How to Cite the API

Why cite API responses?

The Federal & State Law API surfaces public-domain U.S. legal materials — statutes, regulations, court opinions, and legislative bills. While no copyright attaches to most government works, citation still matters: it lets your readers (or your data pipeline's downstream consumers) verify that the value you quote matches the authoritative upstream source at the time of retrieval.

Every API response includes a meta block that carries the canonical upstream URL (meta.source), the applicable license (meta.license), and the last-updated date (meta.last_updated). Our citation recommendations below are built around those fields so your attribution is always traceable.

License

Our editorial summaries, glossary definitions, and comparison content are released under CC0 1.0 Universal (public-domain dedication). Federal statutes, federal regulations, federal court opinions, and most state-government works are not subject to copyright under 17 U.S.C. § 105 and parallel state law. No permission is required to use this content; attribution is recommended for traceability.

What to include in a citation

When you cite a value retrieved from our API, include:

• The full endpoint URL with query parameters (e.g., https://federalstatelaw.com/api/v1/statutes?jurisdiction=ca&topic=tenant)
• The retrieval timestamp in ISO 8601 format with timezone (e.g., 2026-06-08T14:32:00Z)
• The canonical upstream source in meta.source (e.g., a Cornell LII section URL, an eCFR section URL, or a CourtListener opinion URL)
• The license in meta.license (typically CC0 for our editorial content or public-domain for government works)
• Where present, the “as of” date in meta.last_updated

Recommended general citation

Federal & State Law API, [endpoint URL with query params],
retrieved [ISO timestamp], upstream source: [meta.source URL],
license: CC0.

Citation examples by audience

Academic — Bluebook 21st ed. (legal)

Federal & State Law API, /api/v1/statutes?jurisdiction=ca&topic=tenant,
https://federalstatelaw.com/api/v1/statutes?jurisdiction=ca&topic=tenant
(retrieved June 8, 2026); upstream: Cornell LII, 42 U.S.C. § 1983,
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/42/1983.

Academic — ALWD Guide to Legal Citation

Federal & State Law API, /api/v1/statutes?jurisdiction=ca&topic=tenant
(https://federalstatelaw.com/api/v1/statutes?jurisdiction=ca&topic=tenant)
(accessed June 8, 2026); upstream source: meta.source field of response.

APA 7th edition (journalism / social science)

Federal & State Law. (2026). [Result title from response].
Federal & State Law API.
Retrieved June 8, 2026, from
https://federalstatelaw.com/api/v1/statutes?jurisdiction=ca&topic=tenant

BibTeX

@misc{fsl_api_2026,
  author       = {{Federal & State Law}},
  title        = {Federal & State Law API — statutes endpoint},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {REST API},
  url          = {https://federalstatelaw.com/api/v1/statutes?jurisdiction=ca&topic=tenant},
  note         = {Retrieved 2026-06-08T14:32:00Z; upstream: meta.source field; license: CC0}
}

EndNote / RIS

TY  - ELEC
AU  - Federal & State Law
TI  - Federal & State Law API — statutes endpoint
UR  - https://federalstatelaw.com/api/v1/statutes?jurisdiction=ca&topic=tenant
Y2  - 2026/06/08
N1  - Retrieved 2026-06-08T14:32:00Z; upstream: meta.source; license: CC0
ER  -

Citing bulk dataset retrievals

When you retrieve a bulk listing — for example, all California statutes matching a topic — cite the bulk endpoint URL plus query parameters plus retrieval timestamp as a single source. Do notattribute individual statute texts to us; for each item, the authoritative citation is the upstream source in that item's meta.source field. Our editorial summary of each item is a separate, separately licensed work.

Citing in software and SDK code

If you store API-retrieved values in a database or data pipeline, persist the retrieval timestamp and full endpoint URL alongside each value — not just the content. This lets downstream consumers re-verify currency against the upstream source and lets you detect when a value needs refreshing after a meta.last_updated change.

Rate limits and acceptable use

The API is free and requires no authentication. Rate limit is 100 requests per minute; requests exceeding this return HTTP 429. See the full API reference and the machine-readable spec at /api/openapi.json for all endpoints, parameters, and response shapes.

Related

• API reference — full endpoint documentation
• /api/openapi.json — machine-readable OpenAPI 3.1 spec
• Citation methodology — broader citation conventions for site pages
• Data sources — upstream sources we draw from
• How to cite law — Bluebook/ALWD basics for legal citations
• Disclaimer — legal disclaimer