What should I do if the Entry Summary information collection page shows only a Federal Register access-control notice?
If the Entry Summary information collection page shows only an access-control notice, the confirmed next step depends on how you are accessing the page.
What to do as a human user
If you are browsing normally, complete the CAPTCHA shown by FederalRegister.gov. The notice says the request was flagged as potentially automated, so the CAPTCHA is the site’s way of checking access.
The available sources show the access-control notice instead of the underlying agency information collection content. They do not provide the full Entry Summary notice text in the context here.
If you still cannot reach the page
Use the access-help route provided on the notice. The context says the notice provides an IP Access Help route and also points automated users toward developer API documentation.
Do not submit confidential or personal information through the contact form. That warning is part of the access-control notice.
What this notice does and does not confirm
The notice confirms that FederalRegister.gov and eCFR.gov limit programmatic access because of heavy automated scraping. It does not confirm details of the underlying Entry Summary information collection item in the material provided here.
If you need the current agency content, recheck the official Federal Register page after completing the access step.
How should automated users access FederalRegister.gov or eCFR.gov content without triggering access controls?
Automated users should use the developer API documentation route identified by the notice, rather than relying on heavy scraping.
The confirmed access route
The access-control notice says FederalRegister.gov and eCFR.gov limit programmatic access because heavy automated scraping has affected the sites. It points users seeking automated access to the sites’ developer API documentation.
The context does not include the API documentation URL, authentication steps, rate limits, or approval requirements. Those details need to come from the official documentation.
If access controls are triggered
If a request is flagged as potentially automated, human users are instructed to pass a CAPTCHA. Automated users should not treat that CAPTCHA page as the content source. The notice’s confirmed direction for automated access is the developer API documentation path.
A caution about the help form
The notice provides an IP Access Help route, but it also warns users not to send confidential or personal information through that contact form.
Since API and access policies can change, check the current FederalRegister.gov or eCFR.gov access notice before changing any automated process.
Sources / Learn more
Related reading
- How can a reader get past the Federal Register access notice to view the DFARS information collection item?; Why might FederalRegister.gov ask for repeated CAPTCHA checks when viewing DFARS materials?; Where should developers look for approved programmatic access to DFARS-related Federal Register or eCFR materials?
- How can a reader verify the actual Federal Register notice when the page shows an access-limitation message?; What should a flagged human user do if FederalRegister.gov or eCFR.gov blocks access with a CAPTCHA notice?
- What should a reader do if the supplied Federal Register page does not show the qualified opportunity zone reporting details?; How can programmatic users access FederalRegister.gov or eCFR.gov material when automated-looking access is limited?
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