The current economic development model in China is highly dependent on natural resource consumption, and this has resulted in severe economic and social problems. Changes in natural resource restrictions are challenging the future sustainable development of the regional economy. Here, we propose a new concept called Natural Resource Regulation on Regional Economic Development (NRR). NRR is an application of government regulation to natural resources, aimed at regulating and controlling regional development. It is a set of constraints on the exploration, exploitation, utilization, operation and protection of natural resources carried out by government. This concept focuses on two aspects: the management of natural resources, and using natural resources as a tool to regulate and control the regional economy and social development. NRR mainly consists of four layers: regulation by law (RL), regulation by plans (RP), regulation by standards (RS) and concrete regulation by control indicators (RI). In addition, social participation and supervision, monitoring and evaluation, rewards and punishments are also indispensable for the framework of NRR. According to the types of resources, practical regulation of land, water, energy and environment are stricter than that of marine, mineral and forest in China. The systems of RL, RP and RS in China are basically established and have achieved considerable results, while concrete RI is still fragmented.