Rules 8310 Through 9221, Explained One Rule at a Time
This is Part 6 of FRC's FINRA Rules Quick Reference, continuing directly from Part 5's coverage of investigations. This piece closes out the Sanctions series and opens the Code of Procedure, the rulebook's most detailed section, covering exactly how a FINRA disciplinary case actually proceeds from filing to hearing.
FRC's SIE Exam Preparation course covers the foundational sanctions and disciplinary material every entry-level candidate is tested on. The Series 7 Exam Preparation course goes further into the procedural detail a fully licensed registered representative should understand if they ever face a FINRA proceeding themselves.
FINRA Rule 8310: Sanctions for Violation of the Rules
Rule 8310 sets out the range of sanctions FINRA can impose for a rule violation, including censure, fine, suspension, expulsion, and bar from association with any member firm. It is the foundational rule establishing FINRA's actual enforcement power once a violation has been established.
FINRA Rule 8311: Effect of a Suspension, Revocation, Cancellation, Bar or Other Disqualification
Rule 8311 sets out the practical effect of a suspension, revocation, bar, or other disqualification imposed under Rule 8310, including restrictions on the disqualified person's ability to remain associated with a member firm during that period. It ensures a sanction under 8310 actually translates into a real, enforceable limitation on someone's ability to work in the industry.
FINRA Rule 8312: FINRA BrokerCheck Disclosure
Rule 8312 governs what disciplinary and background information FINRA discloses to the public through its BrokerCheck system, the tool that lets investors research a broker or firm's regulatory history before doing business with them. It is the rule that makes BrokerCheck's disclosures an actual regulatory requirement rather than a discretionary courtesy.
FINRA Rule 8313: Release of Disciplinary Complaints, Decisions and Other Information
Rule 8313 sets out FINRA's policy for releasing disciplinary complaints, decisions, and related information to the public beyond what BrokerCheck itself discloses. It governs the broader transparency of FINRA's disciplinary record-keeping and public reporting.
FINRA Rule 8320: Payment of Fines, Other Monetary Sanctions, or Costs; Summary Action for Failure to Pay
Rule 8320 sets out the requirements for actually paying a fine or other monetary sanction imposed under the rulebook, and gives FINRA authority to take summary action, including suspension, against a member or associated person who fails to pay. It ensures a monetary sanction carries real consequences beyond simply being an unenforced debt.
FINRA Rule 8330: Costs of Proceedings
Rule 8330 requires a member or associated person disciplined under Rule 8310 to bear the costs of the proceeding as the adjudicator deems fair, in addition to any fine or other sanction imposed. It shifts at least part of the financial burden of enforcement onto the party actually found to have violated the rules.
FINRA Rule 9000: Code of Procedure
Rule 9000 is the section heading for FINRA's Code of Procedure, the comprehensive set of rules governing disciplinary proceedings, financial and operational difficulty proceedings, summary suspensions, and eligibility proceedings. Every specific procedural rule covered in the remainder of this guide sits underneath this single umbrella.
FINRA Rule 9100: Application and Purpose
Rule 9100 is the section heading establishing the general provisions that apply across every proceeding covered by the Code of Procedure, unless a more specific rule says otherwise. It functions as the procedural foundation the rest of the 9000 series builds on.
FINRA Rule 9110 and FINRA Rule 9120: Application and Definitions
Rule 9110 defines the actual scope of the Code of Procedure, covering disciplinary proceedings, financial or operational difficulty proceedings, summary and non-summary suspension proceedings, and eligibility proceedings, and confirms that an associated person carries the same rights, duties, and obligations as a member under this code. Rule 9120 supplies the specific definitions used throughout the entire 9000 series, giving every later, more specific procedural rule a shared, consistent vocabulary to work from.
FINRA Rule 9110 and FINRA Rule 9120
FINRA Rule 9130: Service; Filing of Papers
Rule 9130 sets out the general framework for how papers must be served and filed in a Code of Procedure proceeding, before the more specific service rules that follow address particular document types. It establishes the baseline procedural mechanics every party to a proceeding has to follow.
FINRA Rule 9131: Service of Complaint
Rule 9131 sets out the specific requirements for serving a disciplinary complaint on a respondent, including how the Department of Enforcement can serve counsel directly once that counsel has filed a notice of appearance. It ensures a respondent actually receives proper, verifiable notice that a case has been filed against them.
