In legal writing, the section symbol in legal citations is the § character, a mark that tells the reader the number next to it identifies a specific section of a statute, code, or regulation. You’ll see it in criminal codes, tax codes, civil statutes, and administrative rules. A single § points to one section; a doubled §§ signals that the citation covers more than one.
What the Symbol Is Called
Formally, § is the “section sign” or “section mark.” An older typographic name, “silcrow,” still surfaces occasionally. Its design is thought to come from two stacked lowercase S’s, drawn from the Latin “signum sectionis,” meaning “mark of the section.” Whatever the name, the function is the same: it directs you to a numbered provision inside an organized body of law.
How To Read It in a Citation
A standard citation puts the code name first, then the symbol, then the number. “18 U.S.C. § 1341” means Title 18 of the United States Code, Section 1341. “Penal Code § 187” means Section 187 of the Penal Code. Look up that number in the cited code and you’ll find the exact rule being discussed.
When a citation refers to more than one section, the symbol doubles: §§. The sections can be consecutive, shown as a range with a dash (§§ 201–205), or scattered, separated by commas (§§ 1101, 1523). The numbers stay singular even though the symbol is doubled.
Formatting Rules That Matter
Legal citation follows conventions set out in the Bluebook, the citation manual used by courts, law reviews, and legal publishers. A few of its rules come up constantly with §.
Keep a non-breaking space between the symbol and the number. It looks like an ordinary space but prevents the § from ending up on one line while the number drops to the next. In most word processors, Ctrl+Shift+Space inserts one.
Never begin a sentence with §. If a section reference lands at the start of a sentence, spell out “Section” instead. Mid-sentence, the symbol is correct.
When you double the symbol, the two marks sit flush against each other, followed by a single non-breaking space before the first number.
Citing Subsections and Ranges
Statutes are usually layered into sections, subsections, paragraphs, and subparagraphs. A subsection reference follows the section number in parentheses, and you only need one § no matter how deep the subdivision goes. “26 U.S.C. § 401(a)(1)” points to paragraph (1) of subsection (a) of Section 401 in Title 26.
For multiple non-consecutive sections in the same title, use §§ with commas: “8 U.S.C. §§ 1101, 1523.” For a continuous span, use a dash: “§§ 201–205.”
Do Citation Typos Get Cases Thrown Out?
Almost never. Under the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, a citation error or omission in an indictment is not grounds for dismissal or reversal of a conviction unless the defendant was actually misled and suffered real prejudice as a result.1Legal Information Institute. Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure Rule 7 – The Indictment and the Information Courts focus on substance, not formatting. A sloppy citation can still waste a judge’s time and send a clerk hunting for the wrong statute, but a misplaced digit does not trigger automatic dismissal.
How To Type the Section Symbol
The § character isn’t on a standard keyboard. How you produce it depends on your device.
- Windows: hold Alt and type 0167 on the numeric keypad, then release Alt.
- Mac: press Option and 6 together.2Drake University Law Library. Microsoft Office Shortcuts and Tips – Section Symbol
- Word processors: open the “Insert Symbol” or “Special Characters” menu and search for “section.”
- HTML: use the entity
§or the numeric code§.