A first down shall be recorded whenever the yardsticks are ordered forward by the officials on a sequence of downs, whenever a touchdown is scored on an offensive play from scrimmage, and whenever a gain from scrimmage is made on the last play in a half that would have resulted in a first down being awarded had time not run out. However a first down shall not be awarded when a team first gains possession as a result of a kick, a fumble, a pass interception or a penalty.
First downs gained are subdivided to show the type of play responsible for the gain, as follows:
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Special thanks to George Black, Shawn Coates, Glen Johnson and André Proulx
The CFL Official Rule Book is published annually by the Canadian Football League. Any inquiries regarding the CFL Official Playing Rules may be directed to George Black at gblack@cfl.ca.