To cite the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code, use the abbreviated code name, a section symbol, the section number, and a parenthetical identifying West as the publisher and the year of the edition you consulted. A standard Greenbook citation reads: Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 101.021 (West 2025). The Bluebook version adds “Ann.” after “Code.” Everything else is the same.
Greenbook Format for Texas State Court Filings
The Texas Rules of Form, known as the Greenbook, is published by the Texas Law Review and controls citation format in Texas state courts. Where the Greenbook and the Bluebook conflict, the Greenbook wins for state filings.
A complete Greenbook citation looks like this:
Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 101.021 (West 2025)
Each element is doing work. “Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code” is the standard abbreviation. The § separates the code name from the section number. The parenthetical names West because Thomson Reuters (West) publishes the official Texas code, and the Greenbook requires that identification. The year reflects the edition or supplement you actually consulted.
The Greenbook drops “Ann.” from the code name even though the West publication is technically annotated. That omission is one of the clearest ways a Texas-style citation differs from a Bluebook citation. Update the year whenever the legislature has amended the provision you are relying on.
Bluebook Format for Federal Filings and Law Reviews
If you are filing in federal court, writing for a law review, or otherwise working under Bluebook rules, the same provision looks like this:
Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code Ann. § 101.021 (West 2025)
The only change is “Ann.” after “Code.” The Bluebook’s Table T1 requires that designation because the commercially published Texas code is annotated with case notes and cross-references.1The Indigo Book. Indigo Book 2.0 The § symbol, “West,” and the year stay put.
Practitioners who work only in Texas state court rarely need the Bluebook form. If your practice crosses into federal court, keep both formats straight.
Short Forms and Id.
After the first full citation, switch to a shorter version. The short form keeps the code name and section but drops the parenthetical:
Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 101.021
When the surrounding text makes the code obvious, you can shorten further to just § 101.021. This is common in briefs built around a single code, where repeating the full name on every line would clutter the page.
Use “Id.” only when you are citing the exact same provision you cited immediately before. If you are pointing to a different subsection of that same provision, follow “Id.” with the new reference:
Id. § 101.021(2)
Any intervening citation breaks the chain. Once something else appears, go back to the short form with the code name. The Greenbook permits omitting the year in short-form citations unless you are quoting a historical version of a statute; if you need the older text after an amendment, include the year so the reader knows which version you mean.
Multiple Sections and Subsections
Citing more than one provision at once has its own rules, and the details trip people up.
For two or more separate sections, use a double section symbol and separate the numbers with commas:
Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code §§ 101.021, 101.023
That example covers both the governmental liability provision and the damages cap.2State of Texas. Texas Code Civil Practice and Remedies Code 101.023 – Limitation on Amount of Liability Using a single § when citing multiple sections is a common formatting error.
For consecutive subsections within the same section, use a hyphen:
Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 74.153(a)–(c)
For non-consecutive subsections, list each with commas and keep the single §:
Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 101.025(a), (c)
The rule to remember: §§ signals multiple sections, § signals one section with multiple subsections.
Citing From Westlaw, Lexis, and Other Electronic Sources
Print volumes are no longer the default research tool, and both citation manuals accommodate electronic sources.
The Greenbook allows citation to databases like Westlaw or LexisNexis when a print version is not available or when a parallel electronic citation helps the reader. The parenthetical then names the database provider and the currency date the provider supplies, replacing the publication year.
Under Bluebook Rule 12.5, a database citation looks like this:3LibGuides at Loyola University Chicago Law Library. Bluebook Citation: Online Statutes
Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code Ann. § 101.021 (Westlaw through 2025 Leg. Sess.)
One boundary matters here: the Greenbook does not treat the Texas Legislature’s own site (statutes.capitol.texas.gov) as an authoritative source, even though it is a useful research tool. Cite to the West print publication or a recognized commercial database instead. If an online version is authenticated or official, you may cite it as if it were the print code, but presence on a government website does not by itself make a statute “official” for citation purposes.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Leaving out the § symbol. “Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code 101.021” is incomplete under both manuals.
- Including “Ann.” in a Greenbook citation. Texas state court format omits it.
- Dropping “West” from the parenthetical. The Greenbook requires the publisher’s name, so a bare year is incomplete.
- Using a single § for multiple sections. Two or more sections need §§; a single § tells the reader you are inside one section.
- Citing the Texas Legislature’s website as authority. It is a research tool, not an authoritative source under the Greenbook.
The mechanics become automatic once you have run through them a few times, and clean citations signal to the court that the rest of your work has been handled with the same care.