---
title: "Administrative Procedure Act (APA)"
type: Legal Term
source: https://casebriefly.com/legal-terms/apa-administrative-procedure-act
---

# Administrative Procedure Act (APA)

The foundational federal statute (5 U.S.C. Sections 551-706) enacted in 1946 that establishes the framework for federal agency rulemaking, adjudication, and judicial review. The APA defines key terms (agency, rule, order, adjudication), prescribes procedures for informal and formal rulemaking, sets requirements for formal adjudications, and establishes standards of judicial review including arbitrary and capricious review, substantial evidence review, and de novo review. Section 704 provides a general right to judicial review of final agency action for which there is no other adequate remedy, while Section 701 carves out exceptions for actions committed to agency discretion by law. The APA is the single most important statute in administrative law and the starting point for virtually every administrative law question.

## Related Terms

- notice-and-comment-rulemaking
- arbitrary-and-capricious-review
- final-agency-action
- adjudication

## Related Cases

- citizens-to-preserve-overton-park-v-volpe
- abbott-laboratories-v-gardner
- chevron-usa-inc-v-natural-resources-defense-council

## Example

When a regulated company sought to challenge a new EPA emission standard, it relied on the APA's Section 706(2)(A) to argue that the agency's rulemaking was arbitrary and capricious because the agency ignored key scientific evidence in the record.

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Source: [Administrative Procedure Act (APA) — CaseBriefly](https://casebriefly.com/legal-terms/apa-administrative-procedure-act)