How we verify every fact

Primary sources only

We cite primary sources: state statutes, official agency publications (DMV, RMV, Secretary of State, and equivalents), and court opinions where they control. When a fact cannot be traced to a primary source, we leave it out rather than repeat a secondary summary. This rule applies to the numbers and to the prose that explains how a law works. Every state page lists its sources at the bottom, and every figure in the data traces to one or more of those entries.

How each fact is checked before publishing

Before a state page is published, each fact is verified against the source cited for it — not just that the citation link opens, but that the statute text actually says what the page claims. In practice that means four checks:

• Numeric match: every BAC threshold, fine, jail term, suspension length, interlock duration, and lookback period is read against the cited statute and confirmed to match.
• Scope check: where one penalty tier covers more than one situation — for example, a third offense that can be charged as either a misdemeanor or a felony — we read the neighboring statute sections to confirm the cited law actually covers the full range the page describes. This is a common way reference sites go subtly wrong.
• Consistency check: structured values (such as “ignition interlock required: yes or no”) are read together with their explanatory notes to confirm the two do not contradict each other.
• Claim-by-claim check: each explanatory statement — in the FAQs, the aggravating-factor notes, and the state-specific detail — is checked against the statute it cites, because a correct citation can still be attached to a claim the statute does not actually support.

A separate, skeptical review

After verification, each state goes through a separate review whose only job is to find defects: numeric mismatches, gaps in coverage, contradictions between a value and its notes, overstated claims, and missing qualifiers. Anything that review rates as serious must be resolved before the state is published. Lower-priority items are recorded and addressed at a later review.

When an official source is unavailable

State legislature and agency websites sometimes go offline or move a section. When that happens during verification, we retry the official source first. Only if it is still unavailable do we consult a reputable secondary copy (such as a well-known legal database) for a preliminary read — and that fact is flagged for re-confirmation against the official source before it stands. Secondary copies are known to carry outdated text, so they never have the final word.

Keeping it current

Laws change. To catch those changes, we re-audit the published site against current law on a recurring quarterly cycle — roughly every 90 days — re-checking the live figures against the statutes that govern them. When a law has changed, we run the affected state back through the verification process and republish it with an updated “Last reviewed” date. That date appears on every state page and on our comparison dataset, so you can always see how recently each page was checked. The date is the claim — not a generic “updated regularly” label.

Corrections

If something looks wrong, tell us — corrections are welcome. When we learn of a material error (a wrong number, a misstated rule, a missing qualifier), we re-run the affected state through verification and republish with a new “Last reviewed” date. Minor issues — typos, formatting, link rot — are fixed at the next scheduled review. To report a correction, see Contact.

What this is, and what it isn't

LegalLimit.com is an independent reference, run by a single editor and operated pseudonymously at this stage. State pages are drafted with AI assistance and then verified and reviewed by a person against primary sources, as described above — the verification and the human review are what the content stands on, not the drafting tool. This site is reference material, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. For your specific situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state. See About for who runs the site and our full disclaimer for the complete framing.