Introduction to Basic Legal Citation - access-to-law home

Element (b) - So long as there are no more than three parties to the agreement, their names
(abbreviated) should be listed, set off by commas and separated by hyphens, following the
agreement's name.
Element (c) - When citing to a portion of the agreement, the cited subdivision, as
designated in the agreement, should be included directly following the treaty name and
parties, if listed.
§ 2-400. How to Cite Regulations, Other Agency and Executive Material
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Regulations and other agency material, particularly the output of state agencies, has become
dramatically more accessible as print distribution has been supplemented or supplanted by
online dissemination. Print compilations of agency regulations in even the largest states
tended to be expensive and hard to keep up-to-date, characteristics that confined them to large
law libraries. Now most agency material is accessible on the Internet, much of it from public,
non-fee sources. Many adjudicative agencies are also now placing their decisions at a public
Web site. Greater accessibility should lead to more citation of this category of primary
material.
The relevant citation principles follow; section 3-400 provides both basic examples and
samples from all major U.S. jurisdictions.
§ 2-410. Regulation Citations – Most Common Form [BB|ALWD]
Like statutes, agency regulations are cited to codifications if possible.
§ 2-410(1) Examples
– 20 C.F.R. § 404.260 (2012) or 20 C.F.R. § 404.110 (2012 through Apr. 1).
– 49 C.F.R. § 236.403 (2011) or 49 C.F.R. § 236.403 (2012 through Oct. 19).
[April 1, 2012 is the cutoff date of the print compilation of title 20, October 1, 2011,
the cutoff for title 49. The second version for title 49 is based on a more up-to-date
commercial or government online source.]
Principle 1: The core of a citation to a codified federal regulation consists of three elements:
Element (a) - The title number followed by a space and "C.F.R." (for "Code of Federal
Regulations")
Element (b) - The section number preceded by the section symbol and a space
Element (c) - The year of the most recent compilation of that title (Note that the print
editions of the different titles are compiled on a staggered schedule.) or a more precise
"through" date (in parentheses)
No punctuation separates these elements. Nothing is italicized or underlined.