5.11 California Codes

The California Codes is a "wall full" of books containing the cumulative law derived from legislation since California became a State. The codes are divided by subject matter. Each subject matter is referred to as a code. There are 29 subject matter categories (or "codes"). The following information is derived from the "README." document originating at leginfo.public.ca.gov.

The California Codes are a comprehensive collection of laws grouped by subject matter. There are twenty-nine separate Codes that are organized by headings and section numbers. Related text of sections make up each Code. 5.11.1 How is the Information Organized? California Codes are contained in the code directory accessible using the URL:

ftp://leginfo.public.ca.gov/pub/code/

Following is a list of the twenty-nine California Codes and the directories in which they appear (the three-letter reference at the far right is the common abbreviation for a code):


Indexes to Codes              /pub/code

Business and Professions Code /pub/code/bpc
Civil Code                    /pub/code/civ
Code of Civil Procedure       /pub/code/ccp
Commercial Code               /pub/code/com
Corporations Code             /pub/code/corp
Education Code                /pub/code/edc
Elections Code                /pub/code/elec
Evidence Code                 /pub/code/evid
Family Code                   /pub/code/fam
Financial Code                /pub/code/fin
Fish and Game Code            /pub/code/fgc
Food and Agricultural Code    /pub/code/fac
Government Code               /pub/code/gov
Harbors and Navigation Code   /pub/code/hnc
Health and Safety Code        /pub/code/hsc
Insurance Code                /pub/code/ins
Labor Code                    /pub/code/lab
Military and Veterans Code    /pub/code/mvc
Penal Code                    /pub/code/pen
Probate Code                  /pub/code/prob
Public Contract Code          /pub/code/pcc
Public Resources Code         /pub/code/prc
Public Utilities Code         /pub/code/puc
Revenue and Taxation Code     /pub/code/rtc
Streets and Highways          /pub/code/shc
Unemployment Insurance Code   /pub/code/uic
Vehicle Code                  /pub/code/veh
Water Code                    /pub/code/wat
Welfare and Institution Code  /pub/code/wic

In addition to the above 29 sub-directories, the code directory also contains 29 files. These files contain a table of contents for each Code. The table of contents provides headings and corresponding Code section numbers for each of the California Codes. The 29 code sub-directories have two levels of sub-directories below them. The first level is grouped into numerical ranges of 1000 Code section numbers, and the second level into numerical ranges of 100 Code section numbers. The following lists the sub-directories and files contained in the code directory:

/pub
  /code
    /civ                        Civil Code
    civ_table_of_contents       Civil Code Table of Contents
      /00001-01000              Range of 1000 Code Sections
      etc.
        /00001-00100            Range of 100 Code Sections
        etc.
          523                   Code Section/whole number
          5241#2                Code Section/fraction

Since there are many Code sections contained in a single Code, the additional levels of sub-directories enable you to more readily retrieve a specific Code section. The second level sub-directories (range of 100 Code sections) point to the files of Code section text. The file names are the Code section numbers. The names may include whole numbers and fractions. Filenames that include a fraction display a '#' sign in place of the '/'. For example: Civil Code Section 524 1/2 will appear as 5241#2. 6.2 How do I Retrieve Specific Code Sections?

Accessing Documents

WWW

Point your WWW Client to URL: http://www.sen.ca.gov/
Select: "Browse our Document Archives"
Then Select "California Codes (LCB)"

Gopher

"Point" your Gopher to: gopher.sen.ca.gov

If your Gopher does not have an option to point it to particular domain references, then locate the gopher menu option Gopher Jewels (Nearly every Gopher is set up to reference "Gopher Jewels"by some means). Then follow the gopher menus via Government/ and State Government/ to California Legislature Gopher.

From the Senate Root Menu,

Select: Access bill text, analyses, codes, etc./
Then Select: Access bill text, analyses, codes, etc. by name/
Then Select: The California Code (at leginfo.public.ca.gov)

E-Mail

Send Mail To: ftpmail@leginfo.public.ca.gov       
     Subject: doesn't matter 
        Text: connect      
    cd <reference to directory>
    get <reference to section and fraction>

    EXAMPLE: (Get Public Code Section 530)

Send Mail To: ftpmail@leginfo.public.ca.gov       
     Subject: doesn't matter 
        Text: connect      
    cd pub/code/civ/00001-01000/00501-00600 
    get 530 
    quit

    EXAMPLE: (Get Education Code Section 52350)

 Send Mail To: ftpmail@leginfo.public.ca.gov       
     Subject: doesn't matter 
        Text: connect      
    cd pub/code/edc/52001-53000/52301-53400
    get 52350 
    quit

    EXAMPLE: (Get Tabale of Contents for the Vehicle Code)

 Send Mail To: ftpmail@leginfo.public.ca.gov       
     Subject: doesn't matter 
        Text: connect      
    cd pub/code
    get veh_table_of_contents 
    quit

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