Statutes are primary authority that have passed through the legislature, either at the federal or state level. They are signed into law by the chief executive, which is the president at the federal level, or the governor, at the state level. While statutes are passed in various forms, such as slip laws, codes are a worthwhile place to begin any research into a legal issue including statutes. Valid statutes are published in statutory codes and organized by subject. There are codes for federal statutes and for each state.

Federal Statutes:

United States Code: The United States Code contains the general and permanent laws of the United States, organized into titles based on subject matter. The Code currently consists of 54 titles and five appendices. 

United States Statutes at Large: The United States Statutes at Large is the collection of every law, public and private, ever enacted by Congress, published in order of the date of its passage. These laws are codified every six years in the United States Code, but the United States Statutes at Large remains the official source of legislation.

State Statutes:

State of Texas Statutes: Current statutes from the state of Texas can be searched by code, keyword, or date. 

Understanding statute citations:

A three-part citation format tells you where to find a statute in the code for your jurisdiction:

     Title Number                    Name of Code                    Section Number

                13                                    U.S.C.                                     §131

The above citation refers to the statute found in Title 13, of the United States Code, section 131.