Procedure: External Site Links

Brief Description

This procedure outlines the requirements for links on EPA webpages that redirect users to external web sites. Because EPA does not control the content of external sites, EPA employees and offices cannot guarantee the quality and integrity of linked sites (and, therefore, must post a disclaimer). EPA web content creators have a duty to assess the overall quality and presentation of data and information on an external site before linking to it.

• Definitions
• Requirements
  • Content: none
  • Style: none
  • Required steps
• Rationale
• Exemptions
• Related governance documents
• Full metadata about this standard

Definitions

Required Steps

1. Be aware of all external links and develop a rationale for including them.
2. All external links must:
   1. Be relevant to, or generally support, EPA's mission. Examples of external links that may be deemed as consistent with EPA's mission include:
      1. Providing regulated entities with information to help them comply with EPA regulations (e.g., links to reporting software, compliance services);
      2. Assisting state and local entities with their delegated responsibilities or other activities that support EPA's mission;
      3. Assisting entities coordinate with one another for information exchange;
      4. Helping citizens better understand environmental issues or find more information on a topic (e.g., highlighting an EPA award-winning environmental program)
   2. Clearly enhance the value of the information that EPA is providing on its web site.
   3. Help the reader understand the information on EPA's page.
   4. Go to reliable web sites that reflect high standards in quality, site operations and maintenance.
   5. Be appropriate for the page's intended age group:
      1. Elementary School (grades pre-K-5 or ages 4-10): link only to EPA sites and other federal, state and local government sites, and educational sites (e.g. museums and educational institutions).
      2. Middle School (grades 6-8 or ages 11-13): link only to EPA sites, other federal, state and local government sites, and educational sites (e.g. museums and educational institutions).
      3. High School (grades 9-12 or ages 14-18):  link only to EPA and other federal, state and local government sites, educational sites, and some non-government sites.
3. Do not link to external sites, that:
   1. Advocate for or against any political party, partisan candidate for election, or any political group; or that solicit political contributions.
   2. Advocate any activity with respect to any federal, state or local statute, legislation, regulation, or proposed regulation.
   3. Contradict Agency policies, rule decisions, or positions.
   4. Charge a fee with the following exceptions:
      1. Links to scientific journals and other publications and services that provide research and other data resources online.
      2. Other links approved by the Office of Digital Communications. Links to sites that charge people for access, or through which the information desired must be purchased, should include a notice warning the user of that fact.
   5. Use technology that unreasonably inconveniences the user (such as multiple pop-up advertisements, inability to exit the site, etc.).
   6. Solicit membership in an organization.
      1. Exemptions to this prohibition:
         1. Links to organizations that EPA has a formal relationship with, like an MOU, co-sponsorship agreement, grantee, or awardee, if the donation button is part of the global site navigation and not prominent on the page you are linking directly to.
   7. Make requests for monetary donations or contributions of any kind.
      1. Note that this includes state and local governmental sites.
      2. Exemptions to this prohibition: You can link to sites of organizations: under these conditions:
         1. that EPA has a formal relationship with, like an MOU, co-sponsorship agreement, or grant, or
         2. that are EPA awardees,
         3. If the "donate" or similar link is on the page that you are linking to, that link must be part of the global site navigation and not prominent on the page.
         4. The "donate" or similar link is not on the page you are linking to (but may, for example, be on the home page).
   8. Advise people to contact an elected representative or to otherwise take action on, or become involved with, a partisan political candidate, group or election, or advocating for or against any federal, state, or local legislation, or any treaty ratification regulation, or proposed regulation.
4. Link to the most appropriate page within the site you are linking to. Do not link to an organization’s home page if a different page exists with information that is more on point to your topic. Links should not be made to the home page of the organization unless that is the page with the relevant information (such as providing the viewer with a link to a supplier of environmental education resources or their local watershed council).
5. If a link cannot be made directly to the information of interest, provide directions on how to get to the information from the linked location. Sometimes a link to a specific document isn't possible. If the information can only be found through a site's search engine, the EPA page should include instructions on how to retrieve the relevant information. 
6. Use the “Exit EPA” icon to identify external links. Note: Any link to a site that is not controlled by EPA is considered an external link. The WebCMS will automatically insert the “Exit EPA” icon. If your webpage is not in the WebCMS, consult EPA’s Pattern Lab or the U.S. Web Design System (USWDS).

Rationale

The 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act requires agencies to comply with the website standards, using the U.S. Web Design System.

Federal agencies are required to comply with the OMB M-17-06, Policies for Federal Agency Public Websites and Digital Services (pdf) (1K) policy which says:

Exemptions

The following URLs are exempted:

• airknowledge.gov
• airnow.gov
• clu-in.org
• energystar.gov
• epaoig.gov
• fedcenter.gov
• foiaonline.gov
• frtr.gov
• glnpo.gov
• glri.us
• greengov.gov
• relocatefeds.gov
• sustainability.gov
• urbanwaters.gov
• usepa.servicenowservices.com
• westcoastcollaborative.org

Some of EPA's social media sites are also exempted:

• https://www.facebook.com/EPA
• https://www.flickr.com/photos/usepagov
• https://www.instagram.com/epagov
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/us-epa/
• https://twitter.com/epa
• https://www.youtube.com/user/USEPAgov

There are no other waivers to the external links policy.

Any link to a site that is not controlled by EPA is considered an external link.

Related Governance Documents

EPA

Related Policies

• None

Related Procedures

• None

Related Standards

• None

Related Guidance

• EPA Web Style Guide 
• EPA Standard Disclaimer Page 

Non-EPA

• 21st Century IDEA, including the required website standards, December 2018 
  • External Links requirements
• OMB Circular No. A-130, "Management of Federal Information Resources"
• OMB M-17-06, Policies for Federal Agency Public Websites and Digital Services (pdf) (1K)
• Checklist of Requirements for Federal Websites and Digital Services

Full Metadata about this Standard

Name External Site Links
Type Procedure
Required or Recommended Required 
Effective date 09/07/2006
Date last approved 07/12/2023
Category Links and Navigation
Web Council review by 07/12/2026 (or earlier if deemed necessary by the Web Council)
Governing Policy  Web Governance and Management