New laws taking effect in 2026
61 changes from California, Federal. Pick a state or topic to narrow the list.
October 2026 22
Diphenidine, a dissociative street drug, becomes a Schedule I controlled substance
Diphenidine and its salts and isomers join Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. Anyone who makes, sells, imports, researches or possesses it needs a Schedule I registration or must give up their supply.
State Department records requests must go through its FOIA website, FOIA.gov or mail
Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act requests to the State Department must be filed in writing through its FOIA website, the national FOIA.gov portal, or by mail. The rule also gathers in one place the proof of identity needed for requests about a person's own records.
Softwood lumber imports measured by net size pay a higher board-feet assessment rate
The lumber promotion assessment stays $0.41 per thousand board feet on nominal size, and lumber reported by net size, common for European imports, now pays $0.62. The Softwood Lumber Board gains a seat for the U.S. South, going from 15 to 16 members.
Crews on U.S. cruise ships sailing abroad must complete emergency familiarization
Everyone working on U.S.-flagged passenger ships that carry more than 12 passengers on international voyages must be shown the ship's safety features and emergency duties before starting work. Crowd management training now also covers certain ratings, not only officers and muster-list crew.
EPA requires 90 days' notice before new uses of a group of new chemicals
Companies must notify EPA at least 90 days before making, importing or processing any of a group of new chemical substances already under EPA orders for a use the rules call significant new, and cannot start until EPA reviews the notice.
Explosives delivered by common carrier no longer need an ID check of the recipient
When explosives are shipped through a common or contract carrier, neither the carrier nor the seller has to check the ID of the person accepting delivery for the buyer. Licensees and permittees must report each added or removed responsible person and authorized employee within 30 days.
Explosives storers must renew their notice to the local fire authority every year
People who store federally regulated explosives already tell the local fire authority when they start. Now they must send a written notice every 12 months and within 48 hours of stopping storage at a site, and keep copies for five years.
Gulf red snapper season closes for charter boats and headboats
The 147-day federal for-hire red snapper season in the Gulf, 19 days longer than the season before, ends. Federally permitted charter boats and headboats then have a zero red snapper limit in state or federal waters, unless the season reopens because catch came in under target.
IRS raises the fee for an estate tax closing letter from $56 to $76
The user fee for asking the IRS for an estate tax closing letter, Letter 627, goes up from $56 to $76.
Railroads must file export cargo manifests electronically before trains leave the country
Export manifest data for every train leaving the U.S. must go to Customs and Border Protection electronically through its ACE system, not on paper: seven items at least 24 hours before departure, the rest two hours before. Enforcement starts a year later.
EPA enlarges two ocean dumping sites for dredged sediment off Corpus Christi
The Corpus Christi New Work disposal site grows from 1.39 to 5.57 square nautical miles and the Ship Channel site from 0.61 to 1.05. Dredged material still needs testing and approval before it is dumped there.
HUD's Section 108 loan guarantee fee rises to 1.05 percent from 0.58 percent
Borrowers under Section 108 loan guarantee commitments awarded in the new fiscal year pay a fee of 1.05 percent of the loan principal at each disbursement, up from 0.58 percent. The fee applies only if Congress again requires or allows HUD to charge it.
Medicare adds wheelchairs, braces and an air bed to its prior approval list
Medicare suppliers need prior approval to deliver eight more items, including an air-fluidized bed, an ultralightweight wheelchair and knee and back braces; 22 more need a face-to-face visit and written order first. Elbow and wrist brace approval starts in four states, then expands.
Air route T-373 in Alaska is extended to the King Salmon beacon
The FAA extends area navigation route T-373, which ran from the Kowok fix to the Werel waypoint, so it now starts at the King Salmon navigation beacon, adding route connections for pilots in southwest Alaska.
Air route T-388 near Kodiak, Alaska is extended to the Kodiak airport beacon
The FAA extends area navigation route T-388, which ran from the Wixer waypoint to the Baily fix, so it now reaches the Kodiak navigation beacon at Kodiak Airport, adding route connections for pilots in Alaska.
