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The United States Code Online – Downloadable XML Files and More

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The following is a guest post by Rob Sukol, Deputy Law Revision Counsel, U.S. House of Representatives.

Since 1927, the United States Code has been the official codification of Federal statutory law. The Code contains the general and permanent laws of the United States, organized into titles based on subject matter. The printed and online versions of the United States Code are prepared by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel (OLRC), which is an independent, nonpolitical office in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Recent enhancements to the OLRC’s site enable users to download the United States Code in a variety of formats and to search and browse the Code online with sophisticated new features.

Downloadable Files [XML] [XHTML] [PCC] [PDF]

Through the Downloads page, individual titles of the United States Code may be downloaded, or the entire Code may be downloaded at once. The available formats are XML, XHTML, PCC, and PDF. The XML files are produced using the USLM Schema, which is available for download with an accompanying stylesheet. For developers, a detailed User Guide for the schema is also provided.

Search and Browse

The Advanced Search Options page provides easy-to-use, sophisticated tools for legal researchers. Searches may be conducted in current or previous editions of the Code. Search parameters may be limited to particular areas (e.g., certain titles or chapters) or limited to particular fields (e.g., amendment notes). A tool for automated cross reference searching is also provided.

Comments (2)

  1. Thank you for making this precious information available to us in several formats. This ability to download all of this for our own personal library is truly a much appreciated gift. Keep up the excellent work.

  2. An excellent example of leadership and vision backed by strong technical competency. I can only hope that our territorial, state and local governments will take heed and follow suit.

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