To search for a public law number in U.S. Statutes at Large, use the Public Law Number option in the Advanced Search option at the top of the page.
Public Law Numbers may be listed in three different formats, depending upon the date the public law was passed. Next, we’ll explore how to properly search based of the different formats.
1st-56th Congress
Laws passed during the 1st-56th Congress were identified using chapter numbers and the session of congress.
Example: Chapter 5, 2 Congress
57th-84th Congress
Laws passed during the 57th-84th Congress were assigned public law numbers, and were identified using the chapter number/session of congress and the public law number. When searching for a public law number during this time, you can search by the Public Law Number or by the Chapter/Congress.
Example: Public Law 62-5/Chapter 5, 62 Congress
Within the Advanced Search option, you can use any of these options:
85th Congress to Current
Laws passed from the 85th Congress and forward have been identified using only public law numbers.
Example: Public Law 105-26
