Historical United States Code Now Available Online

The Library of Congress is making available the collection of historical volumes of the United States Code, both main volumes and supplements. The earliest volume was published in 1926 and covers the laws which were in force as of December 7, 1925. The collection continues through the supplements to the 1988 edition.

The United States Code is a compilation of the general and permanent laws of the United States, arranged by subject. Prior to the first edition’s publication, the only codification of laws was in the Revised Statutes of the United States. The second edition was published 1934 and thereafter main editions have been published every six years with annual cumulative supplements in between.

The collection is both searchable and browseable. To browse the collection, begin at http://www.loc.gov/law/help/us-code.php and click on the year for the edition of the code. From there, select the title, and then sort the results set or narrow the search by using the facets on the left-hand side. Full-text searching of the collection is also available via the search platform, and the results can then be narrowed by facets as well.

This collection is made possible through an agreement with William S. Hein & Co., Inc. The agreement precludes bulk downloading and commercial reuse.  This collection joins the Federal Register on the website of U.S. public domain materials now freely accessible. The U.S. Reports and Code of Federal Regulations will join them in 2018. Please check our digital projects webpage for the current status and for new links when they become available.