Primary resources contain laws, orders, decisions, or regulations issued by a governmental entity or official, such as a court, legislature, or executive agency.
As your research advances, you may wish to examine the primary sources of law (i.e., federal statutes and regulations) that control federal civil service employment. Examples of important legislation, below, are organized under the appropriate U.S. Code title. These lists include links to resources where you will be able to find the full text of these laws. The second tab provides information about accessing federal regulations pertaining to federal civil service law.
The following are examples of statutes and regulations governing federal civil service employment and a list of sources where you can access these statutes and regulations. For all statutes and regulations on the topic, you should consult the U.S. Code and the Code of Federal Regulations.
Most civil service employment-related statutes are found in Titles 5, 29, 38, and 42 of the United States Code (U.S.C.). Examples of pertinent legislation include:
Title 5 – Government Organization and Employees
Title 29 - Labor
Title 38 - Veterans’ Benefits
Title 42 - The Public Health and Welfare
Free digital copies of federal statutes, as printed in the United States Code, can be found at the following websites:
Many federal regulations affecting civil service employment are located in the Titles 5, 20, and 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Free digital copies of federal regulations as printed in the Code of Federal Regulations are found at the following websites:
Readers should review their federal employer’s website which often contains agency-specific regulations along with rulings, directives, and other communications affecting the work environment.
