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Labor Department, Federal Contract Compliance Programs Office

Modifications to the Regulations Implementing Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as Amended

Published August 21, 2026. Takes effect September 21, 2026, printed at 91 FR 54482, amending 41 CFR 60. 28,671 words.

In plain English

Firms with a federal contract must hire fairly. This changes the rules for disabled workers.

Read it at the Federal Register →

What the Rule Says It Does

The U.S. Department of Labor is revising its implementing regulations for Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (Section 503). The revisions align the regulations with applicable law and recent executive orders, including Executive Order 14173, "Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity," and Executive Order 14219, "Ensuring Lawful Governance and Implementing the President's `Department of Government Efficiency' Deregulatory Initiative."

This is the rule's own summary, as the Federal Register prints it.

The Order It Names

The rule names this order itself. What it does about it is a reading, and none is recorded here.

On the Face of the Rule

As filed

[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 161 (Friday, August 21, 2026)] [Rules and Regulations] [Pages 54482-54507] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 2026-17115]

Vol. 91

Friday,

No. 161

August 21, 2026

Part III

Department of Labor

Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs

41 CFR Parts 60-30 and 60-741

Modifications to the Regulations Implementing Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as Amended; Interim Final Rule

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs

41 CFR Parts 60-30 and 60-741

[Docket No. OFCCP-2025-0003] RIN 1250-AA18

Modifications to the Regulations Implementing Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as Amended

AGENCY

Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, Labor.

ACTION

Final rule.

DATES

This rule is effective September 21, 2026, except for amendatory instruction 1 (amendment to 41 CFR part 60-30) which is effective on December 21, 2026.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT

Kenneth Wolfe, Director, OFCCP, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20210. Telephone: 202-693-0101. Email: [email protected].

The fields the Federal Register prints at the head of the rule, quoted as printed. Its summary is quoted above.

Why the Agency Says It Is Doing This

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

I. Executive Summary

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) enforces Section 503, which prohibits covered Federal contractors and subcontractors (“contractors”) \1\ from discriminating against employees and applicants because of their disability status and also requires certain contractors to take “affirmative action” to employ and advance in employment qualified individuals with disabilities. 29 U.S.C. 793. The Section 503 implementing regulations include specific affirmative action requirements at 41 CFR part 60-741, subpart C.

\1\ Hereinafter, the terms “contractor” or “Federal contractor” are used to refer collectively to Federal contractors and subcontractors that fall under OFCCP's authority, unless otherwise expressly stated. This approach is consistent with OFCCP's regulations, which define “contract” to include subcontracts and “contractor” to include subcontractors. See 41 CFR 60-741.2.

On July 1, 2025, DOL published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for the Section 503 implementing regulations. 90 FR 28494 (July 1, 2025). In the NPRM, DOL proposed removing the implementing regulations' cross-references to Executive Order (E.O.) 11246, “Equal Employment Opportunity,” which was revoked by E.O. 14173, “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity,” on January 21, 2025. For the reasons described in the background section below, DOL also proposed rescinding (1) the regulations at 41 CFR 60- 741.42, which required contractors to ask applicants and employees to identify their disability status; (2) the related data collection requirements at 41 CFR 60-741.44(k); and (3) the utilization requirements at 41 CFR 60-741.45.\2\

\2\ Hereinafter, “utilization requirements” refers to the utilization goal and utilization analyses set forth in 41 CFR 60- 741.45, unless otherwise stated.

DOL has carefully reviewed public comments on these proposed changes. As set forth in the preamble below, DOL is largely adopting its NPRM revisions, with a clarification related to the requirement to measure the effectiveness of affirmative action efforts. Additionally, the final rule makes several necessary technical corrections to the regulations. Specifically, since the publication of the NPRM, the basic coverage threshold for Section 503 increased from $15,000 to $20,000 in accordance with the inflationary adjustment requirements in 41 U.S.C. 1908. See Federal Acquisition Regulation: Inflation Adjustment of Acquisition-Related Thresholds, 90 FR 41872 (Aug. 27, 2025). Therefore, in the final rule, DOL is making technical revisions to the basic coverage threshold throughout the Section 503 regulations. The final rule also includes additional technical revisions, such as corrections to typographical errors in the existing regulations and updates to website addresses, as several of the web pages have moved or are no longer available at the listed website addresses.

The passage that opens the rule's preamble, where the agency sets out what it is doing and on what authority. Every heading that follows it is listed below.

What the Rule Contains

Every heading the Federal Register prints in this rule, in the order it prints them. 31 headings, 28,671 words in all.

  1. AGENCYOn its face · 8 words
  2. ACTIONOn its face · 3 words
  3. SUMMARYOn its face · 64 words
  4. DATESOn its face · 26 words
  5. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACTOn its face · 20 words
  6. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATIONPreamble · 2 words
  7. I. Executive SummaryPreamble · 411 words
  8. II. BackgroundPreamble · 2 words
  9. A. The Section 503 Implementing Regulations and 2013 RevisionsPreamble · 718 words
  10. B. Need for the RulemakingPreamble · 648 words
  11. III. DiscussionPreamble · 2 words
  12. A. Public CommentsPreamble · 154 words
  13. 1. Public Comments Addressing the Need for the RulemakingPreamble · 10,864 words
  14. 6. Congressional IntentPreamble · 1,671 words
  15. B. Jurisdictional ThresholdsPreamble · 166 words
  16. C. Other Technical RevisionsPreamble · 76 words
  17. IV. Procedural Issues and Regulatory ReviewPreamble · 6 words
  18. A. Review Under Executive Order 12866Preamble · 363 words
  19. b. Recordkeeping BurdenPreamble · 623 words
  20. 2. Rule Familiarization CostsPreamble · 324 words
  21. B. Review Under the Regulatory Flexibility ActPreamble · 359 words
  22. C. Review Under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA)Preamble · 1,924 words
  23. D. Review Under Executive Order 13132Preamble · 146 words
  24. E. Review Under Executive Order 12988Preamble · 235 words
  25. F. Review Under the Unfunded Mandates Reform ActPreamble · 250 words
  26. G. Review Under the Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act, 1999Preamble · 141 words
  27. H. Review Under Executive Order 12630Preamble · 50 words
  28. I. Review Under the Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act, 2001Preamble · 88 words
  29. J. Review Under Executive Order 13175Preamble · 70 words
  30. K. Review Under Additional Executive Orders and Presidential MemorandaPreamble · 154 words
  31. List of SubjectsRegulatory text · 8,995 words

The Rest of the Text

This rule runs to 28,671 words. The rest of it is set out over 2 pages, split at the rule's own headings so that no heading is parted from the words printed under it.

How to cite this
  1. The rule itself

    Labor Department, Federal Contract Compliance Programs Office, “Modifications to the Regulations Implementing Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as Amended,” 91 FR 54482 (August 21, 2026). Effective September 21, 2026.
    https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/08/21/2026-17115/modifications-to-the-regulations-implementing-section-503-of-the-rehabilitation-act-of-1973-as

  2. This page

    “Modifications to the Regulations Implementing Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as Amended,” a final rule naming an order indexed here. Read the Mandate, https://readthemandate.org/rules/rule-2026-17115/ (retrieved October 10, 2026).

Cite the document when the claim is about what the document says. Cite this page when the indexing, the wording or the record of what has happened is what is being relied on.

How This Rule Is Set Out

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A heading with nothing quoted under it is one the rule prints on its own, with the words that follow it set under the headings beneath.