House OIG
Counted here as an active federal OIG office, but not a CIGIE member office.
Research methods
How this site classifies and counts federal oversight offices.
InspectorGeneral.net documents the federal Inspector General system by distinguishing active standing OIG offices from historical offices, special-purpose IGs, and oversight institutions such as CIGIE and PRAC. This page explains how those distinctions affect the site's counts and profiles.
Methods last reviewed: June 2026
Method summary
A public count, not an internal roster.
InspectorGeneral.net uses an active-office count. Active standing OIGs are counted separately from historical offices, temporary special IGs, special-purpose designations, and cross-IG institutions. Combined offices are counted once. When sources disagree or provide only approximate dates, the uncertainty is described rather than hidden.
What counts and what does not
The headline number is an active standing OIG count.
| Category | Short definition | Counted? | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active standing OIG office | A current Office of Inspector General with ongoing institutional existence. | Yes | NASA OIG, USDA OIG, TIGTA, House OIG. |
| Historical or inactive OIG office | A former OIG office that no longer operates as a separate office. | No | FEMA OIG, CDFI Fund OIG, USIA OIG. |
| Temporary or special IG office | A special-purpose office created for a limited program, conflict, emergency, or recovery effort. | No in the active standing count | SIGAR, SIGIR, SIGTARP, SIGPR. |
| Special-purpose IG role or designation | A role or designation tied to existing IG structures rather than a permanent standalone OIG office. | No | SIGOAR. |
| Oversight-system institution | A council, committee, data platform, integrity mechanism, or training body that supports the IG community. | No | CIGIE, PRAC, PCIE, ECIE, Oversight.gov, Integrity Committee. |
| Pending or proposed office | A proposed office that has not yet been enacted and operationalized. | No unless enacted and operational | Proposed IG for Fraud, Accountability and Recovery. |
How the active count is calculated
The headline count includes current establishment OIGs, current designated federal entity OIGs, and other current statutory OIG offices. It excludes inactive offices, transferred offices, abolished offices, temporary special IGs, special-purpose roles, councils, committees, training institutions, and data systems.
Active standing OIGs =
active establishment OIGs + active designated federal entity OIGs + active other statutory OIGs
Count reconciliation
Why counts differ across sources
Different sources count different things. A statutory count may include legacy statutory references. A CIGIE membership count may exclude active federal OIGs outside CIGIE's membership. A directory may include historical offices, temporary special IGs, or special-purpose oversight roles. InspectorGeneral.net's headline number is an active standing office count.
Legacy offices
FEMA OIG and CDFI Fund OIG are historical or statutory legacy entries, not active standalone offices.
Institutions and special roles
PRAC, CIGIE, and SIGOAR are important, but not counted as active standing OIG offices.
Sources
Preferred evidence, strongest first
Primary legal authority
Public laws, U.S. Code, Statutes at Large, regulations, executive orders, presidential messages, Senate records, and agency orders.
Official OIG or agency records
OIG websites, semiannual reports, biographies, press releases, budget justifications, archived pages, and official histories.
Governmentwide oversight and research sources
CIGIE, Oversight.gov, CRS, GAO, OPM, congressional committee materials, and Federal Register notices.
Contemporary reporting
Used for recent removals, resignations, disputes, nominations, and events not yet reflected in official records.
When sources conflict, the site favors the strongest available source and explains discrepancies when they affect classification, dates, or counts.
Dates and uncertainty
| Date type | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Exact date | A full date supported by the cited source. |
| Approximate date | A month, year, or other partial date where the full date is not known. |
| Inferred date | A date derived from related records, such as a successor start date or vacancy report. |
| Statutory date | The date legal authority was enacted or became effective. |
| Operational date | The date an office appears to have begun operating. |
Approximate or inferred dates are labeled rather than presented as exact.
Leadership and authority
Leadership status and legal authority are tracked separately.
A PAS OIG vacancy means the office lacks a Senate-confirmed Inspector General. Acting officials are recorded separately from confirmed IGs. Law enforcement authority is also tracked separately from investigative responsibility and is tied to statute, Attorney General authorization, or another controlling source.
Oversight institutions
Oversight institutions are documented separately.
Some entities are central to the IG system but are not Offices of Inspector General. InspectorGeneral.net documents councils, committees, data systems, integrity mechanisms, and training institutions separately because they shape how the IG community operates. They are not included in the active standing OIG count.