term:

Regulation

regulation n

1 : the act of regulating or state of being regulated
2 : an authoritative rule
;specif
: a rule or order issued by a government agency and often having the force of law see also Administrative Procedure Act in the Important Laws section NOTE: An agency is often delegated the power to issue regulations by the legislation that created it. Regulations must be made in accordance with prescribed procedures, such as those set out in the federal or a state Administrative Procedure Act. Federal regulations are first published in the Federal Register and later codified in the Code of Federal Regulations.

Source: Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law ©1996. Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. Published under license with Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.