We explain what a regulation is, what it is for, its parts and its characteristics. Also, what types exist and some examples.
What is a regulation?
A regulation It is a document issued by some political, social or administrative authority, in which the a series of standards for a specific audience. These are guidelines that regulate the functioning of an institution or a society, and can be legal, social, political or of another nature.
This set of rules serve to govern the behavior of members of a group and are established with the objective of guaranteeing order and compliance with certain agreements. Some regulations have national, state, provincial or municipal scope, while others only apply to specific sites or communities and are usually developed and guaranteed by specific authorities. Such is the case of the regulations of sports, companies, parks and games, among others.
There are also those regulations that only apply to a specific situation and that arise from a consensus of the people involved. For example, to play a soccer game there is an official regulation, but if a group of friends plays on the neighborhood field, some rules can be modified.
However, in all cases, a regulation is a set of rules that are explained in writing so that anyone can have access to them and is not dependent on someone memorizing them. In this way, there is no risk of them being altered according to personal convenience.
What is a regulation for?
All regulations serves to guarantee order because it specifies what can or should be done and what cannot be done in a particular place, situation or society.
Regulations offer a group of individuals a set of rules by which they must abide in a given area. So, minimize the opportunity for conflicts, irregularities or chaotic situations to arise. They also prevent the stronger from imposing their will on the weaker or from each person doing things in their own and different way.
In addition, they are used with the objective of guaranteeing rights, offering solutions to problems and promoting the incorporation of values of different types. In this way, the regulations reinforce social consensus because they are part of the set of regulations with which societies are built.
Characteristics of a regulation
Every regulation has a certain validity, that is, a period or scope of validity which may or may not be explicit inside. It is usually determined by the issuing authorities.
In some cases, a regulation can be repealed after the appearance of a new one. For example, if a board game company decides to change the rules of one of its products, it will include a new regulation that will make the previous one obsolete.
Furthermore, to work, a regulation must be:
- Specific. You have to get to the point and not give irrelevant information.
- Tidy. Its parts must have a logical order, allowing the desired information to be directly searched.
- Impartial. It must be made up of objective and precise rules or laws, which do not favor anyone in particular.
- Clear. It must be perfectly written, legible and understandable, without the need for clarifications, translations or other types of difficulties.
- Commonly accepted. It has to be known and accepted by all the individuals it concerns, given that one cannot abide by rules that are ignored.
- Explicit. Your rules must be written upfront, not tacit or implied.
Difference between regulation and law: In law, a regulation is considered to be inferior or secondary to a law. Laws prevail over regulations because they have greater weight in legal and judicial matters. Furthermore, many regulations derive from laws and refer to explicit rules that allow the laws to be enforced.
Types of regulations
There are different ways to classify regulations. In general, two types are usually distinguished:
- General regulations. They are those that establish a broad framework of norms and behaviors, which must be respected by a group of people. For example, the general public order regulations of a city.
- Internal or special regulations. They are those that are valid in a specific area, such as a company, an organization or a club. Therefore, they only apply to those who belong to that area. For example, the internal regulations of debates of the National Parliament.
Other types of regulations: Depending on their scope of application, regulations can be classified into different types, such as school, business, legal, presidential or technical regulations, among others.
Parts of a regulation
The regulations usually contain all or some of the following items:
- Qualification. Shows the reader what the purpose of the regulation is or its scope of application.
- Preamble. Offers an explanation of the topic that the regulation will address, its need or any other relevant information for the reader.
- Chapters or segments. They are the parts that make up the body of the regulation. They have a specific name and are usually numbered. Generally, they are ordered from the most general to the most particular or from the simplest to the most complex.
- Articles or sections. They are the statements that refer to the norms. Each one expresses an idea briefly and simply. In turn, they can be divided into fractions and subsections.
- Sanctions. These are the possible punishments for those who break the rules. They can be found in a special chapter or within articles.
- Signature. It is a seal or sign that confirms the authority of the regulation.
Examples of regulations
Some examples of regulations are:
- Ruibal crossword regulation.
- Regulations of the Juan Filloy Central Library.
- 2018 Official Championship Regulations of the Litoral Field Hockey Association.
- Regulation 2/2005, of November 23, on Honors, Treatments and Protocol in Solemn Judicial Acts of the Judicial Branch of Spain.
- Regulations for the parking lot of the central building of the College of Notaries of the Province of Córdoba (Argentina).
References
- Cordero Quinzacara, E. (2019). Regulations as a source of administrative law and its jurisdictional control. Ius et Praxis, 25(1), 285-334.
- Ochoa Cervantes, A. and Diez-Martínez, E. (2013). School regulations as the axis of analysis of coexistence at school. Ensaio: Avaliação e Políticas Públicas en Educação, 21667-684.
- Common. (2024). The regulations. Material for students. https://procomun.intef.es/
- Royal Spanish Academy. (2023). Regulation. Pan-Hispanic dictionary of legal Spanish. https://dpej.rae.es/
- Ministry of the Interior of Mexico, National Institute for Federalism and Municipal Development. (2022). Manual for the preparation of “type” municipal regulations. https://www.gob.mx/
