Tips for Searching Electronic Versions of Codes

Keyword searching can oftentimes yield too many results and cause you to spend time looking at irrelevant results.  If you are getting too many results with keywords, try these tips.

 Agency Websites
Many of the agencies responsible for promulgating regulations will have the current text of the authorizing statue. At the agency website, you may also find reference to both the public law sections and the corresponding section in the USC.

Three suggestions for finding the laws on the agency’s website

• Google - Put in popular name of the law and from your results look for .gov sites. Or use the advance feature of Google and limit to .gov sites
• Federal Agencies
  Well-maintained list of the Federal Agencies. Once at the agency site, look for a link to Laws/Regulations
• Selected Legal Sources by Subject
  Environmental Law
  Links to popular Environmental agencies, environmental resources and environmental law sites

Popular Names
Most often you will know the short title or popular name of a law.  Use this method to lead you to the correct citation.

• Use the Table of Popular Names feature at Cornell
• Use Fedlaw
  Names of many laws arranged in a topical, alphabetical, subject category index
• Use the Popular name feature at Office of Law Revision Council version of the code to get the correct citation
  example in the box Search Words type
   “table of popular names” and “national environmental policy”
• Use the Popular Name feature in U.S. Code at GPO
  example:  ‘popular name’ and  brady 
  (gives mixed results)