Legal Research Process

50 state surveys compile citations to statutes across states on a particular subject, eliminating the need to search each state’s laws individually. Conducting a multistate survey of state laws can be time-consuming, in part because state codes often do not use the same terminology for similar issues. These surveys often include state-by-state analysis tables to facilitate comparisons. If you find a survey on point, then most of your work should be double checking its currency.

NB: There are also 50 state surveys of regulations available on Lexis and Westlaw.

You may need a 50 state survey to persuade a court to your client's side by demonstrating a legal consensus on an issue. A survey can also help deepen your understanding of the law in your own jurisdiction.

Useful sources include:

• Bloomberg Law
  • Chart Builders (a kind of custom DIY 50 State Survey) can be found under:
    • Practice Tools
    • Practice Centers (which exist for selected topics such as Labor & Employment)
  • State and Local Charts: found within Practice Centers 
• Lexis > LexisNexis 50-State Surveys, Legislation & Regulations (login required) (start typing in main search box and auto-recognition will bring up database to select)
• LawAtlas: The Policy Surveillance Portal: focused on public health topics
• National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL)
• National Survey of State Laws
  • Online:
    • HeinOnline (9th ed.; more up to date than print as of 8/18/22)
      • HeinOnline Libguide for its database
  • Print: Reference: KF 386 N38 2019 (8th ed.) (NB: not updated until new edition)
• Subject Compilations of State Laws:
  • Reference: KF 1 S92
  • HeinOnline
    • HeinOnline Libguide to its database
• Uniform Law Commission (ULC): aims to bring uniformity to state laws by proposing model legislation (previously known as National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws)
  • Print: Uniform Laws Annotated
  • Online: Westlaw
• Westlaw
  • 50 State Surveys: Statutory and Regulatory
    • Editorially curated
    • Updated twice a year
  • Jurisdictional Surveys: (no access as of 10/16/24)
    • Users create customized statutory surveys on topics not otherwise covered, using Index Tags rather than their own search terms. 
    • Access two ways:
      • From within individual state statute section (look for tag icon to click toward upper right)
      • Bring up the database directly from main search box
    • Coverage is for federal statutes and regs and state statutes; not state regs.
  • Practical Law: Quick Compare
    • Customizable
    • Can set up alert to be notified of changes to chart
• Also, check different advocacy groups' websites. For a listing of organizations and their websites, see The Encyclopedia of Associations at UT Libraries.

If you cannot find a survey, one alternative is to look at Westlaw, Statutes > Topical that shows the major titles involved state by state for a given area of law. This helps narrow it down somewhat. For more ideas, check out Harvard Law Library's Comparing State Laws and Constitutions guide.

A related topic is researching initiative and referendum laws in the mainly Western states that allow law by popular vote. For guides to the different states, see Legal Reference Services Quarterly's volume 26, issues 3-4 (2008). For California, see Daniel W. Martin, Henke’s California Law Guide, chapter 5.

Occasionally researchers seek to compare state constitutions. One series that may be helpful is Reference Guides to the State Constitutions of the United States. 

General Strengths:

• Efficiency. Save time by searching all 50 states at once.
• Even if there is no specific need for a 50 state survey, it can be useful to look at one that is on point to better understand nuances within your own jurisdiction.

General Weaknesses:

• There is no guarantee that a survey exists on the topic you need.
• These surveys are just a starting point; statutory citations still need to be verified and possibly updated.

Strengths and Weaknesses by Source:

• Lexis and Westlaw: Both have fairly extensive 50 state surveys on a wide variety of legal topics. 
  • Easiest place to double check currency of statutory citations.
  • Make sure you understand cost of accessing it under your workplace's contract. 
  • Westlaw has additional feature of Jurisdictional Surveys, but results appear to be algorithmically generated, rather human editors.
• National Survey of State Laws: National Survey does not have the depth of coverage of Subject Compilations, but if you are dealing with a major topic like capital punishment, minimum wages, or child custody, you will probably find the answer faster in National Survey.
• Subject Compilations of State Laws: Each annual volume is organized by topic, and lists books, law reviews, websites, and other documents that contain a 50 state survey on some topic. This source can often be helpful because of its broad coverage. Use HeinOnline as new print volumes do not cumulate. (Print requires researchers to consult volumes in reverse chronological order to find all of the relevant listings for a single topic.)
• National Conference of State Legislators: Sometimes you can find 50 state survey information on the free web and this is one of those places. This is a good place to go to find emerging topics that have recently been addressed or are in the process of being addressed by state legislatures. NCSL contains links to 50 state surveys on a wide array of topics. However, you should check the revised date for these surveys because some may not have been updated for some time.
• Uniform Law Commission (ULC): Limited to uniform laws, which may or may not have been adopted in a given state.