FINRA Rule 9132: Service of Orders, Notices, and Decisions by Adjudicator
Rule 9132 sets out the requirements for how an adjudicator, such as a hearing officer, must serve orders, notices, and decisions on the parties to a proceeding. It parallels Rule 9131's service requirements but applies specifically to documents issued by the adjudicator rather than by the Department of Enforcement.
FINRA Rule 9133: Service of Papers Other Than Complaints, Orders, Notices, or Decisions
Rule 9133 sets out the service requirements for any other paper filed in a proceeding that doesn't fall into the specific categories already covered by Rules 9131 and 9132. It closes the gap so that every document filed in a proceeding has a clear, applicable service standard.
FINRA Rule 9134: Methods of, Procedures for Service
Rule 9134 sets out the actual methods by which service can be accomplished under the Code of Procedure, including email service, and the specific procedures each method requires. Recent amendments made email service and filing the standard default method across most 9000 series proceedings.
FINRA Rule 9135: Filing of Papers with Adjudicator: Procedure
Rule 9135 sets out the procedural requirements for actually filing papers with an adjudicator in a Code of Procedure proceeding, distinct from the service requirements on other parties covered elsewhere. It governs the mechanics of getting a document properly before the person deciding the case.
FINRA Rule 9136: Filing of Papers: Form
Rule 9136 sets out the formal requirements a filed paper must meet, covering matters like formatting and required content. It ensures every document entering the record meets a consistent baseline standard regardless of which party files it.
FINRA Rule 9137: Filing of Papers: Signature Requirement and Effect
Rule 9137 sets out the signature requirements for a filed paper and the legal effect that signature carries, similar to how a signature functions in civil litigation. It ensures accountability for what is actually submitted into the proceeding's record.
FINRA Rule 9138: Computation of Time
Rule 9138 sets out how deadlines under the Code of Procedure are actually calculated, including how weekends and holidays affect a filing deadline. It removes ambiguity that could otherwise create disputes over whether a filing was timely.
FINRA Rule 9141: Appearance and Practice; Notice of Appearance
Rule 9141 sets out who may appear and practice on behalf of a party in a Code of Procedure proceeding, and the specific requirement to file a notice of appearance before doing so. It establishes exactly who FINRA and other parties should be dealing with once representation is involved.
FINRA Rule 9142: Withdrawal by Attorney or Representative
Rule 9142 sets out the procedure an attorney or other representative must follow to formally withdraw from representing a party in a proceeding. It ensures a change in representation is properly documented rather than simply assumed.
FINRA Rule 9143: Ex Parte Communications
Rule 9143 prohibits ex parte communications, meaning one-sided contact with an adjudicator outside the presence of the other party, in a Code of Procedure proceeding. It protects the fairness and neutrality of the adjudicative process from behind-the-scenes influence.
FINRA Rule 9144: Separation of Functions
Rule 9144 requires separation between FINRA staff who investigate and prosecute a case and those who adjudicate it, preventing the same personnel from playing both roles. It is a structural due-process protection built directly into how FINRA organizes its own enforcement function.
FINRA Rule 9145: Rules of Evidence; Official Notice
Rule 9145 sets out the evidentiary standards that apply in a Code of Procedure hearing, which are generally more flexible than formal court rules of evidence, and allows an adjudicator to take official notice of certain facts without formal proof. It reflects that these are administrative proceedings rather than full civil trials.
FINRA Rule 9146: Motions
Rule 9146 sets out the procedure for filing and responding to motions within a Code of Procedure proceeding. It gives parties a formal mechanism to raise procedural or substantive issues before the adjudicator without waiting for the final hearing.
FINRA Rule 9147: Rulings On Procedural Matters
Rule 9147 sets out how an adjudicator issues rulings on procedural matters raised during a proceeding, separate from the ultimate decision on the merits. It keeps the flow of procedural decision-making distinct from the final substantive outcome of the case.
FINRA Rule 9148: Interlocutory Review
Rule 9148 sets out the limited circumstances under which a party can seek review of a procedural ruling before the proceeding has concluded, rather than waiting until a final decision to appeal. It balances the value of early correction against the risk of using interim appeals to simply delay a case.
