Which California Codes Have the Most Laws?

Where are most state laws found? California has just over 156,000 statutes that are contained in its 29 Codes. These 29 Codes vary in size and content. Which ones contain the most statutes and which contain the least?

The following is a ranking (from most to least) of California’s 29 Codes based upon how many statutes they contain:

Government Code – GOV – 21,114 Sections contained in 59 Titles

Health and Safety Code – HSC – 16,740 Sections contained in 67 Divisions

Education Code – EDC – 11,061 Sections contained in 3 Titles

Water Code – WAT – 10,058 Sections contained in 32 Divisions

Business and Professions Code – BPC – 10,036 Sections contained in 13 Divisions

Food and Agricultural Code – FAC – 9,760 Sections contained in 25 Divisions

Public Resources Code – PRC – 7,653 Sections contained in 74 Divisions

Public Utilities Code – PUC – 7,441 Sections contained in 34 Divisions

Revenue and Taxation Code – RTC – 7,068 Sections contained in 2 Divisions

Welfare and Institutions Code – WIC – 6,874 Sections contained in 20 Divisions

Penal Code – PEN – 5,638 Sections contained in 6 Parts

Streets and Highways Code – SHC – 4,572 Sections contained in 19 Divisions

Insurance Code – INS – 4,479 Sections in 5 Divisions

Civil Code – CIV – 3,710 Sections contained in 4 Divisions

Vehicle Code – VEH – 3,458 Sections contained in 33 Divisions

Financial Code – FIN – 3,335 Sections contained in 37 Divisions

Code of Civil Procedure – CCP – 3,283 Sections contained in 4 Parts

Probate Code – PROB – 2,672 Sections contained in 13 Divisions

Labor Code – LAB – 2,520 Sections contained in 7 Divisions

Corporations Code – CORP – 2,405 Sections contained in 6 Titles

Elections Code – ELEC – 2,280 Sections contained in 22 Divisions

Fish and Game Code – FGC – 2,275 Sections contained in 17 Divisions

Family Code – FAM – 1,715 Sections contained in 17 Divisions

Public Contract Code – PCC – 1,571 Sections contained in 2 Divisions

Harbors and Navigation Code – HNC – 1,290 Sections contained in 9 Divisions

Military and Veterans Code – MVC – 1,206 Sections contained in 8 Divisions

Unemployment Insurance Code – UIC – 904 Sections contained in 8 Divisions

Commercial Code – COM – 646 Sections contained in 15 Divisions

Evidence Code – EVID – 502 Sections contained in 11 Divisions

These rankings are based upon a review of all 29 Codes and the over 156,000 individual statutes in June 2022. These ranking can change next year after the conclusion of the 2022 Legislative Session or within the next few years as there are a few that are close in number (e.g., Military & Veterans Code versus Harbors & Navigation Code; Elections Code versus Fish & Game Code; and, Water Code versus Business & Professions Code).