Legal Status This site displays a prototype of a “Web 2.0” version of the daily
Federal Register. It is not an official legal edition of the Federal
Register, and does not replace the official print version or the official
electronic version on GPO’s govinfo.gov.

The documents posted on this site are XML renditions of published Federal
Register documents. Each document posted on the site includes a link to the
corresponding official PDF file on govinfo.gov. This prototype edition of the
daily Federal Register on FederalRegister.gov will remain an unofficial
informational resource until the Administrative Committee of the Federal
Register (ACFR) issues a regulation granting it official legal status.
For complete information about, and access to, our official publications
and services, go to About the Federal Register on NARA's archives.gov.

The OFR/GPO partnership is committed to presenting accurate and reliable
regulatory information on FederalRegister.gov with the objective of
establishing the XML-based Federal Register as an ACFR-sanctioned
publication in the future. While every effort has been made to ensure that
the material on FederalRegister.gov is accurately displayed, consistent with
the official SGML-based PDF version on govinfo.gov, those relying on it for
legal research should verify their results against an official edition of
the Federal Register. Until the ACFR grants it official status, the XML
rendition of the daily Federal Register on FederalRegister.gov does not
provide legal notice to the public or judicial notice to the courts.

Legal Status

Rule

Streamlining the Regulations Governing Requests for Special Census Services and Studies

A Rule by the Census Bureau on 02/20/2026

• 1.

1.

• Document Details Published Content - Document Details Agencies Department of Commerce Census Bureau Agency/Docket Number Docket No. 260213-0046 CFR 15 CFR 50 Document Citation 91 FR 8070 Document Number 2026-03384 Document Type Rule Pages 8070-8071
  (2 pages) Publication Date 02/20/2026 RIN 0607-AA73 Published Content - Document Details

• PDF Official Content

  • View printed version (PDF) Official Content

• Document Details Published Content - Document Details Agencies Department of Commerce Census Bureau Agency/Docket Number Docket No. 260213-0046 CFR 15 CFR 50 Document Citation 91 FR 8070 Document Number 2026-03384 Document Type Rule Pages 8070-8071
  (2 pages) Publication Date 02/20/2026 RIN 0607-AA73 Published Content - Document Details

• Document Dates Published Content - Document Dates Effective Date 2026-02-20 Dates Text The rule is effective February 20, 2026. Published Content - Document Dates

• Table of Contents Enhanced Content - Table of Contents This table of contents is a navigational tool, processed from the
  headings within the legal text of Federal Register documents.
  This repetition of headings to form internal navigation links
  has no substantive legal effect.

  • AGENCY:
  • ACTION:
  • SUMMARY:
  • DATES:
  • FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
  • SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
  • Regulatory Classifications
  • A. Administrative Procedure Act
  • B. Executive Orders 12866, 14192, 13132
  • C. Regulatory Flexibility Act
  • D. Paperwork Reduction Act
  • List of Subjects in 15 CFR Part 50
  • PART 50—SPECIAL SERVICES AND STUDIES BY THE BUREAU OF THE CENSUS Enhanced Content - Table of Contents

• Public Comments Enhanced Content - Public Comments Comments are no longer being accepted.
  See DATES for details.

Enhanced Content - Public Comments
- Regulations.gov Data Enhanced Content - Regulations.gov Data Additional information is not currently available for this document.

Enhanced Content - Regulations.gov Data

- Sharing Enhanced Content - Sharing Shorter Document URL https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2026-03384 Email Email this document to a friend Enhanced Content - Sharing

• Print Enhanced Content - Print
  • Print this document Enhanced Content - Print
• Document Statistics Enhanced Content - Document Statistics Document page views are updated periodically throughout the day and are cumulative counts for this document. Counts are subject to sampling, reprocessing and revision (up or down) throughout the day.

Page views 147
as of
03/14/2026 at 12:15 pm EDT Enhanced Content - Document Statistics
- Other Formats Enhanced Content - Other Formats This document is also available in the following formats:

JSON Normalized attributes and metadata XML Original full text XML MODS Government Publishing Office metadata More information and documentation can be found in our developer tools pages.

Enhanced Content - Other Formats
- Public Inspection Public Inspection This PDF is FR Doc. 2026-03384 as it appeared on Public Inspection on
02/19/2026 at 8:45 am.

It was viewed
28
times while on Public Inspection.

If you are using public inspection listings for legal research, you
should verify the contents of the documents against a final, official
edition of the Federal Register. Only official editions of the
Federal Register provide legal notice of publication to the public and judicial notice
to the courts under 44 U.S.C. 1503 & 1507. Learn more here.

Public Inspection
Published Document: 2026-03384 (91 FR 8070) This document has been published in the Federal Register. Use the PDF linked in the document sidebar for the official electronic format.

Document Headings Document headings vary by document type but may contain
the following:

1. the agency or agencies that issued and signed a document
2. the number of the CFR title and the number of each part the document amends, proposes to amend, or is directly related to
3. the agency docket number / agency internal file number
4. the RIN which identifies each regulatory action listed in the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions See the Document Drafting Handbook for more details.

Department of Commerce

Census Bureau

1. 15 CFR Part 50
2. [Docket No. 260213-0046]
3. RIN 0607-AA73

AGENCY:

Census Bureau, Department of Commerce (Department).

