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NRC Regulatory Guides

The Regulatory Guide series provides guidance to licensees and applicants on implementing specific parts of the NRC's regulations, techniques used by the NRC staff in evaluating specific problems or postulated accidents, and data needed by the staff in its review of applications for permits or licenses.

On this page:

• Active Regulatory Guides
• Draft Regulatory Guides for Public Comment
• Regulatory Guide Update Program
• Notes on Regulatory Guides

Active Regulatory Guides

Active regulatory guides are issued in the following 10 broad divisions:

1. Power Reactors
2. Research and Test Reactors
3. Fuels and Materials Facilities
4. Environmental and Siting
5. Materials and Plant Protection
6. Products
7. Transportation
8. Occupational Health
9. Antitrust and Financial Review
10. General

Each active guide is identified by a number composed of the regulatory guide designator (RG), followed by a division number, a period, and a sequential guide number (e.g., RG 1.25). Individual guides may also be further identified by revision numbers (as appropriate) or dates of issuance.

Draft Regulatory Guides for Public Comment

The NRC issues regulatory guides in draft form to solicit public comment and involve the public in developing the agency’s regulatory positions. Some draft guides are proposed revisions of existing guides. Draft regulatory guides have not received complete staff review and, therefore, they do not represent official NRC staff positions. In finalizing the guides, the staff considers all comments received during the public comment period, as appropriate.

Like active guides, draft regulatory guides are issued in the following 10 broad divisions:

1. Power Reactors
2. Research and Test Reactors
3. Fuels and Materials Facilities
4. Environmental and Siting
5. Materials and Plant Protection
6. Products
7. Transportation
8. Occupational Health
9. Antitrust and Financial Review
10. General

Each draft guide is identified by a number composed of the draft guide designator (DG), followed by a hyphen and a sequential four-digit guide number in which the first digit indicates the division (e.g., DG-1172).

Comments on draft regulatory guides can be submitted electronically using our comment form or by email to NRCREP.Resource@nrc.gov. You may also mail comments to the following address:

Rulemaking, Directives and Editing Branch
Office of Administration
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Washington, DC 20555-0001

Comments submitted in electronic form or by mail will be made available to the public in their entirety through the NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS), and personal information will not be removed from comments. Please include the draft regulatory guide number in the subject line of your comment.

Regulatory Guide Update Program

The NRC is reviewing and prioritizing updates to its regulatory guides (RGs) based on anticipated need and to ensure complete, accurate, and current guidance. The NRC has categorized all existing RGs to be updated into one of the following four groups:

1. Phase 1
2. Phase 2
3. Phase 3
4. Phase 4
5. Considered for Withdrawal
6. Not planned to be developed or revised by the end of CY 2010

The first group (Phase 1) represents RGs that the staff updated by March 2007 to support anticipated new reactor licensing activities. The staff prioritized the remaining RGs based on information from several sources. The staff plans to develop and publish the second group (Phase 2) by December 2008, the third group (Phase 3) by December 2009, and the fourth group (Phase 4) by the end of calendar year 2010.

Notes on Regulatory Guides

• You may obtain a printed copy of an active or draft guide, free of charge, in any of the following ways:
• Download the guide from the related Division page listed above under Active Regulatory Guides or Draft Regulatory Guides for Public Comment
• Email a request to DISTRIBUTION.Resource@nrc.gov.
• Fax a request to 301-415-2289.
• Mail a written request to the Reproduction and Distribution Services Section, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001.
• Contact Us About Regulatory Guides if you have a question about any of the listed guides.

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Tuesday, February 17, 2009