12866, as amended by E.O. 14094—defined by the potential to 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 Biden administration in 2023 has issued 284 significant proposed rules, 212 significant final rules, and nine significant notices as of Oct. 6.

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

Click here to find more information about weekly additions to the Federal Register in 2022, 2021, 2020, 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 2021: Historical additions to the Federal Register, 1936-2021