Oregon Secretary of State

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OARD Filing FAQ

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Getting Started

  • OARD is the Oregon Administrative Rules Database. OARD houses all the official copies of the Oregon Administrative Rules and filings.
  • The Secretary of State's official resource for agencies wishing to file OARs. The online filing system contains each agency's rules, current draft text, filing draft text and public filing rule searches.
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  • "Rule" is defined in Oregon Revised Statute 183.310(9).
  • There are three parts to an Administrative Rule which are the Chapter (first three digits), Division (second three digits), and Rule Number (last four digits). The different levels within the rule numbers are section ((1), (2), etc.), subsection ((a), (b), etc.), paragraph ((A), (B), etc.), subparagraph ((i), (ii), etc.), and sub-subparagraph ((I), (II), etc.).
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  • Yes, we have tutorial videos on YouTube. They cover various types of filings and actions within OARD.
  • Visit the OARD Filing Resources page​ for helpful tools, including PDF guides with step-by-step instructions (same topics as our YouTube videos), as well as checklists, overviews, and internal-use worksheets to support your agency’s rulemaking process.
  • You can read the administrative rules on filing with Secretary of State in OAR 166-500​.
  • The Secretary of State’s Administrative Rules Unit also provides training through Workday for Rules 101 and OARD Filing. To register, check the Workday Learning section. These courses can be taken multiple times and are offered throughout the year. When training sets are scheduled, they will be announced in Basecamp.
  • Contact the Administrative Rules Unit with training questions by emailing adminrules.archives@sos.oregon.gov.
  • Access to OARD must be granted by the Secretary of State’s Administrative Rules Unit to be able to file administrative rules.
  • Create an account in OARD to create the username (OIM), submit an updated Rules Coordinator and Delegation of Rulemaking Authority form. One form is needed per chapter. Only one form can be in effect at a time. Each form supersedes the previous form and must have a current effective date.
    • Enter an effective date on the form that is either the same date as the signatures or a date in the future.
    • Include your name, OIM login, work email, and work phone number.
    • Ensure that all delegated rules coordinators (previous and new) are also listed on the form, so they retain or are granted access to OARD.
    • At least one rules coordinator must be delegated per chapter.
    • A single rules coordinator may be assigned to multiple chapters within the same rulemaking entity.
    • See the list of current Rules Coordinators
    • Include any staff who have delegated authority to approve filings on page 2 of the form.
    • The person who is the authorizing signer does not need to sign on page 2, only at the bottom of page 1.
      • ​For example, the Secretary of State is our authorizing signer, and they can delegate the rulemaking authority to any staff under them. So only the bottom of page 1 is where the Secretary of State signed.
    • Make sure everyone listed on the form signs it.
    • Ensure that there is a signature from the authorized person (see bottom of page 1).
    • ​Electronic signatures are accepted.
  • See the PDF guides​ with step-by-step instructions for creating an OIM, rulemaking actions within OARD, introducing the Rules Coordinator Dashboard, along with other guides that are helpful to rules coordinators.
  • ​Rules writers create the same account as rules coordinators in OARD.
  • Once the account is created and the Oregon Admin Rules database is selected for access, the rules writer must reach out to the rules coordinator for access to be granted.
  • The rules coordinator will need the OIM (username).
  • Watch a YouTube video tutorial on Maintaining Divisions and creating an OIM.
  • View our PDF guides​ on Maintaining Divisions and creating an OIM.
  • Permanent, Statutory Minor Correction, or Temporary Filings: These filings will appear online after they have been reviewed and published from the Administrative Rules Unit unless the rule has a later effective date (permanent and temporary filings only).
    • If the effective date for permanent or temporary filings is later than the filing date, the administrative rule will not display until that date, but a hyperlink to the filing will be available in the rule history at the bottom of the current administrative rule text if the rulemaking action was amending the rule in some way.
    • Statutory Minor Corrections are effective immediately upon publishing by the Administrative Rules Unit.
    • Administrative rules that have future effective dates and are being adopted will not appear online until the effective date.
  • Notice of Proposed Rulemaking: These filings will not appear online in the rule history. These filings can be found in the monthly publication of the Oregon Bulletin.
    • Once the rulemaking process is complete by filing the permanent administrative rules and the permanent filing has been filed, reviewed and published by the Administrative Rules Unit, the permanent rules will appear online in the rule history.
    • OARD does provide tracked changes copies for use when notifying interested parties that are available for download by an agency’s rules coordinator.
    • Notice of Proposed Rulemaking filings are published in the monthly Oregon Bulletin on the first business day of the month.
  • Search Filings Feature: The Search Filings​ feature can be used to find all filings by chapter and date range. These links are publicly accessible and should be used when linking to the SoS website for filings.

