Standardized Arrangement for Formatting
Use the uniform codification system to arrange rule text in each document. SEE: LAC Style Manual
Format document text using uniform guidelines prescribed by the Office of the State Register.
Most text structure follows the standard rules of grammar. However, certain content follows manuscript styles prescribed for the Louisiana Administrative Code (LAC).
The commonly used LAC manuscript styles are listed below. Click on the topic to review the style requirements.
Titles such as Mr. and Mrs. and extraneous phrases such as "to the following address" should be omitted.
Louisiana should be abbreviated as LA when it appears in a postal address.
The preferred US Postal Service abbreviation for Post Office is PO, do not use P.O.
Correct:
Written comments may be addressed to Bill Gravy, Assistant Secretary, Office of Vehicles, Department of Driving Safety, PO Box 44061, Baton Rouge, LA 70804.
Incorrect:
Written comments may be addressed to the following address: Mr. Bill Gravy, Assistant Secretary, Office of Vehicles, Department of Driving Safety, P.O. Box 44061, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70804.
Avoid using "state" and "Louisiana" in conjunction with the names of boards, departments, commissions, and other such entities.
Correct: Office of Vehicles; Department of Driving Safety
Incorrect: State Office of Vehicles; Louisiana Department of Driving Safety
When referring to an entity as the "department," "office," "board," or "agency" without using the formal name, lowercase the term used.
Correct: The agency will accept the submission.
Incorrect: The Agency will accept the submission.
Both authority and historical notes are needed for each section. Each note is indicated in uppercase followed by a colon, tab, and reference information.
Authority notes indicate the statutorily authority given to the agency for promulgation of a rule within that section's subject matter. The authority note may contain other relevant statutory and federal citations.
EXAMPLE
AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 22:997 and R.S. 38:671.
...
Historical notes record four types of action. They are as follows.
► Promulgated indicates the initial creation and publication of a Section.
► Amended indicates a revision to a Section.
► Repromulgated indicates republication of a Section. This term is used when there are
no changes in the content of the rule or when the rule is being reprinted with
technical changes only.
► Repealed indicates that a Section is being deleted in its entirety.
The historical note of a section records every action taken on that section in the Louisiana Register. This note begins with name of the promulgating entity(ies) and then records the action and all subsequent actions. It includes the relevant Louisiana Register citation for each action. Notice that when an action is repeated, it is not duplicated.
EXAMPLE
HISTORICAL NOTE: Promulgated by the Department of Horse and Buggy, Board of Wheels, LR 8:72 (February 1982), amended LR 10:224 (May 1984),
LR 11:1031 (August 1985), amended by the Department of Driving Safety, Office of Vehicles, LR 16:331 (April 1990), LR 19:1330 (October 1993).
Never use all capitals in the text, except for acronyms. The first time the abbreviated form of the word is used, the word or name to be referenced should be spelled out followed by the acronym in parentheses. Avoid using an acronym as the first word of a sentence.
Example: The governor shall administer the Aid to Families with Old Vehicles (AFOV) Program. No AFOV volunteer shall work more than 12 hours per week.
Titles should be lowercased unless part of a proper name. The President of the U.S. is the one exception.
Example: The governor shall contact Secretary Gravy if budget problems arise. The secretary may, at his discretion, contact the presidents of vehicle agencies around the state.
The word state should be lowercased unless it is part of a proper name or refers to the State of Louisiana as a governmental or legislating entity.
Example: Vehicle owners within the state of Louisiana shall consult with State Vehicle Officer Smith to find out about state registration requirements. The State of Louisiana has the authority to enact whatever regulations necessary to ensure the safety of drivers throughout the state.
Words such as committee, board, department, and legislature should not be capitalized unless it is part of a proper name.
Example: The board may, if inundated with phone calls, enlist the help of the Committee on Vehicle Management or the department. If federal authorities collaborate with the Louisiana Legislature on a plan for phone management, and if the legislature sees fit, the board may apply for special consideration.
Capitalize Regular Session and Extraordinary Session when referring to legislation.
Capitalize Social Security when referring to the administration, the act, a Social Security number, or Social Security payments. Capitalize Civil Service when referring to the U.S. system or state system. Lowercase these words when used in a general sense.
Capitalize Title, Part, Subpart, Chapter, Subchapter, Section, Subsection, Paragraph, Subparagraph, and Clause when referring to specific portions of the LAC. Do not capitalize these words when referring to non-LAC publications.
