National Institute of Standards and Technology October 5, 2020 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the National Geodetic Survey (NGS), National Ocean Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), have taken collaborative action to provide national uniformity in the measurement of length. This notice announces the final decision to deprecate use of the ``U.S. survey foot'' on December 31, 2022. Beginning on January 1, 2023, the U.S. survey foot should not be used and will be superseded by the ``international foot'' definition (i.e., 1 foot = 0.3048 meter exactly) in all applications. The international foot is currently used throughout the U.S. for a large majority of applications and is typically referred to as simply the ``foot.'' Over time this terminology will become more prevalent in land surveying and mapping communities. Either the term ``foot'' or ``international foot'' may be used, as required for clarity in technical applications. This notice describes public comments received, along with the plan, resources, training, and other activities provided by NIST and NOAA to assist those affected by this transition.