Guidance Documents Managed by Program Offices
EPA is committed to ensuring the fair and transparent use of guidance documents. This portal helps users quickly locate EPA’s active guidance documents on topics of interest. In selecting which documents to include in this portal, EPA used the following definition of “guidance documents," Guidance documents are agency statements of general applicability, intended to have future effect on the behavior of regulated parties, that set forth a policy on a statutory, regulatory, or technical issue, or an interpretation of a statute or regulation, subject to certain exceptions. For example, the portal does not include internal guidance directed to EPA staff or other federal agencies that is not intended to have substantial future effect on the behavior of regulated parties and internal executive branch legal advice or legal opinions addressed to executive branch officials.
Guidance documents include memorandums, policy statements, handbooks and manuals, as well as documents formally titled as guidance. Guidance documents that have been superseded with newer guidance are not included.
EPA's guidance documents generally lack the force and effect of law.
View all documents issued or otherwise managed by a particular headquarters office: