The United States Code

The United States Code arranges the general and permanent federal laws by subject into titles. For example, Title 11 covers bankruptcy, Title 26 holds the Internal Revenue Code and Title 28 covers the federal courts.

First, choose a title. Next, open a chapter to see its sections. Then read the section itself. Each section page shows the statutory text, its source credit in the Statutes at Large, and a link to the official notes.

The text here comes from the official edition published by the U.S. Government Publishing Office. However, Congress amends the Code often. So check the current version at the Office of the Law Revision Counsel before you rely on any section.

Finally, a statute is only part of the picture. Regulations, court decisions and state law can also apply, and our Research Center explains how to check each one.