42
Title
The subject-matter volume of the code. In the U.S. Code, Title 42 covers The Public Health and Welfare; Title 26 is the Internal Revenue Code.
A Reader's Guide
Reading Room · Foundational research
How to read a statute citation.
A citation is not the law. It is a pointer to the law — an address that tells you which sovereign enacted the rule, which code holds it, and where inside that code to find it. This guide walks through the anatomy of a statute citation and shows how the form varies across federal and state jurisdictions.
§ I
Anatomy of a federal citation
The parts of 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (2018).
A single United States Code citation has five parts. Each part carries specific information the reader needs to locate and rely on the statute.
- U.S.C.
Reporter
The abbreviated name of the code being cited — here, the United States Code, the official codification of federal statutes.
- §
Section mark
The section symbol. A single § introduces one section; §§ introduces two or more (e.g., §§ 1983–1988).
- 1983
Section number
The particular section within the title. Sections may be further subdivided as (a), (b)(1), (b)(1)(A), and so on.
- (2018)
Edition or year
The edition or supplement year — the version of the code the citation refers to. Statutes are amended, so the year matters.
§ II
Federal citations in practice
How federal statutes are cited.
Federal citations follow a stable form. The examples below show the range: single sections, ranges, and session-law citations to the Statutes at Large.
42 U.S.C. § 1983
Federal civil-rights statute. Title 42, U.S. Code, section 1983. Read: the section on civil action for deprivation of rights.
26 U.S.C. § 6321
Federal tax lien statute. Title 26 (Internal Revenue Code), section 6321. The Society's Library holds the primary text.
5 U.S.C. §§ 551–559
The Administrative Procedure Act's adjudication provisions. The double section mark (§§) signals a range.
Pub. L. No. 117-169, § 10101, 136 Stat. 1818 (2022)
A session-law citation — the statute as enacted, before codification. Public Law number, section, Statutes at Large volume and page, year.
§ III
State variations
How state statutes are cited.
State citations vary. Some states organize by title number; most organize by named subject-matter code. Some cite the official code; others cite the publisher's edition. Read the reporter abbreviation carefully — it tells you the jurisdiction and the edition in a single stroke.
Cal. Civ. Code § 1710
California, Civil Code, section 1710 — the deceit statute. California organizes its statutes by subject-matter code rather than by title number.
N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law § 349 (McKinney 2020)
New York, General Business Law, section 349, in the McKinney's edition. Some states are cited by publisher edition.
Tex. Bus. & Com. Code Ann. § 17.46
Texas, Business and Commerce Code Annotated, section 17.46 — the Deceptive Trade Practices Act's laundry list.
Fla. Stat. § 95.11(3) (2023)
Florida Statutes, section 95.11, subdivision (3), 2023 edition. The parenthetical subdivision narrows to a specific limitations paragraph.
§ IV
A method for reading
Five steps for a careful reader.
Every citation should be read in the same order. The method below is how the Society reads statutes in the Reading Room.
- 01
Identify the sovereign
Read the reporter abbreviation first — U.S.C., Cal. Civ. Code, Fla. Stat. That tells you which legislature enacted the statute and which court's construction controls.
- 02
Locate the title or code
The number or code name before the section mark is the subject-matter division. It orients you to the volume of law you are entering.
- 03
Follow the section and subdivisions
Section, then subsection, then paragraph, then clause. Statutes are hierarchical; each parenthetical narrows the rule.
- 04
Confirm the edition or year
A statute is only as current as the edition cited. Confirm the year and check for later amendments before you rely on the text.
- 05
Return to the primary text
A citation is a pointer, not the law. Open the codified section — the Society's Library and Reading Room hold the primary authority.
§ V
Common abbreviations
A short glossary for citation forms.
Abbreviations recur across federal and state citations. Recognizing them on sight is half of reading a citation.
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| § / §§ | Section / sections |
| U.S.C. | United States Code (official) |
| U.S.C.A. | United States Code Annotated (West) |
| U.S.C.S. | United States Code Service (LexisNexis) |
| C.F.R. | Code of Federal Regulations (regulations, not statutes) |
| Stat. | United States Statutes at Large (session laws) |
| Pub. L. No. | Public Law number — the enacted bill's identifier |
| et seq. | And the sections following |
§ VI
Questions from readers
Frequent questions about statute citations.
Established · MMXXVRead Law. Not Lore.Vol. I — Folio I