5 CFR § 351.601 - Order of release from competitive level.
---
identifier: "/us/cfr/t5/s351.601"
source: "ecfr"
legal_status: "authoritative_unofficial"
title: "5 CFR § 351.601 - Order of release from competitive level."
title_number: 5
title_name: "Administrative Personnel"
section_number: "351.601"
section_name: "Order of release from competitive level."
chapter_name: "OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT"
subchapter_number: "B"
subchapter_name: "CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS"
part_number: "351"
part_name: "REDUCTION IN FORCE"
positive_law: false
currency: "2026-03-24"
last_updated: "2026-03-24"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
authority: "5 U.S.C. 1302, 3502, 3503; E.O. 14284, 90 FR 17729; 5 CFR 2.2(c). Sec. 351.801 also issued under E.O. 12828, 58 FR 2965."
regulatory_source: "51 FR 319, Jan. 3, 1986, unless otherwise noted."
cfr_part: "351"
---
# 351.601 Order of release from competitive level.
(a) Each agency must select competing employees for release from a competitive level (including release from a competitive level involving a pay band) under this part in the inverse order of retention standing, beginning with the employee with the lowest retention standing on the retention register. An agency may not release a competing employee from a competitive level while retaining in that level an employee with lower retention standing except:
(1) As required under § 351.606 when an employee is retained under a mandatory exception or under § 351.806 when an employee is entitled to a new written notice of reduction in force; or
(2) As permitted under § 351.607 when an employee is retained under a permissive continuing exception or under § 351.608 when an employee is retained under a permissive temporary exception.
(b) At its option an agency may provide for intervening displacement within the competitive level before final release of the employee with the lowest-retention standing from the competitive level.
(c) When employees in the same retention subgroup have identical service dates and are tied for release from a competitive level, the agency may select any tied employee for release.
[73 FR 29388, May 21, 2008]