Citation Guides · Delaware
How to Cite Delaware Statutes
Delaware statutes are cited in a fixed format that identifies the code and section. The pattern below is the standard Bluebook form used in briefs, memos, and academic writing; always check the local court rules for jurisdiction-specific variations.
The format
Del. Code Ann. tit. xx, § xxxx (year)
Del. Code Ann. tit. 10, § 8119
The pieces, in order
- Code name. Delaware's compiled statutes are cited as shown in the pattern above. The abbreviation is fixed; do not improvise (Del. Code Ann. tit. 10, § 8119 is the accepted form).
- Section number. The § symbol plus the section as Delaware numbers it. Copy the punctuation exactly: hyphens, periods, and colons are part of the number.
- Parenthetical. Academic Bluebook style adds the code edition year in parentheses. Practitioner filings commonly omit it, and courts accept the bare cite.
Delaware conventions to know
Delaware citations include the title number before the section: title 10, section 8119 is written Del. Code Ann. tit. 10, § 8119, never Del. Code Ann. § 10-8119.
Common mistakes
- Improvising the code abbreviation. Style manuals fix the form shown above; variants like "Delaware Code Ann." spelled differently are flagged by citation checkers and editors.
- Dropping or altering the internal punctuation of the section number. The hyphens, colons, and periods encode the code's structure.
- Citing a repealed or renumbered section. Codes are recompiled continuously; verify the section is current before filing.
Citing Delaware court cases
Delaware appellate decisions appear in the Atlantic Reporter (currently A.3d), the regional reporter covering Delaware. Because the regional reporter spans multiple states, the court parenthetical must identify the court: a decision of the state's highest court is cited (Del. [year]). Some Delaware courts also have official or public-domain citation formats; check the court's rules for whether a parallel citation is required.
Check your citations against real law
CiteLaw's AI Navigator verifies Delaware citations against a corpus of real cases, statutes, rules, and regulations: it confirms the authority exists, the format is right, and the law is still good. General chatbots can invent citations; CiteLaw checks them.
More citation guides
Formats follow standard Bluebook conventions. Individual courts may impose their own citation rules; always check the local rules of the court you are filing in. CiteLaw provides legal information, not legal advice.