About our answers
Common questions about PlainStatute
Straight answers about how the site works: whether it is legal advice, where the numbers come from, what the source labels mean, how current the pages are, and how to find your state.
- Is the information on PlainStatute legal advice?
- No. PlainStatute is a legal reference, not a law firm, and reading it creates no attorney-client relationship. Each page tells you what a state's statute says and links to the official text so you can confirm it. For how a rule applies to your own situation, talk to a licensed attorney in your state. See our full disclaimer.
- Where do the numbers come from?
- From primary sources only: a state's official statute, a disclosed public copy of that code when the official site blocks automated reading, a controlling federal statute, or governing case law. Aggregator and summary sites are never a source of record. The exact citation sits next to each fact and links to the source, so you can check it yourself. Our methodology walks through the full process.
- What do the "Confirmed", "Cited", and "Draft" labels mean?
- They tell you how strongly a figure is backed. Confirmed means we read the figure against the official statute text and recorded a review date. Cited means the citation and source are correct but the full text has not yet been matched word for word. Under editorial review means sources conflict and a person is resolving it. The label appears on every page, so you always know where a figure stands.
- Why does a page say "Cited" or "Draft" instead of "Confirmed"?
- Some state portals block automated reading. When that happens we confirm the figure across public copies of the code first and mark the page Cited until we read the official text verbatim. The number is still tied to a real statute, with the citation shown. Nothing is invented, and the label is honest about the stage the page is at.
- How current is the information?
- Each page shows the date it was last reviewed. Laws change, so we treat that review date as part of the answer and re-verify when we learn of a change. Before you rely on a figure, open the official source linked on the page to confirm it is still current.
- Is PlainStatute free to use?
- Yes. Every page is free to read. There is no account, no login, and no paywall, and you do not need to sign up to see a full answer.
- How do I find my state and my question?
- Three ways. Search from the box at the top of any page, browse by topic from all topics, or start from your state and see everything we cover for it on the browse by state page. Every answer is state by state, so you land on the exact page you searched for rather than a national overview.
- A page says "the law is silent" or "no state law." What does that mean?
- It means we read the state's code for that question and it sets no rule, so there is nothing to report as a figure. The page shows the chapter we read against, rather than guessing a number. Where a state sets no rule, a federal law or a local ordinance can still apply, which the page notes where relevant.
- Can I quote, cite, or embed a PlainStatute page?
- Yes. Our research pages carry a ready-made citation you can copy, and many pages offer an embeddable explainer. When you cite a figure, link to the official statute we cite as well, so your reader can confirm it at the source.
- I think a page is wrong. What should I do?
- Tell us on the contact page. We re-verify against the official source, correct the page if it is wrong, and update the review date. Because every figure is cited to a statute, an error is quick to check and quick to fix.
Want the longer version? See how each page is built in our methodology, the verification rules in our editorial standards, or start from your state on the browse by state page.