Research


Administrative History

The State Legislature has enacted the laws that have shaped the general policies of the Conservation Department and its successor agency, the Department of Environmental Conservation. However, in most instances it has allowed the department to draft and enforce the detailed regulations needed to implement the broad policies outlined in legislation. Regulations issued by the department acquire the force of law when the Department of State publishes them in the Official Compilation of Codes, Rules and Regulations of the State of New York (commonly known as the NYCRR). In 1962, the Legislature required (Chapter 305) that each new or revised regulation sent to the Department of State for publication be accompanied by a certificate citing the statutory authority pursuant to which the regulation was adopted or revised.