# Federal Register Search: US Rules, Notices & Presidential Docs (`smilemask/federal-register-search`) Actor

Search the US Federal Register by keyword, document type and date: title, type, abstract, publication date, agencies, effective and comment-deadline dates, citation and links to HTML/PDF. Track regulations and rulemaking. Official free API, public-domain data, no key.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/smilemask/federal-register-search.md
- **Developed by:** [돈벼락](https://apify.com/smilemask) (community)
- **Categories:** Developer tools, News
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $1.80 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## Federal Register Search: US Rules, Notices & Presidential Docs

Search the US Federal Register by keyword, document type and date: title, type, abstract, publication date, agencies, effective and comment-deadline dates, citation and links to HTML/PDF. Track regulations and rulemaking. Official free API, public-domain data, no key.

### What does Federal Register Search do?

Search US Federal Register documents: rules, proposed rules, notices and executive orders with agencies and dates.

### What can you use it for?

- Monitor new regulations affecting your industry.
- Track proposed rules and comment deadlines.
- Build compliance alerts with a scheduled run.
- Research policy topics such as AI or privacy.

### Why use this Actor?

- **Fast and cheap:** lightweight HTTP-based Actor with no browser, so runs finish in seconds and cost very little.
- **No API keys or accounts needed** for the data source (see notes below).
- **Clean, structured JSON** that you can export as CSV, Excel, JSON or XML, or pull through the Apify API and integrations.
- **Scheduling, webhooks and integrations:** run it daily and send results to Google Sheets, Slack, Zapier, Make, n8n or your own API.

### Input

Configure the run in the **Input** tab (all fields have sensible defaults).

| Field | Type | Required | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| `query` | string | yes | - | Keywords, e.g. artificial intelligence, data privacy, tariffs. |
| `documentType` | string (RULE / PRORULE / NOTICE / PRESDOCU) | no | - | Restrict to one type. |
| `publishedAfter` | string | no | - | YYYY-MM-DD. |
| `order` | string (newest / oldest / relevance) | no | `"newest"` | Sort order. |
| `maxResults` | integer | no | `30` | Maximum number of results. |

#### Example input

```json
{
  "query": "artificial intelligence",
  "maxResults": 30
}
```

### Output

Results are stored in the default dataset. Download them from the **Output** tab or via the API.

#### Example result

```json
{
  "documentNumber": "2026-18366",
  "title": "Improving the Effectiveness of the Robocall Mitigation Database; Call Authentication Trust Anchor; Advanced Methods To Target and Eliminate Unlawful Robocalls",
  "type": "Proposed Rule",
  "abstract": "In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) proposes steps to strengthen the reliability, integrity, and effectiveness of the Roboca...",
  "publicationDate": "2026-09-09T00:00:00.000Z",
  "agencies": "Federal Communications Commission",
  "effectiveOn": "2026-10-09T00:00:00.000Z",
  "commentsCloseOn": "2026-11-09T00:00:00.000Z",
  "citation": "91 FR 57454",
  "htmlUrl": "https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/09/09/2026-18366/improving-the-effectiveness-of-the-robocall-mitigation-database-call-authentication-trust-anchor",
  "pdfUrl": "https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-09-09/pdf/2026-18366.pdf",
  "scrapedAt": "2026-09-26T01:22:28.440Z"
}
```

#### Output fields

| Field | Type | Example |
|---|---|---|
| `documentNumber` | string | "2026-18366" |
| `title` | string | "Improving the Effectiveness of the Robocall Mitigation D... |
| `type` | string | "Proposed Rule" |
| `abstract` | string | "In this document, the Federal Communications Commission ... |
| `publicationDate` | string | "2026-09-09T00:00:00.000Z" |
| `agencies` | string | "Federal Communications Commission" |
| `effectiveOn` | string | "2026-10-09T00:00:00.000Z" |
| `commentsCloseOn` | string | "2026-11-09T00:00:00.000Z" |
| `citation` | string | "91 FR 57454" |
| `htmlUrl` | string | "https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/09/09/202... |
| `pdfUrl` | string | "https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-09-09/pdf/20... |
| `scrapedAt` | string | "2026-09-26T01:22:28.440Z" |

### How much does it cost?

The Actor is billed by Apify according to the pricing shown on the **Pricing** tab of this page. Runs are small and fast, and the Apify Free plan includes monthly platform credits so you can try it at no cost. You can set a maximum cost per run, and the Actor stops cleanly when that limit is reached.

### Notes and limitations

- The API returns at most the first 10,000 matches of a query; narrow by date or type for bigger topics.

### Tips

- Start with a small test run, then scale up the input.
- Use **Schedules** to automate recurring runs and **Webhooks** or **Integrations** to deliver the data where you need it.
- Call the Actor from your code with the Apify API or the official JavaScript and Python clients.

### FAQ

**What are document types?**

RULE (final rule), PRORULE (proposed rule), NOTICE and PRESDOCU (presidential documents).

### Feedback

Found a bug or need an extra field? Open an issue from the **Issues** tab of this Actor and it will be looked at quickly.

### More tools from the same author

- [FDA Drug Label Search: Ingredients, Warnings & Indications](https://apify.com/SmileMask/fda-drug-label-search) - Search official FDA drug labels: active ingredients, indications, warnings, dosage and manufacturers.
- [Clinical Trials Search: ClinicalTrials.gov Studies & Sponsors](https://apify.com/SmileMask/clinical-trials-search) - Search ClinicalTrials.gov by condition, drug and status: phases, sponsors, enrollment, dates and countries.
- [Vehicle Recalls: NHTSA Safety Recalls by Make, Model & Year](https://apify.com/SmileMask/nhtsa-vehicle-recalls) - Find official US safety recalls for any vehicle make, model and year with components, risks and remedies.

# Changelog

This Actor's version history is a separate document: https://apify.com/smilemask/federal-register-search/changelog.md

# Actor input Schema

## `query` (type: `string`):

Keywords, e.g. artificial intelligence, data privacy, tariffs.

## `documentType` (type: `string`):

Restrict to one type.

## `publishedAfter` (type: `string`):

YYYY-MM-DD.

## `order` (type: `string`):

Sort order.

## `maxResults` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of results.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "query": "artificial intelligence",
  "order": "newest",
  "maxResults": 30
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "query": "artificial intelligence",
    "maxResults": 30
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("smilemask/federal-register-search").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "query": "artificial intelligence",
    "maxResults": 30,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("smilemask/federal-register-search").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "query": "artificial intelligence",
  "maxResults": 30
}' |
apify call smilemask/federal-register-search --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,smilemask/federal-register-search"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/KHS5J8Ug6rsZg1Rdk/builds/QOGlT5J2WqZSHf9jU/openapi.json