Airway V-108 near Concord, California is redrawn as the Concord beacon shuts down
The FAA amends federal airway V-108 in the San Francisco Bay Area because the Concord navigation beacon is being shut down, dropping the stretch between Scaggs Island and Linden that relied on it. The airway's end points stay the same.
Almond handlers get two more months each year to meet their inedible kernel obligation
California almond handlers must deliver their excess inedible kernels to the Almond Board or approved users by the end of November instead of the end of September after each crop year. The change is permanent.
FAA drops two Alaska air routes and extends route Q-10 to the Canadian border
The FAA revokes Alaska routes J-804R and J-889R, which relied on ground beacons or saw little use, and extends area navigation route Q-10 past Middleton Island to the EURKA waypoint at the Canadian border to replace J-804R.
FAA fixes the Thedford, Nebraska beacon location on two air routes
The FAA corrects the published coordinates of the Thedford navigation beacon in the descriptions of area navigation routes T-285 and T-286, after a survey found them off by 344 feet. The routes themselves do not change.
FAA sets a permanent no-fly zone around Trump Tower in Manhattan
A new prohibited area bars aircraft from the ground to 1,000 feet within about one nautical mile of Trump Tower, the President's New York home, unless the Secret Service allows entry. It follows a temporary restriction there and keeps the East River helicopter route open.
New air route T-581 links Missoula and Kalispell, Montana
The FAA creates area navigation route T-581 between the Missoula and Kalispell navigation beacons in western Montana, giving pilots another route and air traffic control more options.
Social Security rewrites its heart and blood vessel rules for disability claims
Social Security revises its disability listings for heart and blood vessel disorders, adds listings for aortic valve disease, cardiomyopathy and artery disease in transplanted hearts and updates the criteria for heart failure and other conditions. They apply to new and pending adult and child claims.
November 2026 22
Bank regulators narrow what counts as unsafe banking and when examiners can issue warnings
The Comptroller of the Currency and the FDIC define an unsafe or unsound practice as one breaking prudent standards and likely to materially harm a bank's finances or the insurance fund. Formal examiner warnings are limited to legal violations and practices reasonably expected to cause such harm.
EPA extends the South Coast's deadline to meet the fine particle air standard by five years
EPA grants California's request for five more years for the Los Angeles-South Coast Air Basin to meet the annual fine particle (PM2.5) air quality standard, finding the state has met the legal conditions for the extension.
Fed will publish stress test scenarios and model changes for public comment each year
The Federal Reserve will release proposed stress test scenarios each January for at least 30 days of public comment, and will seek comment on material model changes before using them. It also finalizes the models for the coming test.
Guam bottomfish catch limit rises to 34,500 pounds and in-season closures end
The yearly catch limit for bottomfish in federal waters around Guam rises from 31,000 to 34,500 pounds. Instead of closing the fishery mid-season, any amount by which the 3-year average catch tops the limit is cut from the limit for the season after.
Police can't make most arrests within 200 feet of polling places on election day
Under temporary rules, officers may not arrest anyone within 200 feet of an open polling place on election day except for crimes that disrupt the polls or harm people or property. Ballot drop-off sites must open at least 30 days before each election.
California raisin committee shrinks from 47 members to 21 and drops district seats
The Raisin Administrative Committee drops to 21 members from 47, loses producer district seats and the bargaining association seat, adds an unaffiliated producer seat, and needs 14 for a quorum instead of 25. It may also accept voluntary contributions.
Nuclear plants may store spent fuel in a redesigned NUHOMS 61BTH basket
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission adds Amendment 19 to the TN Americas NUHOMS storage system certificate, allowing a 61BTH basket built with staggered plates that is lighter and simpler to make, plus editorial fixes. It takes effect unless significant adverse comments came in.
U.S. drops white rust import limits on cut chrysanthemums
Fresh cut chrysanthemums and related flowers from countries with chrysanthemum white rust no longer need registered farms, farm inspections or a special white rust certificate to enter the U.S. Import rules for other cut flowers move from regulations to a USDA online database.
Colorado takes over permits for carbon dioxide storage wells from EPA
Colorado's Energy and Carbon Management Commission will issue and enforce permits for Class VI wells that inject carbon dioxide underground for storage. EPA stays the permitting authority on Indian lands in the state.
