The precise format of a statutory citation depends on a number of factors. You should review the rest of this section on citing statutes (and the relevant rules in The Bluebook) before trying to format a statutory citation for the first time. However, the basic format of a statutory citation is as follows:
Rule 12 (and Rule B12 in the Bluepages) governs how to cite statutes. It contains extensive instructions on how to format statutory citations, and it also provides guidance on citing municipal ordinances, rules of evidence and procedure, and uniform and model laws.
In addition to Rule 12, you will need to consult Table 1 in order to format a citation to a statute. Table 1 provides a list of statutory codes and abbreviations for federal statutes and state statutes as well as the preferred statutory code to cite for federal statutes and each state's statutes.
A statutory code is compilation of laws enacted by a legislative body that are currently in force and organized by subject. Statutory codes exist in order to make it easier for individuals to find what the current law is on a given topic, such as criminal law. There is a statutory code containing federal statutes (enacted by Congress) and a statutory code for each state's statutes (enacted by the state legislature). Similar to case reporters, there are official codes and unofficial codes.
In general, The Bluebook requires that you cite to the current official statutory code when you cite a statute currently in force. Rule 12 explains situations in which you would cite other sources, including unofficial codes.
For more information on statutory codes and the publication of statutes, watch What Statutes Are and Where They Are Published in our Statutory Research Tutorial (on the right).
Includes videos covering topics "What are Statutes and Where to Find Them," "Anatomy of a Code," "Finding Statutes Online," "Finding Statutes Using Print," and "Updating and Currency."