Browse by limitation type

Emergency declaration

A declaration of a public-health emergency or disaster by a governor, a mayor, a county or a federal authority: the instrument that switched on the closure, gathering and travel powers used in the orders that followed.

1,289 instruments (1,230 files, 906 MB)

Most instruments

1. Federal131
2. Florida78
3. Texas64
4. Oklahoma60
5. New York50

Stay-at-home

An order directing residents to stay at home except for listed activities, which emptied the premises and the customer base of every business not on the list.

774 instruments (734 files, 952 MB)

Most instruments

1. California97
2. Texas56
3. Missouri39
4. Georgia34
5. Florida29

Business closure

An order closing named businesses or whole categories of business to the public, in full or for specified operations, for a stated period.

2,451 instruments (2,332 files, 2.0 GB)

Most instruments

1. California176
2. Texas130
3. Florida104
4. Federal101
5. Illinois76

Telework mandate

An order requiring employers to have staff work from home where the work could be done remotely, or capping the share of a workforce allowed on site.

862 instruments (843 files, 819 MB)

Most instruments

1. Federal87
2. California42
3. Michigan40
4. Illinois38
5. Pennsylvania35

Capacity limit

An order limiting how many customers or workers a premises could hold at one time, usually as a percentage of its rated occupancy or a per-square-foot rule.

2,189 instruments (2,091 files, 2.0 GB)

Most instruments

1. California119
2. Texas96
3. Maryland91
4. Missouri79
5. Louisiana71

Gathering cap

An order limiting the number of people who could gather in one place, indoors or outdoors, which governed events, services, meetings and dining.

2,875 instruments (2,741 files, 2.5 GB)

Most instruments

1. California176
2. Texas146
3. Missouri115
4. Maryland98
5. Florida91

Face-covering requirement

A workplace infection-prevention and exposure-control requirement that staff and customers wear face coverings on the premises, usually with companion screening, distancing and cleaning controls.

3,139 instruments (3,003 files, 2.6 GB)

Most instruments

1. California182
2. Texas153
3. Maryland129
4. Ohio105
5. Louisiana100

Travel and quarantine

An order restricting travel into or out of a jurisdiction, or requiring arriving travelers to quarantine, test or register before moving freely.

1,328 instruments (1,298 files, 820 MB)

Most instruments

1. Federal361
2. California78
3. Hawaii64
4. Florida49
5. Texas36

Schools and child care

An order closing schools or child-care facilities, moving instruction online, or limiting their enrollment, hours and activities.

1,310 instruments (1,228 files, 1.1 GB)

Most instruments

1. Texas74
2. California65
3. Indiana49
4. Illinois45
5. Michigan39

Health care orders

An order to health-care providers postponing elective procedures, restricting visitors, or redirecting clinical capacity, staff and supplies.

1,739 instruments (1,672 files, 1.4 GB)

Most instruments

1. Federal168
2. Texas125
3. California92
4. New Jersey68
5. Florida62

Curfew and hours

An order requiring businesses to close by a set hour, or restricting movement and commerce during stated hours of the day.

534 instruments (504 files, 651 MB)

Most instruments

1. Florida39
2. Missouri32
3. Illinois29
4. California27
5. Tennessee26

Alcohol and bars

An order closing bars, halting on-premises alcohol service or cutting its hours, often issued by the alcohol regulator under its licensing powers.

1,052 instruments (1,005 files, 975 MB)

Most instruments

1. Texas76
2. California54
3. Florida47
4. Louisiana47
5. Missouri45

Events and venues

An order closing or restricting theaters, arenas, fairs, festivals, conventions, weddings and other events and their venues.

1,232 instruments (1,201 files, 1.2 GB)

Most instruments

1. California97
2. Colorado52
3. Texas48
4. Maryland47
5. Missouri41

Courts and public offices

An order suspending jury trials, hearings, deadlines or in-person service at courts and public offices, which stalled the proceedings businesses depend on.

1,736 instruments (1,664 files, 962 MB)

Most instruments

1. Texas143
2. California101
3. Ohio79
4. Pennsylvania73
5. Federal66

Workplace rules

An order imposing rules on employers for the workplace itself: screening, distancing, cleaning, notification and exposure protocols as conditions of operating.

3,672 instruments (3,567 files, 2.8 GB)

Most instruments

1. Federal305
2. California231
3. Texas151
4. New York130
5. New Jersey124

Vaccination or testing

An order requiring vaccination or regular testing of workers, patrons or contractors as a condition of operating, entering or working.

671 instruments (639 files, 452 MB)

Most instruments

1. Federal82
2. California74
3. Washington45
4. New York37
5. New Jersey30

Quarantine and isolation

An order requiring people exposed to or infected with COVID-19 to isolate or quarantine, which took workers off the job for the duration.

1,227 instruments (1,193 files, 958 MB)

Most instruments

1. Federal83
2. California67
3. Hawaii60
4. Nebraska46
5. Texas45

Supply chain

An order redirecting, prioritizing or restricting the movement of goods, supplies and shipments, including port, border and freight rules.

347 instruments (342 files, 200 MB)

Most instruments

1. Federal140
2. Texas17
3. New Jersey12
4. Michigan11
5. Washington9

Standing duty

A statute or rule already on the books that made compliance with the orders mandatory and set the penalty for breaking them: the reason nothing was voluntary.

812 instruments (809 files, 377 MB)

Most instruments

1. Nebraska21
2. Massachusetts20
3. New Hampshire20
4. Rhode Island20
5. Texas20

Operating condition

An order allowing a business to operate only on stated conditions: appointments, barriers, spacing, sanitation, capacity logs or reporting.

314 instruments (312 files, 236 MB)

Most instruments

1. West Virginia22
2. Wyoming21
3. Nebraska14
4. Massachusetts13
5. Washington13

Other

An instrument that limited commerce, travel or group meetings in a way the other twenty types do not describe.

2,785 instruments (2,703 files, 1.5 GB)

Most instruments

1. Federal644
2. California167
3. Texas129
4. Florida105
5. New Jersey81