Methodology

What we map

Each topic asks one question about all 50 states. Some are legal questions: is something allowed, and does it need a permit? Others are quirks: how does each state do something, such as whether it observes daylight saving time? Every topic page starts with a short scope note that says exactly what is being asked, who it applies to, and what is left out.

Where answers come from

Official sources decide every answer. In order of preference, we use:

State code sites run by the legislature, and the state's administrative code.
State agency pages, such as a wildlife agency's rules or a transportation department's guidance.
Mirrors of the official text, such as Cornell's Legal Information Institute, Justia, or public.law, when the state's own site won't load.

News stories, blogs, and listicles can point us to the right rule, but they never decide an answer. Each citation is labeled official, mirror, or secondary so you can see which kind of source backs it up.

How a topic is researched

Research is AI-assisted. We use Claude, an AI model made by Anthropic, to do the first pass, under rules written for this site. Then a person reviews the results before anything is published.

Framing. We define the question, its scope, and the possible answers, with an exact definition for each answer.
Research. Separate research agents each take a batch of states. For each state they find the official text, read the operative language and its definitions, and copy the exact sentence that answers the question. They watch for common traps: a permit that exists but is never issued for this purpose, a rule about selling or capturing that doesn't cover keeping, a definition that leaves the subject out, and rules that were recently repealed or changed.
Independent check. A second agent, which has not seen the first one's reasoning, reopens every cited page. It confirms that the quote appears there, that the source supports the answer, and that the confidence level is right. Where it disagrees, we reopen the sources and decide. If the answer still can't be settled, it is marked Unclear.
Human review. Before a topic is published, the site owner works through a review checklist. Every prohibited answer, every low-confidence answer, and every state where the checker disagreed comes first. A topic stays a draft until that review is done.

What the answers mean

Legal questions use the same four answers, with wording adjusted for each topic:

Prohibited: Banned for a private person, or allowed only for institutions such as zoos, researchers, or exhibitors. If a permit exists in name but the rule says it won't be issued for this purpose, we count it as prohibited and explain why.
Restricted: Allowed with a permit, license, or registration, or only under specific conditions such as time, place, or equipment limits.
Legal: We found no state law or permit requirement that restricts it.
Unclear: The law is silent or ambiguous, or the sources conflict.

Quirk topics define their own answers, and each topic page lists them with their definitions. On the maps, every answer has its own color and a small symbol, so color is never the only way to tell answers apart.

Confidence

High: an official or mirror source names the subject explicitly, and we quote it.
Medium: an official or mirror source covers the subject by category or definition, so the answer is an inference. The details say what was inferred.
Low: only secondary sources support the answer, or the official text couldn't be opened. These answers carry a visible Needs confirmation note.

We would rather say "Unclear" than give a confident wrong answer. A state gets its own page only when we have an exact quote from an official or mirror source and medium or high confidence.

What we don't cover

Local rules. We research state law only. Cities and counties often add their own rules, and we note where that commonly matters.
Advice. We describe what the law or practice is. We don't tell anyone what to do, and we never explain how to get around a law.
Federal law, except where it's needed to make sense of a state answer.

Keeping answers current

Every state record shows the date its source was last checked. Many state laws take effect in January and July, so we recheck each topic against its sources twice a year, and sooner when we learn of a change. Changed answers go back through human review.

Found a mistake?

Please tell us, ideally with a link to the source. We fix confirmed errors quickly and log significant ones on the corrections page.