regulations_search_dockets
Search for rulemaking and nonrulemaking dockets on Regulations.gov by keyword, agency, type, and date range. Returns docket ID, title, agency, and last modified date.
Instructions
Search Regulations.gov DOCKETS — the rulemaking/nonrulemaking CONTAINER that groups every document + comment under one regulatory action (api.data.gov keyed; DATA_GOV_API_KEY or the shared DEMO_KEY). Input searchTerm/query, filters (agencyId, docketType Rulemaking/Nonrulemaking, lastModifiedDateGe/Le YYYY-MM-DD), sort (def -lastModifiedDate), limit (1..250, def 20), pageNumber (1..40 HARD cap). Returns { dockets:[{ docketId, title, agencyId, docketType, lastModifiedDate, objectId, id }] } + honest _meta. HONESTY: totalAvailable = meta.totalElements (the EXACT real total, ~277k), NOT the capped totalPages (a 40 sentinel — deriving a total from totalPages lies); page[number] is hard-capped at 40 (10,000-record ceiling) — at the ceiling hasMore stays true but nextOffset is null + a note on how to reach the rest (narrow filters). The API's page[size] floor is 5, so a limit<5 fetches 5 and returns the first limit rows client-side (disclosed; totalAvailable stays exact). NOTE: rin is NULL in list rows — call regulations_get_docket for a docket's rin. DEMO_KEY ~10 req/hr (every call, incl. errors, decrements) — set DATA_GOV_API_KEY for 1000/hr. Genuine-empty ⇒ complete:true/total:0; outage/4xx/429 THROWS (never a fake empty).
Input Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| sort | No | Sort order (default '-lastModifiedDate'). Set: -lastModifiedDate/lastModifiedDate/title/-title (first two DEMO_KEY-verified). | |
| limit | No | Requested rows, 1..250, default 20. NOTE: the API's page[size] floor is 5 — a limit<5 fetches page[size]=5 upstream and returns the first `limit` rows client-side (disclosed in _meta.notes); totalAvailable stays the EXACT server total. | |
| query | No | Alias for `searchTerm` (either is accepted; both feed filter[searchTerm]). | |
| agencyId | No | Filter by owning agency acronym (filter[agencyId]), e.g. 'EPA', 'BLM', 'TREAS-FINCEN'. | |
| docketType | No | Filter by docket type: Rulemaking / Nonrulemaking (filter[docketType]). | |
| pageNumber | No | 1-based page number, 1..40 (HARD cap — page[number] max is 40; the reachable window is 40×page[size] ≤ 10,000 records). | |
| searchTerm | No | Full-text search term (filter[searchTerm]) over docket title/abstract, e.g. 'endangered species'. | |
| lastModifiedDateGe | No | Docket last modified on/after this date, YYYY-MM-DD (filter[lastModifiedDate][ge]). | |
| lastModifiedDateLe | No | Docket last modified on/before this date, YYYY-MM-DD (filter[lastModifiedDate][le]). |