Regulations Search

Status: stable Category: lookup Added: 2026-07-01 Last reviewed: 2026-10-14

Summary

Ranked search over the full Code of Federal Regulations — every title, at section grain — plus an OSHA recordkeeping guidance corpus (FAQs, rulemaking preamble excerpts, and letters of interpretation tied to 29 CFR 1904). Pass a natural-language phrase, a partial word, or a section-number fragment like 1904.7 and get back the best-matching items with highlighted snippets. Results carry a stable numeric id you feed to /api/lookup/regulations/get for the complete text, plus the code and label pair every lookup resource returns, so one picker component works against every lookup search.

Endpoint

Field	Value
Method	`GET`
Path	`/api/lookup/regulations/search`
Full URL	`https://engine.tripod-health.com/api/lookup/regulations/search`
Authentication	API key (required)
Request body	none
Response body	`application/json`
Idempotent	Yes
Rate-limited	Yes

Authentication

Send a valid API key in the apikey header. See authentication.md.

Request

Headers

Header	Required	Description
`apikey`	Yes	Consumer API key.

Path parameters

None.

Query parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
`q`	`string`	Yes	—	Search text. Minimum two characters. Natural language, partial words, and section-number fragments all work; a query that looks like a section number (e.g. `1904.7`) biases the ranking toward section-number prefix matches.
`type`	`string`	No	`regulation`	One of `regulation`, `guidance`. Picks the corpus: CFR regulation text, or OSHA recordkeeping guidance.
`title`	`int`	No	—	Restricts the search to one CFR title, `1`–`50`. Regulation search only.
`part`	`string`	No	—	Restricts the search to one CFR part (e.g. `1904`). Regulation search only.
`section`	`string`	No	—	Guidance search only. Filters to guidance items tagged to that section (e.g. `1904.5`).
`limit`	`int`	No	`10`	Maximum results to return. Range `1`–`50`.

Body

None.

Response

Success — `200 OK`

{
  "results": [
    {
      "type": "regulation",
      "code": "50.20-3",
      "label": "Criteria—Differences between medical treatment and first aid.",
      "id": 106103,
      "cfr_title": 30,
      "part": "50",
      "section": "50.20-3",
      "heading": "Criteria—Differences between medical treatment and first aid.",
      "content_type": "regulation",
      "snippet": "multiple soakings, whirlpool **treatment**, **treatment** of infection, or other professional **treatments** and any **treatment** involving more than...amenable to **first** **aid** **treatment**.\n(ii) Medical **treatment** includes a series of **treatments** including soaks, whirlpool, skin grafts",
      "score": 0.99
    },
    {
      "type": "regulation",
      "code": "1904.7",
      "label": "General recording criteria.",
      "id": 102444,
      "cfr_title": 29,
      "part": "1904",
      "section": "1904.7",
      "heading": "General recording criteria.",
      "content_type": "regulation",
      "snippet": "work or transfer to another job, medical **treatment** beyond **first** **aid**, or loss of consciousness. You must also...work, restricted work or job transfer, medical **treatment** beyond **first** **aid**, or loss of consciousness.\n(b) Implementation",
      "score": 0.99
    },
    {
      "type": "regulation",
      "code": "Appendix V to Part 1918",
      "label": "Appendix V to Part 1918—Basic Elements of a First Aid Training Program (Non-mandatory)",
      "id": 103057,
      "cfr_title": 29,
      "part": "1918",
      "section": "Appendix V to Part 1918",
      "heading": "Appendix V to Part 1918—Basic Elements of a First Aid Training Program (Non-mandatory)",
      "content_type": "appendix",
      "snippet": "allergic reactions.\nc. the appropriate assessment and **first** **aid** **treatment** of a victim who has fainted.\n2. Bleeding...prophylaxis.\n3. Poisoning\nInstruction in the principles and **first** **aid** intervention of:\na. alkali, acid and systemic poisons",
      "score": 0.99
    }
  ],
  "request_id": "95f78b51-bf75-4d47-b026-f9fd8ddf21db",
  "timestamp": "2026-10-14T00:16:19.768Z"
}

results is always present. An empty array is a normal response (nothing matched the query under the requested filters), not an error. Snippet text wraps matched terms in ** markers — strip or render them as highlights.

Response fields

Field	Type	Always present	Description
`results`	`array`	Yes	Zero or more match objects, best match first.
`request_id`	`string`	Yes	Correlation ID. Quote in support tickets.
`timestamp`	`string` (ISO 8601 UTC)	Yes	Server time when the response was emitted.

