What is a regulation?
A regulation is a law adopted by a state government agency. The General Assembly must pass a law authorizing or mandating a state agency to write regulations. Over half of Virginia's codified law is written by state agencies. Unlike statutes, which change only when the legislature is in session, administrative regulations change throughout the year.

What are the purposes of administrative regulations?
An administrative regulation serves two purposes. First, a properly enacted administrative regulation has the binding effect of law. Therefore, a regulation affects our lives as much as a statute passed by the legislature.

Second, an administrative regulation informs citizens of actions a state government agency will take or how a state agency will conduct its business. It provides citizens the opportunity to respond--whether by providing public comment, or becoming involved in some other way.

Administrative regulations provide insight into how state government operates. State agencies write administrative regulations detailing how the public may access records and services, and how to appeal administrative decisions. An administrative regulation is the formal document an agency uses to inform citizens of its actions.

What is the Virginia Register of Regulations?
The Virginia Register of Regulations is Virginia’s official state publication of regulations. All regulations must be filed with the Registrar of Regulations for them to become law. The Virginia Register provides a snapshot of all regulatory activity happening in Virginia.

Where can I find a copy of the Virginia Register of Regulations?
The official Virginia Register can be found online at http://register.dls.virginia.gov/issfiles.htm. This page also has the option for you to subscribe to an RSS feed to receive notification when a new issue has been published.

What is the Virginia Regulatory Town Hall?
The Virginia Regulatory Town Hall (Town Hall) is a website managed by the Department of Planning and Budget. Through this website, executive branch agencies submit regulations for review and approval of the Governor. Once through the review process, the regulation is sent to the Virginia Register for publication.

The Town Hall is another resource for tracking the progress of a regulation. You can sign up to be notified by email of regulatory activity and comment on regulations using the public comment forum.
Not all regulations are found on the Town Hall.

I have a question/comment about a regulation, who should I contact?
Each regulation printed in the Virginia Register lists the name, address, telephone and fax number, and email address of an agency contact person. You can contact the agency directly with questions and comments. You can also find contact information on the Virginia Regulatory Town Hall.

What is a guidance document?
A guidance document is "…any document developed by a state agency or staff that provides information or guidance of general applicability to the staff or public to interpret or implement statutes or the agency's rules or regulations..." Agencies are required to maintain a complete, current list of all guidance documents and make the full text of such documents available to the public.

How can I find a section of the administrative code if I don't know the section number?
1. Go to http://regulations.legis.virginia.gov.
2. Use the search feature to search by subject or key word.

Are the regulations on this site up to date?
The Virginia Administrative Code (VAC) updates daily so regulations that become effective today are included with the following exceptions:
1. Certain exemptions allow a regulation to become effective prior to being published in the Virginia Register of Regulations. Actions will be updated within two business days of the effective date.
2. Final regulations published in the Virginia Register are not included in VAC UNTIL their effective date.
3. Because of their temporary nature, emergency regulations are not included in VAC, but are available on the website within two business days of the effective date.

What should I do if I need an older version of a regulation?
Contact the Registrar's office at (804) 786-3591.

How do I sign up for email notification from the Virginia Register?
The Virginia Register of Regulations is published on schedule every other Monday, so interested individuals can go directly to this link (http://register.dls.virginia.gov/issfiles.htm) on publication dates. For a listing of publication dates, go to http://register.dls.virginia.gov/pubdates.HTM. Publication dates are shown in the far right column. We offer an alternative to email notification for receiving notice of availability of each issue of the Register. You can subscribe to the Virginia Register of Regulations' RSS feed (http://rss.icerocket.com/xmlfeed.php?id=1287).

What is the Virginia Administrative Code?
The Virginia Administrative Code is the compilation of permanent regulations for the Commonwealth of Virginia that have the force of law. The text of the original regulation is updated with later additions to or deletions from the original regulation to keep it current. The Virginia Administrative Code online is updated daily.

How is the Virginia Administrative Code organized?
The Virginia Administrative Code consists of 24 titles organized by subject matter. Each title is then divided by state agency. Under each agency is a list of chapters. The following illustrates how regulations are labeled:

For example, 4 VAC 5-30-10:

4=Title-Conservation and natural resources
5=Agency-Department of Conservation and Recreation
30=Chapter-Virginia State Parks Regulations
10=Section-Definition of terms

Where can I find a copy of the Virginia Administrative Code?
Official print copies of the Virginia Administrative Code are available in most Virginia public library systems (http://www.lva.lib.va.us/whoweare/directories/valib/weball.asp). The online Virginia Administrative Code can be found at http://regulations.legis.virginia.gov.

What is an emergency regulation?
Agencies, upon consultation with the Attorney General, and at the discretion of the Governor, may adopt emergency regulations that are necessitated by an emergency situation. Agencies may also adopt an emergency regulation when Virginia statutory law or the appropriation act or federal law or federal regulation requires that a regulation be effective in 280 days or less from its enactment, and the regulation is not exempt under the provisions of § 2.2-4006 A 4 of the Code of Virginia. Emergency regulations are effective upon filing with the Registrar of Regulations unless the promulgating agency specifies a later date.

Where can I find emergency regulations?
Emergency regulations can be found on the Virginia Administrative Code website (http://register.dls.virginia.gov/emergency_regs/emergencyregs.htm) within two business days of the effective date.

Why aren't emergency regulations in the administrative code?
Emergency regulations are temporary, so they are not included in the Virginia Administrative Code.

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