FCC adds FM radio channel 258A at Whitehall, Michigan, replacing vacant channel 248A
FM channel 258A is added to the allotment table for Whitehall, Michigan, after the local station's license was cancelled. The FCC has not yet opened a window for broadcasters to apply for it.
FCC deletes vacant FM radio channel 288A at Selmer, Tennessee
Vacant FM channel 288A comes off the allotment table for Selmer, Tennessee, because it sits too close to station WVNA-FM and no other channel fits the spacing rules.
National forest projects get shorter comment periods and no separate objection reviewer
Public comment periods on national forest and grassland projects shrink to 15 days from 30 for environmental assessments and to 30 days from 45 for impact statements. Objections are now answered by the project's responsible official, not a separate reviewing officer.
Surface Transportation Board raises 87 of its 135 filing fees
The Surface Transportation Board raises 87 of the 135 fees it charges to file cases and pleadings, and keeps the other 48 the same.
Denali Park Road limit becomes 160 vehicles a day instead of a seasonal permit count
The National Park Service replaces its cap of 10,512 seasonal permits on miles 15 to 90 of the Denali Park Road with a limit of 160 vehicles a day, which the park already uses. The season no longer ends early in some years.
EPA repeals carbon capture rules for coal plants and new gas power plants
EPA repeals the carbon limits for existing coal, oil and gas steam power plants and the carbon capture-based standards for modified coal units and new base load gas turbines. Efficiency-based standards for new gas turbines stay in place.
Agencies may refuse to let workers on deferred-resignation leave take back a resignation
The Office of Personnel Management writes into its rules that agencies may give paid administrative leave to employees in deferred resignation programs and during layoff notice periods, matching current policy. Accepting deferred-resignation benefits becomes a valid reason to deny withdrawing a resignation.
Bear baiting allowed again in Alaska national preserves as the Park Service drops recent limits
The National Park Service removes hunting, trapping and subsistence limits it added over the past decade, so bear baiting in Alaska preserves follows state law again and no permit is needed to collect animal parts for handicrafts. Closures again require local hearings and notices.
Export licenses for civilian gun silencers move from the State Department to Commerce
Silencers and suppressors for non-automatic and semi-automatic firearms join the Commerce Control List, so exports need Commerce Department approval or a license exception instead of State Department arms licenses. Travelers can take them abroad under the baggage exception for personal firearms.
State Department takes silencers for non-automatic guns off the U.S. Munitions List
Silencers, mufflers and suppressors for non-automatic and semi-automatic firearms leave the U.S. Munitions List, so their exports no longer fall under the State Department's arms export rules and move to Commerce Department controls. Suppressors built for fully automatic guns stay on the list.
Workplace chemical hazard rule deadlines for labels and training pushed back four months
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration pushes each compliance date in its updated Hazard Communication Standard back four months. The deadline for chemical makers evaluating substances has passed; next, employers must update workplace labels, their hazard program and training for substances, with mixtures later.
EB-5 immigrant investor filing fees rise about 71 percent on average
New fees include $7,615 for a standalone investor petition, $7,850 for a regional center investor petition, $5,000 to remove conditions on residence and $44,115 to seek regional center designation. Integrity Fund fees rise 10 percent, and filings postmarked from the start date must pay the new fees.
Federal fuel economy targets for cars and light trucks are cut sharply
Fuel economy standards for past and future model years drop to an estimated fleet average of about 34.9 mpg in the final year covered, down from 49.3 mpg under the old rules. Tradable credits end for later model years, and car and truck classes are redrawn.
December 2026 17
Credit union trust accounts get one insurance category, capped at $1.25 million per owner
Federal share insurance at credit unions will cover revocable and irrevocable trust funds under one trust accounts category: $250,000 per beneficiary, up to five beneficiaries, or $1,250,000 per grantor at each credit union. This ends the separate formulas for larger trusts.
IRS sets rules for the new federal tax credit for scholarship donations
States that opt in must certify eligible scholarship granting organizations, and those groups must give each donor a yearly written acknowledgement and report qualified donations to the IRS.
