The development of noradrenergic and dopaminergic nerves in 5 regions of the developing spinal cord of rat, from fetal day (FD) 16, to the young adult stage was studied. The normal synthetic capacity of adrenergic nerves in the ventral horn of the cervical and lumbar regions developed at the same time, and at the same rate, despite their spatial separation, and before similar development of the noradrenergic nerves in the dorsal horn and zona intermedia. In the ventral horn, the synthesis of NE from injected L-DOPA, as well as the release and metabolism of NE are well-established at 12 h (ND 0.5) after birth. In the dorsal horn these developments occur later at ND 4. Except in the dorsal horn of the cervical region, there was no easily observable, consistent pattern in the development of regional spinal dopaminergic innervation. The capacity of the developing cord to synthesize dopamine (DA) from injected DOPA is significantly developed at FD 16 (the earliest time studied), and peaked in all regions as early as ND 4. Control experiments indicate that 100%, and only 10% respectively of NE and DA synthetized from injected DOPA, occurred in descending monoaminergic fibers. Norepinephrine is synthesized exclusively in noradrenergic nerves. Cells appear transiently in the developing cord at FD 18, that are capable of synthesizing catecholamines (probably mainly DA) from injected DOPA. During postnatal development of the cord, and to a less extent in the adult, the network of catecholaminergic nerves actually present, is more extensive than that normally revealed during routine fluorescence microscopy. The results are discussed in the context of current attempts to understand the functional importance of catecholaminergic nerves in the mammalian spinal cord, and elsewhere in the CNS.