The United States Code (U.S.C.) is divided into Titles. Each Title deals with a specific subject. Titles are divided into Sections. You will need both the Title and the Section to do your research.
(Title)_____________U.S.C.(Section)_________________
You'll need to determine the Public Law Number of the code section you're researching. The Public Law Number is made of 2 numbers: The first number indicates the chronological number of the Congress during which the bill was enacted. The number after the dash (-) is the number assigned to the bill upon its passage. For example, P.L. 107-67 is the sixty-seventh bill passed during the 107th Congress.
You can find the Public Law Number with several different resources.
1. Databases - Check the United States Code Annotated in our Lexis or Westlaw databases, simply search for the code section you wish to research. Read the legislative history notes to find the original Public Law number (P.L.) and any amendments listed underneath that P.L. number.
2. Electronic resources - There are several.
The Legal Information Institute provides free access. The Public Law Number is listed in parentheses after the text of the code section.
The House of Representatives provides free access to the US Code as well.
Public Law Number __________________________
You may know the bill by its popular name, for example “Americans With Disabilities Act.” In that case, you can use one of these websites to discover the code section and public law number:
The Legal Information Institute Table of Popular Names
The Office of the Law Revision Counsel Popular Name Tool
Popular Name_____________________________
Public Law No._________________