How laws differ
Two laws can say the same thing in very different ways.
One town bans “the keeping of swine” in a single plain sentence; another buries the same rule in a page of cross-references and defined terms. The LOCUS project used AI models to read every U.S. ordinance and give each one a score on several dimensions — measuring not what a law says, but how it’s written and how far it reaches into daily life.
How to read the scales below
- 1. Each scale is a single dimension. Every law in the dataset gets a score on it, and its position on the rail is its national percentile — how it compares with the ~2,300 cities and counties in the corpus.
- 2. Drag the handle from one end to the other to land on a real law at that point. The tick marks show where actual laws fall, so you can see the clusters.
- 3. Toggle between the original text and a plain-language version we wrote by hand. The plain version is a paraphrase to help you read it, not the law itself.
From plain English to dense legalese
LOCUS scores every U.S. ordinance for how densely it’s written. Drag along the scale to read real laws at each level — the original text, and a plain-language version.
Denser than 41% of U.S. provisions (z = -0.24, estimate)
Plumbing Permits NOT Required Under This Code
Some minor plumbing work needs no permit, as long as it follows the manufacturer's instructions and state and federal law: repairing the working parts of a faucet or valve, clearing clogs, fixing leaks that need five feet of pipe or less replaced, swapping broken faucets or valves, and repairing already-permitted appliances without changing the existing pipes.
Plain-language version, written by AI from the original below. A paraphrase, not the law. Read the original and verify before relying on it.
From leaving you alone to telling you what you can do
How much a law steps in to regulate personal conduct, scored by the LOCUS models. Drag to compare the hands-off end with the rules that govern behavior.
More restrictive than 46% of U.S. provisions (z = -0.09, estimate)
§ 13-11.9 Installation, maintenance, and repair of publication dispensing enclosures, spaces, and inserts
The city installs, maintains, and repairs the newspaper-rack enclosures at its own cost. The permit holder must maintain its own rack space and keep its rack insert in good working order. Failing to do so can get the permit suspended or revoked.
Plain-language version, written by AI from the original below. A paraphrase, not the law. Read the original and verify before relying on it.