Ace the 2026 Administrative Law Exam – Unlock Your Legal Genius!

The term for a law that has been enacted by a state or federal legislature is "statute." Statutes are formal written laws passed by legislative bodies, such as Congress at the federal level or state legislatures at the state level. They represent the legal framework within which the government operates and provide guidelines for certain behaviors, standards, and procedures within the jurisdiction of the enacting body.

Regulations, on the other hand, are rules made by administrative agencies based on the authority granted by statutes. They provide the specific details needed to implement and enforce the broad mandates established by statutes. A code refers to a systematic collection of laws, statutes, or regulations, often organized by subject matter, but it is not itself an individual law. An ordinance is a law enacted by a local government, such as a city or town, rather than by a state or federal legislature. Thus, "statute" distinctly identifies the type of law created by legislative bodies, making it the correct answer.