Laws are written by lawyers, for courts — and then everyone else has to live by them. This glossary translates the terms that keep showing up on LawLert’s law pages into plain English, one or two sentences each. It’s the vocabulary; for the actual rule where you are, use Ask LawLert or your state’s pages.
Carrying & weapons
Concealed carry / open carry
Concealed carry means the weapon is hidden from ordinary view (in a waistband holster under a shirt, a bag, a glovebox — definitions vary by state). Open carry means it’s visible. States regulate the two differently, and the same state can allow one while restricting the other.
Shall-issue
The permit authority must issue a carry permit to anyone who meets the objective requirements (age, background check, training). No discretion to say no to a qualified applicant.
May-issue
Officials had discretion to deny a permit even to qualified applicants — historically by demanding a special reason to carry. The Supreme Court’s Bruen decision (2022) largely ended that practice, though affected states rewrote their rules in different ways.
Permitless (“constitutional”) carry
Qualifying adults may carry concealed inside that state without any permit. It does not travel with you: the moment you cross into a state that requires a permit, its rules apply.
Reciprocity
One state honoring a carry permit issued by another. There is no national rule — each state keeps its own list, the lists change, and two neighboring states can disagree. Full guide: reciprocity, explained.
Duty to inform
In some states you must proactively tell an officer you’re carrying when you’re stopped; in others, only if asked. Getting this wrong can turn a legal carry into a criminal charge.
Substances & alcohol
Legalized vs. decriminalized
Legalized: lawful within the state’s rules (amounts, age, licensed sellers). Decriminalized: still against the law, but the penalty — usually for small amounts — is reduced to something like a civil fine. Decriminalized does not mean legal. See where cannabis actually stands, state by state.
Per se limit
The number itself is the offense. At or above a per se blood-alcohol (or THC) limit, the law treats you as impaired — regardless of how you feel or how well you were driving or boating.
Controlled substance schedules
The federal ranking of drugs (Schedule I–V) by abuse potential and accepted medical use, with Schedule I the most restricted. Federal scheduling operates independently of state law — which is why cannabis can be state-legal and still prohibited on federal land.
Open container law
Rules against open or unsealed alcohol in the passenger area of a vehicle — and, under many local ordinances, in public places. The container doesn’t have to be in your hand to count.
Dry county / dry city
A county or city that restricts or prohibits alcohol sales even though the state allows them — the classic example of local law overriding your statewide assumption.
BUI (boating under the influence)
DUI’s on-the-water sibling: operating a vessel at or above a per se limit or while impaired, with its own penalties. State limits vary — see the state-by-state BUI guide.
Driving & travel
Implied consent
By driving on a state’s roads (or operating a boat on its waters), you’ve legally agreed in advance to chemical testing if lawfully arrested for impaired operation. Refusing the test carries its own penalties — often license suspension — separate from any DUI charge.
Primary vs. secondary enforcement
Primary: an officer can stop you for that violation alone (many handheld-phone and seatbelt laws). Secondary: you can only be cited for it if you were stopped for something else first. State rules: driving laws by state.
Duty to declare (customs)
Crossing an international border, you must report items and money above a threshold — for the US, currency over $10,000 in either direction; other countries set their own limits. The money can be perfectly legal and still be seized if you fail to declare it.
How laws actually work
Statute vs. ordinance vs. regulation
A statute is passed by a legislature (state or federal). An ordinance is enacted by a city or county. A regulation is written by a government agency under authority a statute gave it. All three carry the force of law — which is why “I checked the state law” isn’t always enough.
Preemption
A state law that blocks cities and counties from writing their own stricter rules on a topic. Where a state has no preemption law, a city can ban what the state allows — the trap behind knife law and many local cannabis rules.
Home rule
The flip side of preemption: authority many states grant their cities and counties to govern local matters themselves. Strong home rule means more local variation — and more reason to check below the state level.
Effective date
The day a law starts applying, which is often months after it passed. “The governor signed it” and “it’s the law today” are two different facts.
Injunction / court-blocked
A court order pausing enforcement of a law while a legal challenge proceeds. The law stays on the books, but it can’t be enforced unless the courts lift the block — so a statute can be real and unenforceable at the same time.
Grandfather clause
An exemption for what already existed before a new restriction — for example, letting current owners keep an item that can no longer be newly bought. The details (registration deadlines, transfer limits) are where people get caught.
Sunset provision
A built-in expiration date: the law lapses automatically unless the legislature renews it. Rules with sunsets can quietly disappear — or quietly come back.
Felony vs. misdemeanor vs. infraction
The severity ladder. Infractions are generally fine-only (most traffic tickets). Misdemeanors are crimes typically punishable by up to about a year in jail. Felonies are the serious tier — generally more than a year of possible imprisonment, plus lasting consequences like losing firearm rights. Exact definitions vary by state.
Terms are the map; the territory is the actual rule where you’re standing. Ask LawLert answers in plain English from verified, officially-sourced rules — and says so when it doesn’t know.