Car seat side-impact standard is delayed and school bus child seats are exempted
Child car seats must meet the federal side-impact crash standard later than first set, giving small makers more time, and school bus child seats with the required labels are exempt. Forward-facing seats are no longer tested with the 12-month-old crash dummy.
Energy Department drops a newer efficiency test for commercial warm air furnaces
The Energy Department withdraws the Thermal Efficiency Two test, which counted heat lost through the furnace casing and at part load, before any standard required it. Makers keep testing under the existing thermal efficiency method.
EPA delays hazardous substance spill response plan deadline by three years
Facilities at risk of causing substantial harm with a worst-case spill of Clean Water Act hazardous substances get three more years to file response plans. EPA also strikes references to climate change and environmental justice from the rules.
Makers and importers must notify EPA before new uses of 19 newly reviewed chemicals
Anyone who makes, imports or processes any of 19 chemical substances must tell the EPA at least 90 days before a use the rule lists as significant and new, mostly uses outside existing EPA order limits. Work waits for EPA's review.
Standardized foods such as cheddar and bread may use salt substitutes to cut sodium
FDA standards of identity that list salt as an ingredient now allow salt substitutes, such as potassium chloride, in foods like cheddar cheese, bread and canned salmon. Substitutes must appear in the ingredient list, and no new warning label is required.
Carriers that send emergency alerts must support a map of the alert area on phones
Wireless carriers that take part in Wireless Emergency Alerts must support showing a map with alerts aimed at a circle or polygon, marking that area and the user's location when location services are on. The rule's multilingual alert templates and carrier availability filings remain delayed.
More radioactive materials can be used in small amounts without a federal license
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission lets labs, hospitals and industry use small amounts of many more radionuclides without a license, and lets Energy Department contractors run first responder training with limited material without a case-by-case exemption. It takes effect only if no significant objections arrive.
Prison and jail phone and video providers must file a year of cost data with the FCC
Companies providing phone and video calls to incarcerated people must report a year of costs and operations on new FCC forms, to support FCC rate setting. The filing deadline holds only if the Office of Management and Budget has finished its paperwork review by then.
Alaska airway V-320 is revoked and a new route, T-550, opens near Anchorage
The Federal Aviation Administration revokes airway V-320 in Alaska, which ran from McGrath to Johnstone Point, because weak navigation signals left parts of it unusable. A new area navigation route, T-550, runs from the FRIDA fix to Anchorage to cover the gaps.
Fourteen eastern airways are cut back or redrawn as Charlotte and two other beacons shut down
The Federal Aviation Administration removes segments from 11 radio-beacon airways and redefines fixes on others, because the Charlotte, Foothills and Holston Mountain beacons are shutting down and the Spartanburg beacon is moving. Redefined fixes keep their locations.
AP1000 reactor design approval renewed for 40 years with an updated design based on Vogtle
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission renews the AP1000 design certification for 40 years and adds Revision 20, which reflects changes made building and running Vogtle Units 3 and 4. The older revision stays available. Significant adverse comments mean withdrawal.
Health plans must drop prior authorization for services they approve 90% of the time
Health plans and insurers must report how often they approve each service that needs prior authorization. Regulators then list services approved at least 90% of the time, and plans must stop requiring approval for those. Medi-Cal managed care plans are excluded.
Tampon and pad makers must track lead, arsenic, cadmium and zinc in products
Makers of disposable tampons and pads must keep data on lead, arsenic, cadmium and zinc levels in their products and hand over test results when the state toxics department asks. The department may retest at the maker's cost and add more chemicals.
Chip designers get more time to apply for approved designer status under export rules
The Commerce Department's export agency extends by about eight months the deadline for applying to become an approved integrated circuit designer, and the cutoff tied to authorized designer status, for advanced logic chip exports. Applicants may then count as authorized designers for 180 days.
USDA delays its horse soring inspection rule again
The Agriculture Department again delays the parts of its updated horse protection rule that a court left standing. When they apply, horse events must use USDA-authorized inspectors instead of industry-licensed ones, and reporting rules cover shows and sales of all breeds.