Research

Legal Research in California

Looking for more information about various laws in California? Try these great resources. Also, see our legal basics for how to use these resources.

Sites with more detailed discussion of California law:

SmartLaw.org (by Los Angeles County Bar Association)

California State Bar

LawHelpCA.org

Federal, State, and Local Codes

Codes are collections of laws passed by a body of lawmakers, such as Congress, the state legislature, and the city council.

Codes

Federal law:

State law:

Local law:

Rules and Regulations

Rules and regulations are “laws” enacted by agencies within the executive branch at every level – federal, state, and local. These are created to implement and enforce laws already passed by the legislative branch.

Federal: Code of Federal Regulations

State: California Code of Regulations

Case law research

We are also subject to decisions made by courts and judges, which form the basis of “case law.” You can search for federal and state case law for free via Leagle.com, and some California case law via LexisNexis

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