About the U.S. Code
The U.S. Code contains the currently in-force federal laws of a general and permanent nature, arranged by subject.
The U.S. Code is arranged into 54 "titles," that is groupings by broad topics. For instance, Title 11 deals with bankruptcy, Title 18 covers crimes and criminal procedure, and Title 38 is on veterans' benefits.
Each title is subdivided into chapters and sub-chapters. The most specific levels are sections. Legal researchers will recognize the § symbol to mean "section."
Citations to sections in the U.S. Code include a title number and a section number (or group of sections): 16 U.S.C.§ 1531. The citation is usually completed by the publication year of the Code. New editions of the official U.S. Code are published every 6 years, with cumulative supplements published between the editions.
Bluebook abbreviation: U.S.C.
Official Version
- U.S. Code [GovInfo]The official version of the U.S. Code (1994 - present). Can browse, search by citation, or run a keyword search.
The GPO site can be a little intimidating, so several other sites provide easier-to-use versions of the same information.
- U.S. Code [Office of Law Revision Counsel]Current edition. Browse by citation or search by keyword. Includes the Popular Name Tool.
Search tips - U.S. Code [Cornell Legal Information Institute]Current edition.
- U.S. Code [FindLaw]Current edition.
U.S. CodeCall Number: KF62 at Reference AreaOfficial edition.
41 volumes, updated by cumulative annual supplements.
Contains laws of a general and permanent nature.
Cited as U.S.C.
Commercial Annotated Versions
Because publication of new laws in the official U.S. Code is slow, several commercial publishers offer versions of the Code. In addition to being updated more quickly, these commercial versions also contain references to court opinions, law reviews, and other sources.
- U.S. Code Annotated [Westlaw]Current edition.
- U.S. Code Service [Lexis Advance]Current edition.
U.S. Code AnnotatedCall Number: Reference Area (KF62 1927 .W45)378 volumes, updated by annual pocket parts and quarterly pamphlets. Current edition.
Contains annotations to court opinions applying or interpreting the law and law review articles and other selected secondary sources.
Cited as U.S.C.A.
U.S. Code ServiceCall Number: Reference Area, current (KF62 1972 .L38); Compact Stacks, superseded volumes and pocket parts (KF62 1972 .L38)235 volumes, updated by annual pocket parts and legislative service.
Contains annotations to court opinions applying or interpreting the law, law review articles, selected administrative agency decisions, and other secondary sources. Includes federal court rules and selected international agreements and treaties.
Cited as U.S.C.S.
Indexes & Other Finding Tools
If you don't already have a citation to a title and section number of the U.S. Code, use an index, popular names table, or another source to find the relevant section of the Code.
The Law Library has three printed indexes to the Code located in the Reference Area:
- official U.S. Code, KF62
- U.S. Code Annotated, KF62 1927 .W45
- U.S. Code Service, KF62 1972 .L38
The Popular Name Table feature is organized by phrases generally used as the name of the a law, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act.
This tool provides:
- the public law number of the law
- its Statutes at Large citation
- the title number and section number where the law is found in the U.S. Code
Each of the three publishers of the printed U.S. Code also includes a Popular Name Table in their sets.
Historical Editions
Sometimes legal researchers need to see what the language of a law was at a particular point in the past and they turn to prior editions of the U.S. Code for that information.
- U.S. Code - Historical [Library of Congress]Prior editions of the official U.S. Code, from 1925 - 1988 supplement 5 (Jan. 1994).
- U.S. Code [HeinOnline]Covers editions and supplements 1925 to date.
- U.S. Code Annotated, Historical [Westlaw]Covers 1990 to date.
Related Guides & Links
- Federal Statutes: A Beginner's Guide [Law Library of Congress]A 2013 blog post describing publication of federal laws from slip laws, the U.S. Statutes at Large, and the U.S. Code. Provides links to free online sources.
- U.S. Statutes and the U.S. Code: Historical Outlines, Notes, Lists, Tables, and Sources [LLSDC]A collection of useful PDF documents for those interested in a high level of detail about the publication of federal laws.
- Detailed Guide to the U.S. Code Content and Features [Office of Law Revision Counsel]A guide for the serious researcher who wants to know just about everything about the U.S. Code from the staff who are responsible for integrating new public laws into the Code's existing structure.
- Positive Law Codification [Office of the Law Revision Counsel]"Positive law codification by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel is the process of preparing and enacting a codification bill to restate existing law as a positive law title of the United States Code." The positive law concept is one that rarely comes up but it is important for legal researchers to learn.
- The U.S. Code, Prima Facie Evidence, and Positive LawA 12-page article addressing the positive law issue in an understandable way. Written by former Gallagher Law Library reference librarian Mary Whisner.