How do I cite a law or statute in APA?

To cite a law or statute in APA (7th edition), include the author, title, date, and source location. Use our free citation generator for automatic formatting.

What is the APA format for a law or statute citation?

The APA format for a law or statute is: Name of Act, Title Source § Section (Year). URL

What does the in-text citation look like for a law or statute in APA?

In APA, the in-text citation for the example above is (Americans With Disabilities Act, 1990)

How to Cite a Law or Statute in APA (7th edition)

Learn how to cite acts of a legislature, statutes, and codified laws in APA format (7th edition). This guide includes the reference list format, in-text citation examples, and key formatting rules.

APA Reference List Format

Here is the standard APA format for citing a law or statute in your reference list:

Name of Act, Title Source § Section (Year). URL

APA Example for a Law or Statute

A complete APA reference for a law or statute, written by hand and checked against the official APA guidance for this source:

Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C. § 12101 et seq. (1990).

Matching in-text citation: (Americans With Disabilities Act, 1990)

APA In-Text Citation

Use one of these formats when referencing this source within your paper:

Parenthetical

(Americans With Disabilities Act, 1990)

Narrative

The Americans With Disabilities Act (1990) prohibits...

Key APA Formatting Rules

APA 7 (§11.5) follows Bluebook form for statutes: the act’s name, the title number, the code abbreviation, the section and the year in parentheses, with no author and no italics in the reference list.
Use et seq. after the first section when you cite the act as a whole, as APA’s own Americans With Disabilities Act example does; cite a single section without it.
Give the year of the code compilation you consulted, which can differ from the year in the act’s name; APA’s printed example happens to show 1990.
In text, use the act’s popular name and the year, and add a section with the § sign if you point to one provision, for example (Americans With Disabilities Act, 1990, § 12102).
A URL to an official source such as the U.S. Code site or Congress.gov is optional and goes at the end of the reference.

Step-by-Step Guide

Gather source information: Collect the author name, title, publication date, and URL or DOI for your law or statute.
Format the reference: Arrange the elements following the APA (7th edition) template shown above.
Create the in-text citation: Add a parenthetical or narrative citation in your paper where you reference this source.
Add to your reference list: Include the full formatted citation at the end of your paper.
Double-check formatting: Verify italics, punctuation, capitalization, and hanging indents match APA requirements.

Evidence and review notes

Worked examples on this page are written by hand from the style's own published guidance and checked against it, because the general CSL styles do not encode this source's rules. Editorial guidance and sources in this section were reviewed on 2026-08-14.

Metadata to collect

the act’s official short title, including its year
the code title number and section number
the year of the code edition you consulted
the public law number and Statutes at Large citation, or the UK chapter number
the official database or URL you used

Common metadata traps

A code citation such as 42 U.S.C. § 12101 points to a section, so check that the section you name is the one that contains the words you quote or paraphrase.
The year in a code citation belongs to the edition of the code, not to the year the act was passed, and the act’s own year is already in its name.
A statute is not a government report or a court decision: do not add an author or a court, and use the dedicated formats for reports and cases instead.

Editorial sources

APA Style — references →

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I cite a law or statute in APA?: To cite a law or statute in APA (7th edition), include the author, title, date, and source location. Use our free citation generator for automatic formatting.
What is the APA format for a law or statute citation?: The APA format for a law or statute is: Name of Act, Title Source § Section (Year). URL
What does the in-text citation look like for a law or statute in APA?: In APA, the in-text citation for the example above is (Americans With Disabilities Act, 1990)