Regulation results (`type=regulation`)

Field	Type	Always present	Description
`results[].type`	`string`	Yes	Always `regulation` in this mode.
`results[].code`	`string`	Yes	The lookup-family code: the same value as `section`.
`results[].label`	`string`	Yes	The lookup-family label: the same value as `heading`.
`results[].id`	`integer`	Yes	Stable numeric ID. Pass to `/api/lookup/regulations/get` `?id=` for the full text.
`results[].cfr_title`	`integer`	Yes	CFR title number, `1`–`50`.
`results[].part`	`string`	Yes	CFR part (e.g. `"1904"`). Treat as opaque text — some parts carry a letter suffix.
`results[].section`	`string`	Yes	Section number (e.g. `"1904.7"`), or the full appendix designation for appendix items (e.g. `"Appendix V to Part 1918"`).
`results[].heading`	`string`	Yes	Official section heading.
`results[].content_type`	`string`	Yes	`regulation` for section text, `appendix` for appendix material.
`results[].snippet`	`string`	Yes	Excerpt around the match. Matched terms are wrapped in `**` markers; may contain `\n` line breaks. Not the full text.
`results[].score`	`number`	Yes	Relevance score, higher is better. Use it to compare results within one response, not as an absolute threshold.

Guidance results (`type=guidance`)

Field	Type	Always present	Description
`results[].type`	`string`	Yes	Always `guidance` in this mode.
`results[].code`	`string`	Yes	The lookup-family code: the same value as `identifier`.
`results[].label`	`string`	Yes	The lookup-family label: the same value as `subject`.
`results[].id`	`integer`	Yes	Stable numeric ID. Pass to `/api/lookup/regulations/get` `?id=&type=guidance` for the full text.
`results[].source_type`	`string`	Yes	One of `faq`, `interpretation` (letter of interpretation), `preamble` (rulemaking preamble excerpt).
`results[].sections`	`array` of `string`	Yes	The 29 CFR 1904 sections the item interprets (e.g. `["1904.5", "1904"]`).
`results[].identifier`	`string`	Yes	Natural identifier within its `source_type` — the OSHA FAQ number, letter date slug, or preamble slug.
`results[].subject`	`string`	Yes	The item's subject line or question text.
`results[].snippet`	`string`	Yes	Excerpt around the match, with `**` markers on matched terms.
`results[].score`	`number`	Yes	Relevance score, higher is better.

Status codes

Code	Meaning	When
`200`	OK	Search ran. `results` may be empty.
`400`	`ValidationError`	`q` missing or shorter than two characters, `type` not in the allowed set, `title` outside `1`–`50`, `part` malformed, or `limit` out of range.
`401`	`Unauthenticated`	Missing or invalid API key.
`429`	`RateLimited`	Per-consumer rate limit exceeded.
`500`	`InternalError`	Unexpected failure. Quote `request_id` in the ticket.

Examples

curl — regulation search

curl -sS "https://engine.tripod-health.com/api/lookup/regulations/search?q=first%20aid%20treatment&limit=3" \
  -H "apikey: $ENGINE_API_KEY"

Returns the 200 body shown in Success above.

curl — guidance search

curl -sS "https://engine.tripod-health.com/api/lookup/regulations/search?q=parking%20lot&type=guidance&limit=2" \
  -H "apikey: $ENGINE_API_KEY"

Receive (200):

{
  "results": [
    {
      "type": "guidance",
      "code": "5-1",
      "label": "If a maintenance employee is cleaning the parking lot or an access road and is injured as a result, is the case work-related?",
      "id": 69,
      "source_type": "faq",
      "sections": [
        "1904.5",
        "1904"
      ],
      "identifier": "5-1",
      "subject": "If a maintenance employee is cleaning the parking lot or an access road and is injured as a result, is the case work-related?",
      "snippet": "Question: If a maintenance employee is cleaning the **parking** **lot** or an access road and is injured",
      "score": 1
    },
    {
      "type": "guidance",
      "code": "5-10",
      "label": "How does OSHA define a \"company parking lot\" for purposes of Recordkeeping?",
      "id": 70,
      "source_type": "faq",
      "sections": [
        "1904.5",
        "1904"
      ],
      "identifier": "5-10",
      "subject": "How does OSHA define a \"company parking lot\" for purposes of Recordkeeping?",
      "snippet": "Question: How does OSHA define a \"company **parking** **lot**\" for purposes of Recordkeeping?\n\nAnswer: Company **parking** **lots**...where the employer can limit access (such as **parking** **lots** limited to the employer's employees and visitors",
      "score": 1
    }
  ],
  "request_id": "f80e4eee-3357-4357-af4a-bd9624281196",
  "timestamp": "2026-10-14T00:16:20.651Z"
}

curl — section-number fragment

curl -sS "https://engine.tripod-health.com/api/lookup/regulations/search?q=1904.7" \
  -H "apikey: $ENGINE_API_KEY"

Python (`requests`)

# Uses the call() helper from quickstart.md.
result = call("GET", "/api/lookup/regulations/search?q=first%20aid%20treatment&title=29&limit=5")
for row in result["results"]:
    print(f"{row['id']:7}  {row['code']:24}  {row['label']}")

Node.js (native `fetch`)

// Uses the call() helper from quickstart.md.
const result = await call("GET", "/api/lookup/regulations/search?q=first%20aid%20treatment&title=29&limit=5");
for (const row of result.results) {
  console.log(`${String(row.id).padEnd(7)}  ${row.code.padEnd(24)}  ${row.label}`);
}