Oregon Bulletin

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  • The Oregon Bulletin is a monthly publication put out by the Secretary of State’s Archives Division on the first business day of each month containing the filings of administrative rules from the previous month.
  • This publication includes filings for notices of proposed rulemaking, permanent administrative orders, temporary administrative orders, statutory minor corrections.
  • This publication also includes other notices such as the Governor’s Executive Orders, public notices from agencies that do not pertain to rulemaking activities, and other information.
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  • The filing deadline is the last day of the month by the end of the day. It’s recommended to submit filings at least five business days before the deadline to allow time for any necessary corrections.
  • Filings are not guaranteed to be included in the Oregon Bulletin unless they are received, reviewed, and published before the deadline and all corrections have been made.
  • Filings submitted by the deadline will be reviewed for inclusion.
  • If corrections are needed, the Administrative Rules Unit will give you two business days during the calendar month and up to two hours on filing deadline or Bulletin publication day to correct and resubmit.
  • The Oregon Bulletin is published on the first business day of the month.
  • If you miss the deadline or do not make the required corrections in time on any filing, the filing will be voided and will not be included in the Bulletin publication for that month. This could delay the rulemaking process, such as requiring rescheduling of hearings or adjusting the timeline for public comments.
  • Filings submitted in any given month will appear in the following month’s Bulletin. For example, filings submitted during the month of September will be published in the October Bulletin.
  • For more information on filing requirements and deadlines, see OAR 166-500.​

Rulemaking Filing Questions​

  • If a filing is returned, it will appear in red with the word, "Returned" in the Filings Work Queue. Click Edit, make the necessary changes, check the box under the red text identifying the error Check when error is corrected, click Save, click Return to Filing, and then click Submit to re-submit the filing.
    • ​If the return to filing button or the submit button is greyed out, you must click save first.
  • You may only change the field(s) where the red error message is located for the corrections that are required. Follow the directions from the error message below the field that contains the error and make the required change(s).
  • You have two business days to return your filing with corrections otherwise it may be voided, unless it is a Bulletin publication day, then the time allowed for corrections is up to two hours but may be shorter.
  • Corrections not made before the publication of the Bulletin will cause the filing to be voided and the filing will have to be resubmitted.
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  • The OARD system does not provide email copies of filings.
  • Once a filing is reviewed and published, a tracked changes copy (for Notices) or a receipt copy (for Permanent, Temporary, or Statutory Minor Correction filings) will appear in the “Filings Final Queue” on the OARD Dashboard.
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  • If a publication is copyrighted or too large to include in OARD, the rulemaking entity must note that the publication is adopted by reference in the rule text. There may be other reasons for incorporating standards, publications, and other things by reference instead of including an attachment of the actual language in rule. This is a great topic to discuss with an agency’s assigned DOJ contact.
  • Include a reference at the bottom of the rule text directing users to the agency for any referenced publications.
    • Example: [Publication referenced is available from the agency.]
  • This note should be formatted using a block quote (“) in OARD. Use the quotation mark (“) button in the formatting tools area where the rule text is entered. Hovering over the formatting tool bar, the hint will show Block Quote.
  • The Oregon Attorney General’s Administrative Law Manual and Uniform and Model Rules of Procedure under the Administrative Procedures Act manual provides guidance in section D of the 2024 manual on incorporating standards by reference.
  • Only one PDF attachment is allowed per rule. The title must be the OAR number that is associated with and saved using the reduced size or optimized saving option in Adobe Acrobat.
  • The attachment will be linked to the rule after the filing is published.
  • IMPORTANT NOTE: Each time a rule is included in any type of filing, the attachment will need to be attached again.
  • PDFs are ideal for manuals, tables, forms, maps, images, matrixes, or other supporting documents that are not part of the rule text.
  • The attached PDFs are considered part of the rule and follow the same rulemaking guidelines when updates to it are needed.
  • When attaching a PDF, be sure to identify it in the rule language in the appropriate place (e.g., Appendix A, Table 1, see attached table, etc.).
  • If an attachment is inadvertently left off a rule during a filing, the full rulemaking process must be followed to put the attachment back.
  • OARD requires you to save your rule before attaching an attachment.

