Data / Federal rules / 2026-14629

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Regulations for Designating Critical Habitat

The Fish and Wildlife Service published this final rule in the Federal Register on July 21, 2026. It took effect on August 20, 2026.

SpecStream is the live web data engine for teams and agents. It reads every rule and proposed rule in the Federal Register each morning, and this page is that reading. Name your industry once and new rules, comment deadlines and effective dates arrive in your sheet, CRM, Slack or agent as they are published.

Get new rules for your industry

What the agency says

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS or the Service), amend portions of our regulations for section 4 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act or ESA). Specifically, we revise regulations related to section 4(b)(2) of the Act. Section 4(b)(2) requires consideration of the economic impact, the impact on national security, and any other relevant impact of designating any particular area as critical habitat and authorizes the exclusion of areas from critical habitat if the benefits of excluding the area outweigh the benefits of designating it as critical habitat. These revisions articulate when and how we determine whether the benefits of excluding an area outweigh the benefits of designating the area as critical habitat (exclusion analysis). This rule reflects the Service's experience and existing case law. The intended effect of this rule is to provide greater transparency and certainty for the public and stakeholders regarding the 4(b)(2) exclusion process.

Key facts

Document number: 2026-14629
Type: Final rule
Action: Final rule
Agency: Interior Department; Fish and Wildlife Service
Published: July 21, 2026
Takes effect: August 20, 2026
Dates: This rule is effective August 20, 2026.
Docket: Docket No. FWS-HQ-ES-2025-0048; FXES11110900000-267-FF09E23000
Regulation ID (RIN): 1018-BI76
Code of Federal Regulations: 50 CFR 17
Topics: Endangered and threatened species; Exports; Imports; Plants; Reporting and recordkeeping requirements; Transportation; Wildlife
Significant: Yes, under Executive Order 12866
Pages: 22

The document on federalregister.gov PDF

Other documents from the Fish and Wildlife Service

Document	Type	Published
Marine Mammals; Incidental Take of Polar Bears and Pacific Walruses in the Beaufort Sea and North Slope of Alaska 2026-21371	Final rule	Oct 19
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Four Species Not Warranted for Listing as Endangered or Threatened Species 2026-20315	Proposed rule	Oct 5
General Provisions; Revised List of Birds Protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act 2026-20123	Proposed rule	Oct 1
National Wildlife Refuge System; 2026-2027 Station-Specific Hunting and Sport Fishing Regulations; Correction 2026-19723	Final rule	Sep 25
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Removal of Gila Chub From the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife 2026-18470	Proposed rule	Sep 10
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Nine Species Not Warranted for Listing as Endangered or Threatened Species 2026-18123	Final rule	Sep 4
National Wildlife Refuge System; 2026-2027 Station-Specific Hunting and Sport Fishing Regulations 2026-17895	Final rule	Sep 1
Process for Authorizing Seasonal Migratory Game Bird Hunting 2026-17733 · significant	Final rule	Aug 31

Everything from the Fish and Wildlife Service · Rules on endangered and threatened species · Rules on exports · Rules on imports · Published in July 2026

Read from the Federal Register API, last updated 2026-10-23. The document on federalregister.gov is the official record; dates and dockets can change through later corrections. Free to reuse with credit to SpecStream under CC BY 4.0.