For more general information on capitalization, call our department at (225) 342-5015.
All submitted documents must reflect proper usage of uniform capitalization guidelines.
Individual definitions are not codified with a number or a letter. Instead they are placed in alphabetical order with the defined word capitalized and italicized. A long dash (em dash) is used between the word and the definition. See example below.
EXAMPLE:
§101. Regulations about Really Big Trucks
A. Definitions
Big Truck—a truck weighing more than two tons.
Load-Excessive—a truck carrying a load of more than twice its own weight. The load-excessive designation may apply to trucks of any number of wheels. It may not apply to trucks carrying:
a. gifts for needy children;
b. fresh produce; or
c. galvanized steel.
Really Big Truck—a truck weighing more than five tons.
Super Rig—a truck customized with an oversized diesel engine.
Tire-Excessive Truck—a truck containing more than 20 tires.
B. Really big trucks may drive only on designated roads, though big trucks may drive anywhere. Load-excessive trucks must be deemed safe by an officer of the Department of Driving Safety.
AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 27:455.
HISTORICAL NOTE: Promulgated by the Department of Driving Safety, Office of Vehicles, LR 12:763 (November 1986), amended LR 16:402 (May 1990).
...
Notice that the definitions in the example above are implicitly regarded as Paragraphs because they are placed under a Subsection. Thus, the subpoints under the second definition are regarded as Subparagraphs and labeled a, b, c. If these definitions are directly under a Clause, they would be labeled as Subclauses; or if they are directly under a Section, they would be labeled as Subsections.
Words such as "means" and "is" are not needed. The long dash is used to replace these words.
Correct:
Big Truck—a truck weighing more than two tons.
Incorrect:
Big Truck—means a truck weighing more than two tons.
Big Truck means a truck weighing more than two tons.
Listed items that are not complete sentences should begin with a lowercase letter and should be separated by semicolons as in the following examples.
EXAMPLES
A. The truck contains:
1. one exhaust pipe;
2. four tires; and
3. one steering wheel.
A. A student may eat one of the following:
1. beans;
2. soup; or
3. spaghetti.
If the lead language and items in the list are complete sentences, the following format is appropriate.
EXAMPLE
A. A student may choose any of the following options.
1. If especially hungry, he may eat beans with a side of rice and a brownie for dessert.
2. If lactose-intolerant, he may substitute water for his milk.
3. If sufficiently talented and competent, he may prepare his own food.
Dollar amounts should never be written as words.
Correct: $3; $57.43
Incorrect: three dollars; 3 dollars; 57 dollars; one million dollars
Decimals are not necessary in monetary amounts without change and should be deleted.
Correct: $15
Incorrect: $15.00
Numbers with one digit are written as words. Numbers with more than one digit are written as numerals. Never include the numeral in parentheses after the word.
Correct: one; five; 10; 268
Incorrect: 1; 5; ten; two hundred sixty-eight (268)
Exceptions:
► When a number is the first word of a sentence, always write the number as a word.
► Numbers used in close proximity to one another should be consistently formatted, even if it means bending the rules.
► Always use numerals for age and units of measurement.
Correct: "between the ages of 3 and 27"
Incorrect: "between the ages of three and 27"
► Percentages should be written as a numeral and a word (unless they appear in a table or a similar situation in which "%" is needed to save space).
Correct: 3 percent; 22 percent
Incorrect: five percent; 5%; 22%
► Ordinal numbers are always spelled out (with one exception—see directly below).
Correct: third; twenty-fifth
Incorrect: 3rd; 25th
► When denoting days of the month, ordinal numbers are always written as cardinal (normal) numerals.
Correct: May 15; November 6
Incorrect: May 15th; November sixth
Amounts of less than a dollar should still be written using a dollar sign.
Correct: $0.27
Incorrect: 27 cents; 27¢; $.27
For archival purposes of our electronic media, most symbols are not allowed in document text, as in the substitution of the symbol "&" for the word "and."
There are a few exceptions, like use of the copyright symbol.
Commonplace abbreviations are allowed, such as “NW” for northwest or “ave.” for avenue.
Abbreviations for academic and job titles are allowed, such as “BA” for Bachelor of Arts or “CEO” for Chief Executive Officer.
NOTE: When citing R.S. 49:950, do not write La. R.S. 49:950. The "La." is unnecessary.
