Civic · official-source review · reviewed 2026-10-26
A rule comment is free to file and expensive in time, because the reading and the drafts come first.
Turn pages read, drafting length, and revision rounds into the hours a comment takes.
Anyone planning to comment on a proposed federal rule before the window closes.
Use the source document or official route that applies to your situation. This guide does not contact another person or verify external information.
Count the pages of the proposed rule and the summary you must read.
Time three pages and average them. Dense text is slower than a summary.
Use the word count you intend to file, not the maximum allowed.
Count the revision rounds you will realistically write.
The App adds reading and drafting minutes and converts them to hours.
Sixty pages at 2.5 minutes is 150 minutes. A 400-word comment at 250 words an hour, revised twice, is 192 minutes, so the work is 5.70 hours.
Use your own source and details. The example is not a record about a real person or organization.
Two comment plans. Both are examples.
Both cases are examples, not records about a real person. The bars show the same numbers the free App computes.
U.S. General Services Administration, Regulations.gov · reviewed 2026-10-26
What this source supports: Public comments on proposed federal rules are submitted through Regulations.gov during a posted comment period.
Source limit: Not every agency uses Regulations.gov. Some dockets have agency-specific portals and page limits.
These sources support the statements above. They do not show that every person needs this guide. They do not show a specific result.
This guide estimates the hours you enter. It does not read the rule, write the comment, or file it.
Not every agency uses Regulations.gov. Some dockets have agency-specific portals and page limits.
Use current instructions from the responsible organization. This guide is a planning aid, not an official decision or a substitute for qualified advice.
Turn reading pages, comment length, and revision rounds into the hours a comment takes.
This App estimates the hours you enter. It does not read the rule, write the comment, or file it.
You enter every number yourself. The sources support the method and the limits. They do not produce a result for your specific case. Keep the original documents next to the sheet you build.
The App computes the worked example with your own numbers, in your browser.
APP 1
Turn reading pages, comment length, and revision rounds into the hours a comment takes.
Free · no account · no upload
Open Public Comment Draft HoursThe App runs in this browser. It does not send or save entries. Copy, download, or print only when you choose.
This guide uses short, direct instructions as an ASD-STE100-style writing target. It is not a formal certification.
Companion App: Public Comment Draft Hours. It runs in this browser and does not upload your entries.
This guide is edited for clarity and checked against the sources it links. It is not a substitute for official instructions or qualified advice. A linked source does not show that every person needs this guide.