U.S. Code

In legal and other government documents, you may see U.S. laws or rules annotated this way:

  • 42 U.S.C. § 15841
  • 31 U.S.C. § 5302
  • 15 U.S.C. § 1638a

While this is the official way in legal and official matters to notate the U.S. Code, we will use a plain language version.

First, let’s translate this means: 42 U.S.C. § 15841.

  • 42 is the Title.
  • U.S.C. stands for U.S. Code.
  • § means Section.
  • 15841 is the Section number.
  • And the section is titled Energy Efficient Appliances.

OAJ suggests writing 42 U.S.C. § 15841 as the Energy Efficient Appliances rule, found in U.S. Code Title 42, Section 15841.

This is for accessibility and clarity purposes. This is easier for more people to understand and the § section symbol used is not read by screen readers. Example:

  • Under the Energy Efficient Appliances rule, public housing units are required to have Energy Star appliances unless the purchase is not cost-effective to the agency. The Energy Efficient Appliance rule is found in U.S. Code Title 42, Section 15841.

On subsequent references, referring to the rule, bill, or law by title or section number is fine, whichever is easier for readers to remember.

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