How to Use Regulations.gov: Find a Docket and Submit a Comment | Rulemaking 101

Transcript

Narrated by an AI presenter with a synthetic voice. Check the official documents for current dates and details.

Welcome back to Rulemaking 101. Today we're doing something hands-on: showing you exactly how to read a real proposed rule and submit a comment on Regulations.gov. We'll walk through one actual proposal from USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, about import rules for highly pathogenic avian influenza. You'll learn where to find the comment deadline, the docket number, and the steps the document itself gives for submitting your comment, plus what happens to your comment once it's posted. If you want more of these rulemaking walkthroughs, hit subscribe so you don't miss one. Let's get into it.

Before we open the website, let's start with the law that makes this all possible. Title 5 of the U.S. Code, section 553, covers how federal agencies make rules. Subsection (c) says the agency shall give interested persons an opportunity to participate in the rule making through submission of written data, views, or arguments. That's the legal foundation for public comments. It means when an agency proposes a rule, it has to let you weigh in, and it has to consider what you say before finalizing anything. That's not just a courtesy. It's baked into federal law. Every comment period you see on Regulations.gov traces back to this one sentence.

Quick recap: Federal law gives you the right to submit comments on proposed rules, and agencies must consider them before finalizing.

Now let's look at a real proposal using that right. USDA's APHIS has proposed changing import requirements for highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI. The document explains: we are proposing to reduce this timeframe to 28 days preceding export to the United States. Right now, birds and avian products can't be imported if they came from a region exposed to HPAI in the last 90 days. APHIS wants to shorten that waiting period to 28 days, saying it would align U.S. rules with international standards. As of late September 2026, about 5 public comments had been posted on this docket. That number can grow until the comment period closes, so there's still time to add your voice.

Quick recap: APHIS wants to cut the HPAI waiting period from 90 days to 28 days, and the docket currently has about 5 public comments.

So how do you find out when commenting closes? Look for the section labeled DATES near the top of any Federal Register document. For this proposal, it says: we will consider all comments that we receive on or before November 23, 2026. That's your deadline. This is one of the first things to check on any proposed rule, right after the title and the agency name. Every document has its own DATES section, and every deadline is different, so always check the specific document you're interested in before you start writing.

Quick recap: Check the DATES section for the deadline. For this APHIS proposal, comments are due on or before November 23, 2026.

Next, look for the ADDRESSES section. That's where the agency tells you exactly how to submit your comment. For this rule, the document gives these steps: go to www.regulations.gov, enter APHIS-2023-0069 in the search field, select the Documents tab, then select the Comment button in the list of documents. Notice that docket number, APHIS-2023-0069. That number identifies this exact proposal out of thousands on the site. You'll want to copy it directly from the document rather than retyping from memory, since one wrong digit can take you to the wrong docket entirely. Once you're on the right document page, the Comment button is where you'll write and submit what you want the agency to hear.

Quick recap: The ADDRESSES section gives the exact steps: go to regulations.gov, search the docket number APHIS-2023-0069, and use the Comment button.

Not everyone wants to comment online, and this document accounts for that. It also lists a mailing option: send your comment to Docket No. APHIS-2023-0069, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, 5601 Sunnyside Avenue, #AP760, Beltsville, MD 20705. If you write a letter instead of using the website, that same docket number still needs to go on your comment, so it gets filed in the right place. Both paths, online or by mail, count as official public comment under the law we talked about earlier.

Quick recap: You can also mail your comment, but you still need to include the docket number, APHIS-2023-0069.

One more thing to know before you hit submit: your comment becomes part of the public record. The document says supporting documents and any comments we receive on this docket may be viewed at Regulations.gov or in our reading room. That means anyone can read what you write. The reading room is a physical option too, located at USDA's South Building in Washington, with set hours Monday through Friday. But for most of us, Regulations.gov is where these comments live online, visible to anyone who searches the docket.

Quick recap: Your comment is public. It gets posted for anyone to view on Regulations.gov or in the agency's reading room.

That's the walkthrough: the law behind your right to comment, how to read the DATES and ADDRESSES sections, and where your words end up. Thanks for spending time with us today. Subscribe for more of these practical guides, and tell us in the comments what rule you're following or what question you still have about this process. And if you have thoughts on this HPAI proposal, or any open proposed rule, now's the time to submit them.