  • From the Current Chapter Rules list, either click Start Draft to amend an existing rule or use the Adopt New Rule button to create a new rule draft.
  • NOTE: Rules Writers may only edit drafts they create. OARD does not allow for Rules Writers to edit other Rules Writers’ draft rules, only a Rules coordinator may edit all rule drafts.
  • There is not a limit on how many different rules are in draft form at one time in the Rules Work Queue.
  • Each rule may only have one draft version at any time. If you don’t see the start draft link for a rule that means there is a draft existing somewhere else in OARD whether that be in the draft rule work queue, or in a filing that may not have been submitted and published yet.
  • Watch YouTube tutorial videos on drafting rules in OARD and the Rules Writer and Rules Coordinator Dashboards.
  • Review the PDF guides​ on drafting rules in OARD and the Rules Writer and Rules Coordinator Dashboards.
  • Use the Notes field at the bottom of the rule maintenance screen to communicate with Rules coordinators. It is for internal agency use only and does not appear outside of the agency’s dashboard or in the final rule or filing.
  • View our PDF guide on how to Create a Rule Draft.
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  • ​The Rule Summary describes the changes to the rule and the reason for those changes; summaries are also necessary for rules being repealed.
  • This is a required field in the Rule Maintenance screen when the rule text, title, and statutory citations can be changed.
  • The summary will follow the rule to the filing.
  • The summary should answer the questions: what is changing and why is it needed?
  • View our PDF guide on how to Create a Rule Draft.​
  • ​​Watch a YouTube video tutorial on Maintaining Divisions.
  • View our PDF guide on Maintaining Divisions.
  • From the Dashboard, select Select an action… then select Maintain Divisions from the drop-down menu. Click Edit, make the changes, and select Save.
  • The filing caption is included in each filing type. This is where the reason for the filing is described in 15 words or less.
  • If there is only one rule in the filing, then the caption statement will only be about the one rule. Consequently, if there is more than one rule in the filing, then the caption statement should be about all of the rules in the filing and not just one.
  • This is an excellent place to request help from DOJ as they can help determine if a caption is too general or too specific for the filing that is occurring.
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  • The Need for Rule is required for notice of proposed rulemaking filings but not permanent filings and it describes the changes made to the rule generally. This is also referred to as the Statement of Need.
    • For Example, “Due to a change in ORS 123.456 regarding fee structures, these rules are being adopted and amended to reflect the changes in statute…”
  • Yes, it will be available to the public in the monthly Oregon Bulletin​. Rule Coordinators are able to download a filing receipt to use as needed once the Administrative Rules Unit reviews and publishes the filing.

  • Yes, a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking must be filed and the process for making the rule permanent must be completed before a rule can be considered permanent.
  • A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking must be filed and statutory requirements must be met before any administrative rule may become permanent.

  • Select Start SMC from the Current Rules Queue. An SMC does not require a Notice but must follow ORS 183.335(7).
  • Use the checkboxes to select which changes are made to the rule. Only the changes specified under ORS 183.335(7) and ORS 183.360(2)​ should be included.
  • SMCs are treated like other filings, with an Administrative Order Number (AON), to ensure transparency.
  • Watch a tutorial on SMC Filings
  • Review our PDF guide on File a Statutory Minor Correction Filing​
  • Tip: If you have substantive changes in the works for a rule, wait to include your minor correction with that filing.

If your question isn't answered here, contact adminrules.archives@sos.oregon.gov​ for help.


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