Agencies use their special expertise to develop rules and technical standards that are binding as law.  An example would be restaurant inspection standards.  Public health agencies can make rules if they are authorized by the legislature.  While rulemaking is important in public health, many agencies, such as the CDC, have limited or no authority to make rules.  These agencies either do not do enforcement or enforcement statutes or rules made by other agencies.

Regulations give direction to regulated parties and the general public.  While general powers are valuable to dealing with unexpected events, they give little direction to people engaged in routine activities such as running restaurants.  By adopting standards such as food sanitation code, the health department can give detailed guidance on how to prepare and serve food safely.

Regulations allow public participation.  Regulations are usually published before they become effective and the public is allowed to comment on them. In the federal system, there is no right to a hearing on a rule unless specifically required by Congress.  All comments must be made in writing.  Some states require that the agency have a hearing and allow oral testimony on rules if requested by a certain number of persons.  Public comment is important for regulations that raise difficult public policy issues, such as whether volunteer organizations such as churches have to meet the same sanitary regulations as businesses.  If an agency does not comply with the statutory requirements for promulgating regulations, the court can suspend the regulation until it has been properly promulgated.[Chocolate Manufacturers Assoc. of the United States, Appellant, v. John R. Block, Sec. U.S. Dept. of Agriculture; Samuel J. Cornelius, Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service and U.S. Department of Agriculture, 755 F.2d 1098 (1985)]

Regulations harmonize practices between jurisdictions.  While most public health enforcement is local or state based, businesses operate across many jurisdictions and need consistent standards.  It is also important that public health standards reflect best practices.  By adopting national standards, health departments across the country assure best practices and make it easier for national businesses to operate

Once a regulation has been properly issued, its validity cannot be challenged in court. This allows an agency to limit the grounds for challenging an agency action.[Heckler v. Campbell, 461 US 458 (1983)]  For example, once the standards for food inspection are adopted, a restaurant cannot litigate the proper temperature for keeping food cold or whether their alternative dishwashing method is acceptable if these are specified in the rules.  Challenges to the rule must be made when the rule is promulgated, not in later litigation challenging the enforcement of the rule. Challenges to the agency's legal authority to make the rule or the constitutionality of the rule can be made at anytime since the rule cannot be valid if the agency does not have the power to issue it.