In legal writing, the § symbol means “section.” It points the reader to a specific numbered provision inside a statute or regulation, and it is the shorthand you will see in nearly every court filing, judicial opinion, and code citation. When you see § in a law citation, treat it as a signpost: the number right after it is the exact rule being referenced.1USPTO. How to Find Laws and Regulations
The Name and Purpose of the Symbol
The mark is commonly called a silcrow. Its job in modern legal writing is narrow and practical: it functions as a visual citation marker that identifies a specific section number within a code. That lets writers reference large bodies of law without spelling out the word “section” every time, and it keeps paper citations and digital database citations consistent with each other.
Some writers still spell out “section” instead of using the symbol, particularly when a sentence begins with the reference. Style preferences vary by court and publisher, so both forms are correct in the right setting.
Single § Versus Double §§
One symbol refers to one provision.1USPTO. How to Find Laws and Regulations Two symbols (§§) tell you the citation covers more than one section — for example, a range of sections running from 201 to 205, or a list of several non-consecutive sections grouped together. If you see §§, expect multiple numbers or a range to follow.
How to Read a Citation That Uses §
A federal statutory citation is built around the symbol in a predictable order. The number before the symbol is the Title, a broad subject category. The abbreviation for the code comes next. The number after § is the specific section inside that Title.1USPTO. How to Find Laws and Regulations
Take 18 U.S.C. § 111. The 18 is Title 18 of the United States Code. “U.S.C.” identifies the code. The 111 is the section inside Title 18, which covers assaults against federal officers.2Library of Congress. Federal Statutes: A Beginner’s Guide – Citations
Regulations follow the same logic. The Code of Federal Regulations is split into 50 titles by subject area, and each title steps down through smaller units:3GovInfo. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) – Section: The CFR is divided into 50 titles that represent broad areas subject to Federal regulation
- Titles
- Chapters
- Parts
- Sections
When a section is itself broken into smaller pieces, you will see letters or numbers in parentheses after the section number.1USPTO. How to Find Laws and Regulations Those parentheses mark the nested levels inside the section:
- Subsections
- Paragraphs
- Subparagraphs
- Clauses
Reading from left to right, each piece narrows the location. By the time you reach the last parenthesis, you are looking at the precise rule, condition, or penalty the writer wants you to find.
Don’t Confuse § With ¶
The paragraph symbol (¶) looks similar but does different work. § cites laws and regulations. ¶ is typically used to point to specific paragraphs in legal briefs and contracts, or for formatting. If a citation is referring to a statute or a regulation, you should see §, not ¶.
How to Type the § Symbol
On Windows, hold the Alt key and type 0167 on the numeric keypad. The symbol will appear in most desktop programs and web browsers.
On a Mac, press Option and 6 at the same time. Microsoft Word users can also insert the symbol from the Insert tab under Symbol, in the Special Characters menu, and set a custom shortcut there if they need to use it often.