How long does it take federal agencies to move rules from proposal to final publication?
Average elapsed time (in days) from publication of a proposed rule (NPRM) in the Federal Register to publication of the corresponding final rule. Also tracks total rulemaking volume — rules published per year.
Regulatory processing time affects businesses, nonprofits, and state/local governments that must plan around pending rules. Lengthy timelines can indicate backlog, legal challenges, or inadequate agency capacity. Conversely, rushed rulemaking increases the risk of legal challenges.
Example Visualization
Box plot of NPRM-to-final rule duration by agency, highlighting outliers. Annual volume of significant rules published. OIRA review time as share of total duration.