In addition to the federal securities laws, every state has its own set of securities laws—commonly referred to as "Blue Sky Laws"—that are designed to protect investors against fraudulent sales practices and activities. While these laws do vary from state to state, most state laws typically require companies making offerings of securities to register their offerings before they can be sold in a particular state, unless a specific state exemption is available. The laws also license brokerage firms, their brokers, and investment adviser representatives.
Bloomberg Law's State Law Chart Builders is a very useful tool for researching specific state securities laws across multiple jurisdictions. Bloomberg login required.
Lexis 50-State Surveys includes a compilation of state Blue Sky laws. Lexis login required.
Westlaw 50-State Surveys includes a focused area on Blue Sky laws. Westlaw login required.
Blue Sky Regulation by Robert Rapp. Lexis login required.
Blue Sky Law by Joseph Long. Westlaw login required.
Principles of Securities Regulation by Thomas Hazen. This volume from West Academic's Concise Hornbook series explains how Blue Sky laws fit into the big picture of securities regulation.
