Finding Statutes
"The Code"

All the public and permanent statutes currently in force are published in subject arrangements called "statutory codes". This is true for the various states and for the United States as a nation. 

• In Maryland, these collected laws, are called the "Annotated Code of Maryland." The word "annotated" refers to the fact that this version of the code includes case law notes after each section. How a bill becomes a law in Maryland.

• The Federal Laws are collected in three versions called the "United States Code," "The United States Code Annotated," and the "United States Code Service."

Finding the Code - Many Maryland libraries, both law libraries and general public libraries, subscribe to the Annotated Code of Maryland and at least one version of the United States Code. To find any specific statute in a code, you need a "citation". A citation is like a street address. It tells you how to find the code you are looking for. One way to get a citation is to read the explanations of the law here at the Peoples Law Library.

A citation to the Annotated Code of Maryland in one of those explanations might look something like this:

The Maryland Code is broken down into broad subject divisions called “articles.” Most of the articles in the Maryland Code now have names like “Real Property” (as shown in the diagram), but some have numbers instead.

• Using the print version - When you’re using a print version of the Maryland Code, the article name or number in a citation tells you to look at those volumes of the Code with that article name or number on the spine. You would then look within those volumes for the specific section number in the citation, in this case, “8-213.” 

• Using the on-line version - When you’re using the web version of the Code, you can just type in the article name or number and the section number as search terms.

Searching for Maryland Statutes When You Don’t Have a Citation

A citation to the United States Code might look something like this:

The United States Code is broken down into broad subject divisions called “titles.”  All titles of the United States Code are numbered, instead of named.

• Using the print version - When you’re using a print version of the United States Code, the title number in the citation tells you to look at those volumes of the Code with that title number on the spine. You would then look within those volumes for the specific section number in the citation, in this case “1381.” Be careful when you look for the title number on the volume spines, because the volumes also have volume numbers, which are different. One title may spread across several volumes.

• Using the on-line version - It is not recommended that you rely only on any free version of the United States Code that you might find on the web, because they may be out of date.

Searching for Maryland Statutes When You Don’t Have a Citation

Searching the United States Code When You Don’t Have a Citation