Statute Search
Search 2.7 million statute sections from 66 jurisdictions: every US state, the District of Columbia, the US Code and the Code of Federal Regulations, Canada, the United Kingdom, the European Union and every Australian state and territory, each retrieved from its official source. Type a citation (“18 USC 2511”, “Penal Code 632”) or describe what you are looking for. Every result shows whether the section is in force, the date our copy speaks as of, and where to read it in full.
What This Searches
The index covers the codified statutes of all 50 states and the District of Columbia, the complete United States Code, the Code of Federal Regulations, every consolidated federal Act of Canada plus the statutes of British Columbia and Ontario, the United Kingdom statute book (Acts and statutory instruments, from legislation.gov.uk), core European Union instruments from EUR-Lex, the principal Commonwealth Acts of Australia from the Federal Register of Legislation, and the principal Acts of every Australian state and territory: 66 jurisdictions in one search. Every section was retrieved from the jurisdiction's official publisher, and each result links back to that official source. Canadian federal Acts are held in both English and French, exactly as Parliament enacts them. Sections that have been repealed, recodified, or reserved are labeled rather than hidden, because knowing a law is dead is as important as finding a live one.
A few states publish their codes only through commercial platforms. For Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee our record comes from an older official bulk release (2020 to 2021), and every result from those states is flagged as an older snapshot with its as-of date, because those sections may have been amended since. Where a section backs one of our articles, the result links the article too — that is where we explain what the law means in practice.
How to Search Statutes Well
If you know the citation, type it: “18 USC 2511”, “45 CFR 164.502”, “Cal. Penal Code 632”, “RCW 9.73.030” or just the section number with the state chosen from the list. Exact matches appear first, then sections that mention the same words.
Statutes rarely use everyday words. A law about recording phone calls says “intercept a wire, oral, or electronic communication”; a law about revenge porn says “nonconsensual dissemination of a private image.” For common everyday phrases the search also tries the legal wording for you and says so above the results; if a phrase still comes up empty, try the formal term of art, or start from one of our articles — every article's “The Law Behind This Article” section names the exact provisions and links back here. Quoted phrases (“security deposit”) match exactly; multiple words match sections containing all of them; OR between words broadens the search. Narrowing to one jurisdiction sharpens results dramatically, and the “hide repealed” box removes sections that are no longer in force.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does the statute text come from?
Every section is retrieved from the official publisher for that jurisdiction: state legislature websites, uscode.house.gov for the US Code, the eCFR for federal regulations, and Justice Canada’s official consolidated XML for Canadian federal Acts (reproduced under the Reproduction of Federal Law Order, SI/97-5 — not an official version). Each result links the official source, and for a small number of states whose codes are published only through commercial platforms, our record is built from the most recent official bulk release and labeled with its as-of date.
Is this the current version of the law?
Each section carries the date its text speaks as of, shown on every result. Most jurisdictions were checked against the official source within the last few months. Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee come from older 2020 to 2021 bulk releases and are flagged as older snapshots. Statutes change: always confirm at the official source linked with every result before relying on a section.
What does Repealed, Moved or Reserved mean?
Repealed means a legislature removed the section and it is no longer law, though it can still matter for events that happened while it was in force. Moved (recodified) means its text now lives under a different section number, which we link where the official record names it. Reserved means the number is a placeholder with no law in force. We list these sections rather than hide them, because knowing a law is gone matters as much as finding a live one. Tick the hide-repealed box to leave them out.
Why can I only see an excerpt of the section?
Search results show the matching passage in context. The full, authoritative text lives at the official government source linked on every result, which is also where you should read a section before relying on it.
Can I search cases or regulations too?
Federal regulations (the CFR) are included. Court opinions have their own search, Case Lookup, in our legal tools. When courts have applied a section, its view here shows how often and names the leading cases.
Is this legal advice?
No. This is a research tool over the text of the law. What a statute means for your situation depends on facts, case law, and context a search cannot assess. Consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction.
This tool searches Recording Law's own record of statutory law, built from official sources. To search court opinions, use Case Lookup. It is general legal information, not legal advice. Statutory text can change at any time; the official source linked with each result is authoritative. RecordingLaw.com is not a law firm and is not affiliated with any government body.
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