Citation Guides
How to Cite Federal Statutes (U.S. Code)
Federal statutes are cited to the United States Code by title and section. The title number comes first, then the code abbreviation, then the section.
The format
[title] U.S.C. § [section] ([year])
42 U.S.C. § 1983
The pieces, in order
- Title. The subject-matter title of the Code: title 42 covers public health and civil rights, title 18 covers crimes, title 11 covers bankruptcy.
- U.S.C.. The official United States Code. U.S.C.A. (West) and U.S.C.S. (LexisNexis) are the commercial annotated editions; cite the official U.S.C. unless you are relying on annotated material.
- Section. The § symbol plus the section number: § 1983. Multiple sections use §§: 42 U.S.C. §§ 2000e to 2000e-17.
- Year. Academic Bluebook style includes the code edition year in parentheses; practitioner documents commonly omit it, and most courts accept the cite without it.
Common mistakes
- Writing the section before the title. It is 42 U.S.C. § 1983, never § 1983 of 42 U.S.C.
- Citing a public law number (Pub. L. No. 111-148) when the codified section is what you rely on. Session laws are for statutes as enacted; the U.S.C. cite is for the law in force.
- Omitting the space between § and the number.
- Citing the popular name alone. "The ADA" is not a citation; give 42 U.S.C. § 12101 at first reference.
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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.