ACTION:

Final rule.

SUMMARY:

By this rule, the Census Bureau is amending its regulations governing requests and establishing fee structures for special census services and studies. This action is necessary to eliminate obsolete provision and streamline the Census Bureau's regulations. This action is intended to promote simplicity and efficiency and to reduce the possibility of public confusion.

DATES:

The rule is effective February 20, 2026.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Daniel Sweeney, Senior Counsel, Office of the General Counsel, at (202) 482-1395.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

This action amends the Census Bureau's regulations at 15 CFR part 50, which ( printed page 8071) govern requests and establish fee structures for special census services and studies. The regulations at part 50 purport to implement 15 U.S.C. 1525, which generally authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to perform special services and furnish special records “upon the payment of the actual or estimated cost of such special work,” and 13 U.S.C. 8, which similarly authorizes the Secretary to furnish transcripts or copies of reports in connection with surveys and censuses “upon payment of the actual or estimated cost of searching the records and furnishing such transcripts or copies.” The regulatory framework established by part 50 was first promulgated by final rule on January 4, 1963 (28 FR 120), and was subsequently amended several times between then and 2004 (January 20, 1971, 36 FR 905; February 1, 1984, 49 FR 3980; July 29, 1991, 56 FR 35815; July 18, 2003, 68 FR 42586; July 30, 2004, 69 FR 45580). This action amends part 50 again in three ways.

First, this action removes § 50.1(a). That subsection currently reads as follows: “Fee structure for age search and citizenship service, special population censuses, and for foreign trade and shipping statistics.” Upon review, the Department has determined that this incomplete introductory sentence creates a risk of confusion and also is unnecessary, given the sufficiently explanatory contents of § 50.1(b) and other subsequent sections.

Second, this action removes § 50.30. That section established a fee structure for foreign trade and shipping statistics. However, that section is now obsolete, as the Census Bureau no longer charges fees for such services. The removal of § 50.30 will therefore ensure that the Census Bureau's regulations are accurate and up-to-date.

Third, this action removes § 50.40. That section established a fee structure for statistics for city blocks for the 1980 census of population and housing. That section is now plainly obsolete and no longer serves any meaningful purpose. The removal of § 50.40 will simplify part 50 and reduce the possibility of unnecessary confusion and/or distraction.

Overall, these three changes will simplify and streamline part 50 and reduce the possibility of public confusion—thereby promoting efficiency—without substantively altering any obligations of the Census Bureau or public rights.

Regulatory Classifications

A. Administrative Procedure Act

Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(B), the Department finds good cause to waive the prior notice and opportunity for public participation requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act for this final rule. The Department has determined that prior notice and opportunity for public participation is unnecessary because this rule only removes regulatory language that is not required by statute and that is plainly obsolete and/or clearly poses an unnecessary risk of public confusion; the obsolete and unnecessary nature of the regulatory language at issue will not be cured by any public comment. The Department has also determined that delaying the removal of this regulatory language for the sake of carrying out the notice and comment process would be contrary to the public interest, as the language being removed no longer serves any meaningful function but does pose a risk of confusion and distraction. The Department therefore finds good cause to waive the public notice and comment period under 553(b)(B) and, for the same reason, to waive the 30-day delay in effectiveness under 553(d).

B. Executive Orders 12866, 14192, 13132

The Office of Management and Budget has determined this rule is not significant pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 12866. This rule is an E.O. 14192 deregulatory action. This rule does not contain policies having federalism implications as the term is defined in E.O. 13132.

C. Regulatory Flexibility Act

Because a notice of proposed rulemaking and an opportunity for public participation are not required to be given for this rule by 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(B), the analytical requirements of the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) are not applicable. Accordingly, no regulatory flexibility analysis is required, and none has been prepared.

D. Paperwork Reduction Act

This rule will not impose additional reporting or recordkeeping requirements under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.

List of Subjects in 15 CFR Part 50

• Administrative practice and procedure
• Census data
• Citizenship and naturalization
• Fees
• Foreign trade
• Reporting and recordkeeping requirements
• State and local governments
• Statistics George M. Cook, Chief of Staff to the Under Secretary for Economic Affairs, performing the non-exclusive functions and duties of the Director of the Census Bureau, approved the publication of this notice in the Federal Register.

For the reasons set forth in the preamble, the Census Bureau amends 15 CFR part 50 to read as follows:

PART 50—SPECIAL SERVICES AND STUDIES BY THE BUREAU OF THE CENSUS

1. The authority citation for part 50 continues to read as follows:

Authority: 15 U.S.C. 1525-1527 and 13 U.S.C. 3 and 8.

§ 50.1 [Amended] 2. Amend § 50.1 by removing and reserving paragraph (a).

§ 50.30 [Removed and Reserved] 3. Remove and reserve § 50.30.

§ 50.40 [Removed and Reserved] 4. Remove and reserve § 50.40.

Dated: February 17, 2026.

Shannon Wink,

Program Analyst, Policy Coordination Office, U.S. Census Bureau.

[FR Doc. 2026-03384 Filed 2-19-26; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-07-P

Published Document: 2026-03384 (91 FR 8070)