Agency Guidance
Agency guidance is a document in which a government agency explains its interpretation of law, policy, or recommended practices. Guidance can help the public understand how an agency approaches a topic, but it generally differs from a regulation and does not itself create binding legal obligations unless law provides otherwise.
Agency guidance is a document in which a government agency explains its interpretation of law, policy, or recommended practices. Guidance can help the public understand how an agency approaches a topic, but it generally differs from a regulation and does not itself create binding legal obligations unless law provides otherwise.
Example: The Food and Drug Administration publishes guidance documents explaining how it interprets requirements for regulated products and how it recommends that industry meet those requirements.
Common misconception: Every guidance document is a binding regulation. Guidance generally explains an agency’s current thinking; legally binding rules must rest on valid authority and follow applicable requirements.
Sources: https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-documents; https://www.federalregister.gov/reader-aids/understanding-the-federal-register