Although they are typically located within the administrative branch, many agencies have the authority to propose and implement regulations, which have the force and effect of law. The legislature must delegate this authority to agencies by passing an enabling act. The legislature passes enabling acts when it recognizes that an agency possesses specialized subject expertise that will allow the agency to more effectively delineate legal rights and responsibilities. The legislative body retains an oversight function to ensure the agency does not exceed the scope of its authority.

At the federal level, the Federal Register is the daily record of administrative activities, and contains the text of all proposed and final regulations. All final regulations that are currently in effect are arranged by subject in an annual publication called the Code of Federal Regulations.

Regulations pertaining to trademark are located in Title 37, Chapter 1 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Sources include:

New and proposed regulations: