Search Guide

This is a free, searchable database of Honduran national laws. Type a question, a topic, a law name, or a decree number into the search bar and we'll find the matches. Here's how to get the best results.

What You Can Search For

• A law by name. Most Honduran laws follow patterns like "Código de...", "Ley de...", "Estatuto del...". Examples: "Código de Comercio", "Ley de Turismo", "Estatuto del Médico Empleado".
• A specific decree number. Every law is published under a decree number like "131-82" or "76-2023". Search for "Decreto 131-82" to jump right to it.
• A topic or legal concept. Try things like "servidumbre de paso", "patria potestad", "extorsión", or "matrícula vehicular".
• A keyword in the text. The search looks inside the full text of every law, so you can search for terms that appear anywhere in the document.
• A question in plain language.AI You can type things like "what are my rights as a father" or "can I evict my tenant" directly into the search bar — no checkbox required. Search automatically interprets your question and also matches by meaning, not just exact words, so it can find the right law even when your wording doesn't match the legal text. Check "Search with AI" when you want more than a results list — a written, plain-language answer with citations.

Try These Examples

Click any of these to run a search:

Browse by Category

If you don't have a specific search in mind, the category tabs in the top navigation let you browse laws by area — Labor, Commercial, Criminal, Constitutional, Tax, Environmental, and more. Click a tab to see every law we have under that category, no search required.

Tips for Better Results

• Be specific, but not too specific. "Ley de Turismo" works better than "tourism rules in Roatan". The search matches Honduran legal terminology best.
• You can search in English.AI English queries like "Commercial Code" are automatically translated into Spanish equivalents like "Código de Comercio" behind the scenes, so you find the right law without checking any box.
• Spelling is forgiving. Small typos are usually OK. "ley de turism" still finds "Ley de Turismo".
• If you find nothing, try fewer words. Long phrases narrow results. Drop adjectives and articles to broaden your search.
• Watch the "Modified" badges. Laws marked "Modificado" (Modified) have been amended by later decrees. Click into the law to see the chain of amendments.

AI Features

AI touches search in two different ways. One runs automatically in the background on every search. The other is an opt-in answer panel you turn on yourself. Both are clearly labeled when they appear.

Smarter search, automaticallyAI — always on, no checkbox needed. Every search is interpreted by AI to broaden it into the right Honduran legal terms (including translating English queries into Spanish ones), and is also matched by meaning, not just exact keywords, so plain-language and paraphrased questions can find laws that don't share their exact vocabulary. This is what powers "a question in plain language" and "you can search in English" above.

AI SearchAI — opt-in. Next to the search bar is a "Search with AI" checkbox. It's off by default. When you check it and confirm the warning, your question is sent to an AI that reads the relevant laws and articles and writes a plain-language answer above your results, with a "Sources" list linking to the specific laws and articles it actually cited — not just a list of matching documents. Use AI search when you have a complex question and want a direct answer, not just a list of results. Use regular search when you know exactly what law or term you're looking for — it's faster and doesn't need to call an AI.

AI Summaries on Law PagesAI — always shown. Every law in our database has a short AI-written summary at the top of its detail page. These were generated once when the law was added to our database, not on every page view. They're labeled with an "AI Summary" tag and a warning. They're meant to give you a quick overview before you dive into the full text below.

AI can have errors, fabricate citations, and miss recent amendments. Always verify against the original law text. Learn more about how we use AI.

Jumping Straight to an Article

For laws with many articles, search results and AI answers link directly to the specific matching article — not just the top of the document — so you land right on the relevant text of a long code instead of scrolling to find it. Every article also has its own share icon to copy a direct link to it.

Filters and Sorting

On the search results page you can:

• Sort by relevance, newest first, or oldest first
• Filter by type — Laws, Executive Decrees, Regulations, or Treaties
• Filter by category — Labor, Commercial, Criminal, Constitutional, Tax, Environmental, and more
• Show only modified laws — laws that have been amended by later decrees
• Show only amendments — the amending decrees themselves

Rate Limits

Search and AI summaries are free for everyone, with no daily caps. To keep bots out, we apply a small per-minute rate limit on search queries — normal browsing never hits it.

Paid plans (Pro and Despacho) add features on top of free, like more email alerts, more saved laws, and a longer search history. See the pricing page for details.

Need More Help?

Can't find a law you know exists? See a mistake in a summary? Email us at hola@leyes.hn and we'll look into it. You can also report problems with a specific law using the report button on its detail page.

For information on how AI is used on the site, see our AI Information page. For privacy and terms, see our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.