TypeScript

interface RegulationSearchResult {
  type: "regulation";
  code: string;
  label: string;
  id: number;
  cfr_title: number;
  part: string;
  section: string;
  heading: string;
  content_type: "regulation" | "appendix";
  snippet: string;
  score: number;
}

interface GuidanceSearchResult {
  type: "guidance";
  code: string;
  label: string;
  id: number;
  source_type: "faq" | "interpretation" | "preamble";
  sections: string[];
  identifier: string;
  subject: string;
  snippet: string;
  score: number;
}

interface RegulationsSearchResponse {
  results: RegulationSearchResult[] | GuidanceSearchResult[];
  request_id: string;
  timestamp: string;
}

const result = await call<RegulationsSearchResponse>(
  "GET",
  "/api/lookup/regulations/search?q=first%20aid%20treatment",
);

Error scenarios

`q` too short

Send:

curl -sS "https://engine.tripod-health.com/api/lookup/regulations/search?q=a" \
  -H "apikey: $ENGINE_API_KEY" \
  -w "\nHTTP %{http_code}\n"

Receive (400):

{
  "timestamp": "2026-10-14T00:16:20.904Z",
  "error": "ValidationError",
  "message": "Query parameter 'q' must be at least 2 characters",
  "field": "q",
  "request_id": "712de95c-ce18-47f4-9478-2ecac5ba3bdb"
}

Invalid title

Send:

curl -sS "https://engine.tripod-health.com/api/lookup/regulations/search?q=recordkeeping&title=99" \
  -H "apikey: $ENGINE_API_KEY" \
  -w "\nHTTP %{http_code}\n"

Receive (400):

{
  "timestamp": "2026-10-14T00:16:21.146Z",
  "error": "ValidationError",
  "message": "Query parameter 'title' must be a CFR title number between 1 and 50",
  "field": "title",
  "request_id": "94f82d6f-d229-44df-b772-531c36b2a45a"
}

Intended use

Finding the governing regulation text for a compliance question. Search a phrase like first aid treatment or machine guarding, scan the snippets, then fetch the winning id via /api/lookup/regulations/get.
Locating official OSHA recordkeeping guidance. Set type=guidance to search FAQs, preamble excerpts, and letters of interpretation; add section=1904.5 to see only guidance tagged to one section.
Resolving a half-remembered section number. A numeric query like 1904.7 biases the ranking toward section-number prefix matches, so the section you meant surfaces first.

Mistaken use

Do not use search to fetch a known section's full text. Use /api/lookup/regulations/get with ?section=1904.7 — search returns snippets, not the complete text.
Do not use search to browse a part's structure. Use /api/lookup/regulations/tree — it returns one CFR part as a nested subpart/section outline in a single call.
Do not treat snippet as quotable regulation text. Snippets are excerpts with ** highlight markers inserted. Quote from the full_text returned by /api/lookup/regulations/get, which carries the source_url citation.
Do not pass title or part on a guidance search, or section on a regulation search. Each filter belongs to one mode; the wrong-mode filter does not narrow the results.

Debugging

Capture request_id from the response body (or, if the response has no body from the engine, the X-Request-ID response header).
Empty results for a query you expected to match. Check the filters first — title=29 on a phrase that lives in another title, or section= narrowing guidance to a section the item is not tagged to, both produce clean empty responses.
A section-number query returns unrelated prose matches. Include the whole fragment (1904.7, not .7) — the numeric-prefix bias keys off a query that looks like a section number.
Guidance results seem missing for a non-1904 topic. Expected: the guidance corpus covers OSHA recordkeeping under 29 CFR 1904. For other topics, search the regulation corpus (type=regulation).

Rate limits

See rate-limits.md for the current per-consumer limits.

lookup-regulations-get.md — fetch one item's complete text by id or section number.
lookup-regulations-tree.md — browse one CFR part as a nested subpart/section outline.
recordability-analyze.md, recordability-factor.md, work_relatedness-analyze.md — the OSHA recordability analysis endpoints ground their AI reasoning in this same regulation and guidance content.
lookup-naics-search.md, lookup-icd10cm-search.md, lookup-cpt-search.md, lookup-fee_schedule-search.md — the other lookup searches, which share the same q, limit, code, and label rules.
authentication.md, errors.md, rate-limits.md, conventions.md — cross-cutting contract rules.

Change history

Date	Change
2026-07-01	Initial publication.
2026-10-14	Moved from `/api/regulations/search` to `/api/lookup/regulations/search`. Every hit adds `code` and `label` beside the existing fields (a regulation's section and heading, a guidance item's identifier and subject). Examples recaptured.
2026-10-14	The `X-Request-ID` response header is the gateway's trace ID for the request and does not match `request_id`; quote `request_id` to support.

Summary​

Endpoint​

Authentication​

Request​

Headers​

Path parameters​

Query parameters​

Body​

Response​

Success — 200 OK​

Response fields​

Regulation results (type=regulation)​

Guidance results (type=guidance)​

Status codes​

Examples​

curl — regulation search​

curl — guidance search​

curl — section-number fragment​

Python (requests)​

Node.js (native fetch)​

TypeScript​

Error scenarios​

q too short​

Invalid title​

Intended use​

Mistaken use​

Debugging​

Rate limits​

Related​

Change history​