Security Clearance Statutes and Regulations

This page is a research guide to the statutes, regulations, and standards used in federal security clearance cases.

It includes the full text and plain-English explanations of 32 CFR Part 147, including:

• adjudication rules
• the security clearance adjudicative guidelines
• investigative standards
• temporary access rules
• NACLC, SSBI, and reinvestigation standards

If you are trying to understand how these rules apply to a specific clearance issue, start with the regulation below, then review the related strategy pages throughout our Security Clearance Lawyers Resource Center.

How to Use This Security Clearance Regulation Index

This page is designed for fast research.

Use it to find:

• the exact regulation that applies to your issue
• the guideline connected to your clearance concern
• the investigation standard governing your background check
• the temporary access rule tied to interim clearance decisions

These statutes and regulations provide the framework, but they do not automatically decide the outcome. Security clearance cases are ultimately evaluated through risk, credibility, mitigation, and the written record.

For a broader explanation of how clearance decisions are actually made, review our guide to security clearance adjudication.

Subpart A — Adjudication

Subpart A contains the basic decision framework for security clearance eligibility and the adjudicative guidelines used to evaluate risk.

General Adjudication Rules

• § 147.1 Introduction
• § 147.2 Adjudicative Process

Security Clearance Adjudicative Guidelines

These are the major issue categories used to evaluate whether granting or continuing access to classified information is clearly consistent with national security.

• § 147.3 Guideline A — Allegiance to the United States
• § 147.4 Guideline B — Foreign Influence
• § 147.5 Guideline C — Foreign Preference
• § 147.6 Guideline D — Sexual Behavior
• § 147.7 Guideline E — Personal Conduct
• § 147.8 Guideline F — Financial Considerations
• § 147.9 Guideline G — Alcohol Consumption
• § 147.10 Guideline H — Drug Involvement
• § 147.11 Guideline I — Emotional, Mental, and Personality Disorders
• § 147.12 Guideline J — Criminal Conduct
• § 147.13 Guideline K — Security Violations
• § 147.14 Guideline L — Outside Activities
• § 147.15 Guideline M — Misuse of Information Technology Systems

For a deeper strategic overview, review our full guide to the security clearance adjudicative guidelines.

Subpart B — Investigative Standards

Subpart B explains how the government builds the background investigation record before adjudication.

• § 147.18 Introduction
• § 147.19 The Three Standards
• § 147.20 Exception to Periods of Coverage
• § 147.21 Expanding Investigations
• § 147.22 Transferability
• § 147.23 Breaks in Service
• § 147.24 The National Agency Check

For more context on how investigators gather and develop information, see our guide to security clearance investigations.

Investigation Standards and Attachments

These attachments define the investigation types used for different clearance levels.

• Attachment A — Standard A: National Agency Check With Local Agency Checks and Credit Check (NACLC)
• Attachment B — Standard B: Single Scope Background Investigation (SSBI)
• Attachment C — Standard C: Single Scope Background Investigation Periodic Reinvestigation (SSBI-PR)
• Attachment D — Decision Tables

These standards connect directly to clearance level, reinvestigation timing, and the scope of record review. For a practical overview, review our guide to Tier 3 vs. Tier 5 background investigations.

Subpart C — Guidelines for Temporary Access

Subpart C governs temporary eligibility, interim access, and early clearance decisions before the full investigation is complete.

• § 147.28 Introduction
• § 147.29 Temporary Eligibility for Access
• § 147.30 Temporary Eligibility for Confidential, Secret, and “L” Access
• § 147.31 Temporary Eligibility for Top Secret and “Q” Access With a Favorable Prior Investigation
• § 147.32 Temporary Eligibility for Top Secret, SCI, and “Q” Access Without a Current Favorable Investigation
• § 147.33 Additional Requirements by Agencies

For plain-English guidance on early access decisions, review our guide to how interim security clearances work and what an interim clearance denial really means.

If You Are Researching a Security Clearance Problem

If you are reviewing these statutes because you received a Letter of Interrogatory, Statement of Reasons, suspension, denial, or revocation, the regulation is only the starting point.

The next question is how your record will be interpreted under the standard.

Start with the page that matches your situation:

• Letter of Interrogatory Lawyer for Security Clearance Cases
• Security Clearance Statement of Reasons Lawyer
• Security Clearance Denial Lawyer
• Security Clearance Suspension Lawyer
• Security Clearance Revocation Lawyer
• Security Clearance Appeal Lawyer

Why National Security Law Firm

Most law firms treat security clearance statutes as reference material.

At National Security Law Firm, they are treated as a decision framework.

Our security clearance lawyers include attorneys who have:

• served as administrative judges and adjudicators deciding clearance cases
• worked inside federal agencies evaluating eligibility and risk
• operated within military legal systems handling national security matters
• applied the adjudicative guidelines in real-world decision-making environments

This matters because these regulations do not decide your case.

👉 They are used to justify decisions after they are made.

Our approach focuses on:

• how your record will be interpreted
• how risk will be framed under the guidelines
• how your file will be reviewed across agencies and over time

Every case is reviewed through our internal Attorney Review Board, where multiple experienced attorneys analyze the record, test arguments, and refine strategy before submission.

This mirrors how the government evaluates cases—through layered review and institutional scrutiny.

Clients often come to us after receiving advice focused only on legal arguments or explanations.

Security clearance cases are not decided that way.

They are decided based on:

👉 how the record is written, supported, and defended under the governing framework

You can read what clients say about their experience working with our team in our 4.9-star Google reviews.

Speak With a Security Clearance Lawyer

If you are trying to understand how these statutes apply to your facts, the most important question is not only what the regulation says.

It is how the government will read your record under that regulation.

National Security Law Firm offers free consultations to help you understand the stage of your case, the risks in your record, and what options may be available.

Schedule Your Free Consultation Now. 

The Record Controls the Case.