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PA Code & Bulletin Freely Available via pacodeandbulletin.gov
If you are researching administrative rules and regulations in Pennsylvania, take a look at the free website, pacodeandbulletin.gov. This site is home to the electronic versions of both the Pennsylvania Code (current) and the Pennsylvania Bulletin (volumes from 1996 - current). Both resources are published and distributed by Fry Communications, Inc. in cooperation with the PA Legislative Reference Bureau.
The Pennsylvania Code is the official publication of the administrative rules and regulations of Pennsylvania agencies. It includes the final rules and regulations of various state departments and agencies in the executive branch (like the state Departments of Health, Environmental Protection, and Revenue, for example), the rules of the PA General Assembly, and various Pennsylvania court rules. It is arranged into Titles by subject.
The Pennsylvania Bulletin serves as a “temporary supplement to the Pennsylvania Code”, according to the site’s About page. Issued weekly, the Bulletin publishes proposed and final rules and regulations before they are printed in the Code. A list of agencies that may appear in the Bulletin can be found in this Agency Directory. The Bulletin also publishes documents such as the Governor’s executive orders and proclamations, state Attorney General opinions, notices from the PA General Assembly, proposed changes to court rules, and more.
The pacodeandbulletin.gov home page gives users the option to browse or search both the Code and the Bulletin. If browsing the PA Code, scroll through the list of Titles (e.g., Title 7 Agriculture, Title 58 Recreation, etc.) and select a Title to view the Chapters and sections within it.
To browse the PA Bulletin, scroll through the list of Volumes (starting with Volume 26 from 1996 through the Volume for the current year) and click the corresponding arrow to see the weekly issues with a Volume.
To search either publication, use the relevant search bars on the home page. Or, use the “Refined Text Search” options to search the Code by Title or to search the Bulletin by Volume, issue, and/or agency. The website also offers tips on searching its content.
If you’re interested in learning more about agency rulemaking procedures or the difference between rules and regulations (on one hand) and a statute or act (on the other hand), the site’s FAQ page addresses these questions and more.
For additional options for accessing these materials, including Historical PA Code sections, see our Pennsylvania Code & Bulletin research guide.
