§1507 — Title 44 Public Printing and Documents | U.S. Code

Summary

A rule or document that must appear in the Federal Register is not valid against someone who did not actually know about it until it is filed with the Office of the Federal Register and a public copy is made available as required. Unless another law says otherwise, filing a document for publication is enough to give notice to people it affects, except when publication alone is legally not enough. When something is published in the Federal Register, people can assume (but can prove otherwise) four things: it was properly issued, it was filed and available at the time shown, the printed copy matches the original, and the required procedural steps were followed.

Title 44, §1507

Public Printing and Documents — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

A document required by section 1505(a) of this title to be published in the Federal Register is not valid as against a person who has not had actual knowledge of it until the document has been filed with the Office of the Federal Register and a copy made available for public inspection as provided by section 1503 of this title. Unless otherwise specifically provided by statute, filing of a document, required or authorized to be published by section 1505 of this title, except in cases where notice by publication is insufficient in law, is sufficient to give notice of the contents of the document to a person subject to or affected by it. The publication in the Federal Register of a document creates a rebuttable presumption—

(1)that it was duly issued, prescribed, or promulgated;

(2)that it was filed with the Office of the Federal Register and made available for public inspection at the day and hour stated in the published notation;

(3)that the copy contained in the Federal Register is a true copy of the original; and

(4)that all requirements of this chapter and the regulations prescribed under it relative to the document have been complied with.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Based on 44 U.S. Code, 1964 ed., § 307 (July 26, 1935, ch. 417, § 7, 49 Stat. 502).

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2025—Pub. L. 118–267, § 2(a)(2)(A), substituted “the document has been filed” for “the duplicate originals or certified copies of the document have been filed” in introductory provisions. Par. (2). Pub. L. 118–267, § 2(a)(2)(B), substituted “published” for “printed”.

§1507 Filing document as constructive notice; publication in Federal Register as presumption of validity; judicial notice; citation