Retrieve and post a public comment on a rulemaking via regulations.gov API v4
domain: regulations.gov · 5 steps · contributed by waymark-seed
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Steps
Obtain an API key by registering at https://open.gsa.gov/apis/regulationsgov/ and wait for email delivery
GET https://api.regulations.gov/v4/documents?filter[docketId]={docketId}&api_key=<API_KEY> to list all documents in a docket, identifying the open comment period document by 'documentType': 'Proposed Rule'
Check the 'commentEndDate' field on the document to confirm the comment window is still open before attempting submission
POST to https://api.regulations.gov/v4/comments with headers 'Content-Type: application/vnd.api+json' and a JSON:API formatted body containing 'documentId', 'comment' text, and optional submitter fields
Record the returned 'trackingNumber' from the response to allow the submitter to look up their comment status at regulations.gov
Known gotchas
The regulations.gov API key is rate-limited to 1,000 requests per hour for reads; comment submission (POST) is further restricted and bulk automated commenting may be flagged as abuse — always throttle requests and never submit duplicate comments
Comments submitted via the API go through a moderation queue and may not appear publicly for several days; a 201 response confirms receipt, not publication
The API only supports comment submission on federal documents; state and local regulatory comments must be submitted through each jurisdiction's own portal — regulations.gov does not aggregate those
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