Executive orders, proclamations, and memorandums are official presidential documents with specific purposes and publication rules. Each type follows set formats and appears in defined government publications. Understanding these categories helps readers know what a document is meant to do and where to find it, according to the National Archives and Records Administration.

What each document is

Executive orders are signed documents, numbered consecutively, through which the President of the United States manages the operations of the federal government, according to the National Archives’ Office of the Federal Register. The National Archives explains that these documents are an instrument for managing federal executive operations.

Proclamations are signed documents, also numbered consecutively, used by the President to communicate information on holidays, commemorations, special observances, and trade, according to the National Archives. The guide describes proclamations as a vehicle for announcing and marking observances and for certain trade matters.

Memorandums are a type of administrative order. The National Archives states that administrative orders are unnumbered signed documents used to conduct the administrative operations of the federal government, and they include memoranda, notices, determinations, letters, and messages.

How they are numbered and categorized

Executive orders are numbered in a consecutive series. The National Archives notes that the total count for an administration can include number-and-letter designations, such as an order labeled with a number followed by a letter.

Proclamations are also numbered consecutively, according to the National Archives. Administrative orders, including memoranda, are unnumbered, the National Archives says.

Where and how they are published

Executive orders appear in the daily Federal Register as each order is signed by the President and received by the Office of the Federal Register, according to the National Archives. Executive orders and proclamations are codified in Title 3 of the Code of Federal Regulations, the National Archives says. The National Archives also notes that the text of executive orders beginning with Executive Order 7316 of March 13, 1936, appears in the sequential editions of Title 3 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

The National Archives states that executive orders, proclamations, and certain types of administrative orders appear in the Federal Register, the official daily journal of the federal government. In addition, executive orders, proclamations, and all administrative orders are published in the Compilation of Presidential Documents prepared by the Office of the Federal Register, according to the National Archives.

The National Archives maintains Executive Orders Disposition Tables that begin with those signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and are arranged by presidential administration and year of signature. These tables list the executive order number; date of signing; Federal Register volume, page number, and issue date; title; amendments; and current status, where applicable. The Office of the Federal Register explains that entries in these tables are subject to change because new presidential documents and other legal materials may amend or affect them, and that the tables are informational listings not provided as definitive legal authority.

For executive orders issued since the start of the Clinton administration in 1993, the National Archives provides links to the text of each order as it appeared in the Federal Register in PDF format. The Office of the Federal Register notes that these links provide only the text as originally issued and do not include any later amendments to the text. Starting with the Clinton administration, a subject index is also available to browse executive orders by topic within an administration, with links from the subject index to the relevant executive order tables, according to the National Archives.

What the official sources cover

The National Archives’ Presidential Documents Guide identifies the main types of presidential documents and where to find them. It states that executive orders, proclamations, and administrative orders are available in the Federal Register and the Compilation of Presidential Documents, and that executive orders and proclamations are codified in Title 3 of the Code of Federal Regulations. The guide also points readers to additional resources, including codifications and presidential libraries, for further research on presidential documents.