How to Cite Legislation

A law passed by a legislature, or a section of a code.

What You'll Need

Act/Statute Name
Short title
Legislative Body
Jurisdiction
Code
Title/Volume
Section
Date Enacted

Cite the public law number for U.S. federal laws, or the statute citation (e.g., U.S.C. section). Include the enactment date for recent legislation.

Example Citations

APA 7th edition
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C. ยง 12101 et seq. (1990).
In-text (Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 1990)
MLA 9th edition
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. U.S.C., vol. 42, 26 July 1990.
In-text (Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990)
Chicago 18th edition (notes and bibliography)
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C. ยง 12101 et seq. (1990).
Footnote Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C. ยง 12101 et seq. (1990).

Harvard (Cite Them Right 12th edition). Our Cite Them Right Harvard prints cases, legislation, bills, regulations and treaties without their citation numbers, so this guide shows no Harvard example. Add the numbers by hand, or use a legal style for legal work. What to check by hand

IEEE
[1]
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, vol. 42. 1990.
In-text [1]

Numbered by order of appearance in your document.

Vancouver
1.
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. U.S.C. Sect. 12101 et seq. Jul 26, 1990.
In-text (1)

Numbered by order of appearance in your document.

Other Source Types

Website Book Journal Article Newspaper Article Book Chapter Thesis/Dissertation Report Video Podcast/Broadcast Magazine Article Software Dataset Patent Legal Case Bill Regulation Hearing Standard Treaty Conference Paper Manuscript Review Book Review Classic Work Reference Entry Dictionary Entry Encyclopedia Entry Periodical Collection Interview Speech Song Musical Score Graphic Figure Map Performance Event Pamphlet Preprint Document Post Blog Post Personal Communication Generative AI