"rule laid down" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use this phrase when referring to a general guideline or principle that is established and enforced. For example, "The rule laid down by the government is that all businesses must close at 9pm."
ACCORDING to the ancient rule laid down by St Benedict in the sixth century, monastic communities must be self-supporting.
At the same time, changes were made to a rule laid down by George II forcing all his descendants to seek the consent of the monarch before marrying.
Obeying the rule laid down by beginning creative-writing teachers the world over, Mr. Bowen and Mr. Bell decide to write what they know.
Another strict rule, laid down by the president, is that no book shall be "cute" — an adjective that he applies to much contemporary literature for children.
Phillips and his fellow judges had declined to apply a rule laid down by the Strasbourg court and invited its judges to reconsider it.
The court carved out exceptions over the years, but the basic rule laid down in Mapp has endured for nearly five decades.
Other countries, like Germany, are sympathetic to the French view, American officials say, but are in more of a position to compromise on a resolution, perhaps by incorporating a timetable toward self-rule laid down in Baghdad by the Governing Council itself.
The most systematic follow rules laid down in 1921.
Israelis, Dr. Cooper said, conjugate verbs according to rules laid down in biblical times.
New mortgage rules laid down by the UK's Financial Conduct Authority have just come into force.
Secondly, Christians are not committed to following the rules laid down in the Bible.
