Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Use of Standards by U.S. Federal Agencies

NIST's Standards Incorporated by Reference (SIBR) database contains the voluntary consensus standards, government unique standards, private industry standards, and international standards that are referenced in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), which codifies all Federal regulations in the United States. SIBR also includes standards that are used by U.S. Federal Government Agencies in procurement activities.

ANSI's Incorporated by Reference (IBR) Portal provides access to standards that have been incorporated by reference in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). These standards incorporated by the U.S. government in rulemakings are offered at no cost in “read only” format and are presented for online reading. There are no print or download options.

Many government agencies offer databases and websites that aggregate and track their standards requirements and programs:

    Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
    The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) protects the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from thousands of types of consumer products. The CPSC site (available in English and Spanish) includes an easy to use database of regulated products, and tools to identify mandatory and voluntary standards.

    Department of Defense (DoD)
    DoD’s ASSIST database serves as the DoD’s official source for standardization documents developed, maintained, and used by DoD, and houses those requirements documents cited in defense acquisitions for the development, acquisition, and logistic support of systems and equipment used by the DoD.

    Department of Energy (DoE)
    DoE provides a searchable database of approved and draft Department of Energy Technical Standards.

    Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
    The EPA has a continuing commitment to using and participating in Voluntary Consensus Standards (VCS) and other private sector standards as directed by the National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act (NTTAA) and other federal policies. Use of standards in regulation, voluntary programs, research, and other activities helps the agency achieve robust engagement with industry, academia, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and others. EPA maintains a standards webpage https://www.epa.gov/vcs . This also helps harness partnerships that enhance public trust and lead to durable policies that enjoy broad consensus and buy-in.

    Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
    FDA's Recognized Consensus Standards includes all national and international standards recognized by FDA to which medical device manufacturers can declare conformity.

    General Services Administration (GSA)
    GSA maintains an Index of Federal Specifications, Standards and Commercial Item Descriptions, and a list of Federal Vehicle Standards, providing the full text of federal standards for ambulances, buses, fuel/water tankers, light trucks, medium & heavy trucks, sedans, and wreckers & carriers.

    Government Printing Office (GPO)
    The US Government Publishing Office specifies standards for vendors Forms and Standards (gpo.gov) and federal agencies Forms and Standards (gpo.gov) regarding the production and distribution of information products and services available to all three branches of the Federal government.

    Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
    A comprehensive and easy to use resource for locating current OSHA standards and enforcement-related information. Includes links to interpretations, enforcement guides, and other enforcement related information.

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
    NASA publishes NASA technical standards that are critical in defining engineering, safety and mission assurance, and health and medical requirements for NASA missions.

    National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA)
    NHTSA is the arm of the Department of Transportation that is concerned with automotive safety. The NHTSA safety requirements are set forth in the series of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.

    National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
    NIST Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) for Federal computer systems. The FIPS Listed by Number lists gives publication number, date of issue, and a short abstract for each FIPS PUB.

    National Science and Technology Council (NSTC)
    NSTC publishes the Registry of USG Recommended Biometric Standards.  This Registry is based upon interagency consensus on biometric standards required to enable the interoperability of various Federal biometric applications, and to guide Federal agencies as they develop and implement related biometric programs.

    Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
    The NRC licenses and regulates the Nation's civilian use of radioactive materials to provide reasonable assurance of adequate protection of public health and safety and to promote the common defense and security and to protect the environment. The NRC uses voluntary consensus standards as an integral part of its regulatory framework. The NRC’s Standards Development webpage provides information on the NRC’s participation in the development and use of standards.

    U.S. Access Board
    The U.S. Access Board is an independent federal agency that promotes equality for people with disabilities through leadership in accessible design and the development of accessibility guidelines and standards.  The Access Board develops and maintains design criteria for the built environment, transit vehicles, information and communication technology, and medical diagnostic equipment under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and other laws.

     

    Contacts

    • Standards Coordination Office
      NIST, 100 Bureau Drive, Mail Stop 2100
      Gaithersburg, MD 20899-2100
    Created December 30, 2022, Updated May 31, 2023