France: where to read the law

Légifrance publishes French legislation in consolidated form — codes, decrees and the Journal Officiel — and is the source practitioners actually work from. It is French-only in substance; the English pages are orientation, not translation. The Cour de cassation and the Conseil d'État publish their decisions on their own sites, and the distinction between the two orders of jurisdiction is the first thing that decides where a French question is even asked.

This is a directory, not a summary of the law. Nothing here tells you what a rule says - it tells you where the authoritative text lives so you can read it yourself. Links last checked 2026-08-25.

1 of these sources did not answer an automated check. They are canonical and they open in a normal browser - the note on each says which case it is.