FINRA Rule 9150: Exclusion From Rule 9000 Series Proceeding
Rule 9150 sets out the circumstances under which a person can be excluded from participating in a Code of Procedure proceeding, such as for disruptive conduct. It gives an adjudicator the authority to maintain order and manage who is actually permitted to take part.
FINRA Rule 9160: General Provisions Regarding Filing and Service
Rule 9160 sits within the same general-applicability part of the Code of Procedure as the rules preceding it, addressing additional filing and service considerations that apply broadly across proceeding types. It rounds out the procedural mechanics section before the Code of Procedure moves into substantive disciplinary proceeding rules.
FINRA Rule 9200: Disciplinary Proceedings
Rule 9200 is the section heading opening FINRA's disciplinary proceedings rules, the part of the Code of Procedure that actually governs how a formal case against a member or associated person unfolds from complaint through hearing. Every rule from this point through the rest of this guide sits underneath this heading.
FINRA Rule 9210: Complaint and Answer
Rule 9210 is the section heading opening the specific rules governing how a disciplinary complaint is authorized, issued, and answered. It introduces the sequence of steps a case must go through before it ever reaches a hearing.
FINRA Rule 9211: Authorization of Complaint
Rule 9211 requires FINRA's Department of Enforcement to obtain authorization from the Office of Disciplinary Affairs before issuing a formal complaint against a member or associated person believed to have violated a rule or federal securities law. It builds an internal check into FINRA's enforcement process before a case formally begins.
FINRA Rule 9212: Complaint Issuance — Requirements, Service, Amendment, Withdrawal, and Docketing
Rule 9212 sets out the formal requirements for issuing a disciplinary complaint once authorized, including how it must be signed, served, amended, withdrawn, or entered into FINRA's docketing system. It governs the complaint's entire lifecycle from the moment it becomes official.
FINRA Rule 9213: Assignment of Hearing Officer and Appointment of Panelists to Hearing Panel or Extended Hearing Panel
Rule 9213 sets out how a hearing officer is assigned to a disciplinary case and how panelists are appointed to sit alongside that hearing officer on a hearing panel or extended hearing panel. It establishes who will actually be deciding the case once it moves toward a hearing.
FINRA Rule 9214: Consolidation or Severance of Disciplinary Proceedings
Rule 9214 sets out the standards for consolidating multiple related disciplinary proceedings into one case, or severing a single proceeding into separate ones, depending on what serves efficient and fair adjudication. It gives the process flexibility to handle cases involving multiple respondents or multiple, related violations sensibly.
FINRA Rule 9215: Answer to Complaint
Rule 9215 sets out the requirements for a respondent's answer to a disciplinary complaint, including the deadline and content requirements for that response. It gives the respondent their formal opportunity to admit, deny, or otherwise respond to the allegations against them.
FINRA Rule 9216: Acceptance, Waiver, and Consent; Plan Pursuant to SEA Rule 19d-1(c)(2)
Rule 9216 allows a respondent to resolve certain matters by accepting a finding of violation, waiving a hearing, and consenting to a sanction, without a full contested proceeding, including under a specific plan tied to SEC Rule 19d-1(c)(2) for minor violations. It provides a genuinely faster, less resource-intensive path to resolving less serious violations.
FINRA Rule 9217: Violations Appropriate for Disposition Under Plan Pursuant to SEA Rule 19d-1(c)(2)
Rule 9217 lists the specific rule and by-law violations FINRA has designated as appropriate for the streamlined minor rule violation plan referenced in Rule 9216, capping the fine available under that expedited process. It defines exactly which violations qualify for that faster, lower-stakes resolution path rather than a full disciplinary hearing.
FINRA Rule 9220: Request for Hearing; Extensions of Time, Postponements, Adjournments
Rule 9220 is the section heading introducing the rules governing how a respondent requests a hearing and how deadlines within that process can be extended, postponed, or adjourned. It bridges the complaint-and-answer stage into the actual hearing process that follows.
FINRA Rule 9221: Request for Hearing
Rule 9221 sets out the specific procedure a respondent must follow to request a hearing on a disciplinary complaint. It is the formal mechanism through which a respondent exercises their right to contest the allegations before a hearing panel.
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