Current Connecticut statutes and acts have a consistent form from one revision or session to the next. This was not always true and researching older information can be difficult. Below are a few tips for using historic Connecticut statutes and acts.
- How do I trace a statute to its origin?
- The official statutes include the history of public acts dating back to 1949.
- The annotated statutes, published by Thomson Reuters, include history notes dating back to 1902. The annotated statutes are available in print and through WestlawNext at the library.
- Prior to 1902, the statute revisions include notes in the margins that reference corresponding sections in the previous revisions. When you have reached a section with no margin notes, or only a public act in the margin notes, you have most likely reached the origin of the statute.
- How do I find a public act number from a supplement section number?
- The supplement volumes for the Connecticut statutes have tables in the back of the volume that show the public act number for each section of the supplement.
- I think I found an abbreviation. What does it mean?
- If you find an abbreviation that you are unsure of, check the front of the volume for useful notes or descriptions of abbreviations. If you are looking at a table, you can also look at the first page of the table for some descriptive information under the table title.
- My question isn't listed here. What can I do?
- These are a few frequently asked questions about archival statutes and acts. If your question is not addressed here, please ask a librarian for assistance.
- Be sure to always check the front of the volume for explanatory notes and the back of the volume for helpful tables or an index.
