I'll use Any% as an example. Do the rules mean if someone were to get a 3:16.000, they don't have to follow the rules, but if someone were to get a 3:15.983, they would have to? Or is it ≤ 3:15.000?

For any% it's any 3:15 or lower, so a 3:15.983 would have to follow the rules.