Established in 1892, the ULC aims to provide U.S. states (plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands) with well-researched and drafted model acts to bring clarity and stability to critical areas of statutory law across jurisdictions.

The ULC is best known for its work on the landmark Uniform Commercial Code (UCC), drafted in conjunction with the American Law Institute.

[11] The ULC consists of approximately 350 commissioners, each appointed by the government of a U.S. state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands.

In August 1892, the first session of the organization that became the Uniform Law Commission was held at the Grand Union Hotel in Saratoga Springs, New York.

The gathering brought together delegates from seven states: Delaware, Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.

[12] Several commissioners later became Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States: Louis Brandeis, Wiley Blount Rutledge, and William H. Rehnquist.

This project led the ULC to partner with the American Law Institute to create the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC).

In the 1970s, the ULC dedicated an enormous amount of time and effort to the cause of comprehensive reform of U.S. real property law, which then and now varies dramatically from one state to the next.

[14][15][16] However, the Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act (UPHPA), which addresses one of the most pernicious causes of land loss in low-income communities, has been enacted in 24 states as of 2024,[17] and the Farm Bill passed in 2018 changed the law such that farmers in states that enact the UPHPA have increased access to federal loans and federally funded legal assistance.

[20] Proposals for a new uniform act or model act are considered by the Committee on Scope and Program, which welcomes suggestions from the organized bar, state government entities, private interest groups, uniform law commissioners and private individuals.

If a recommendation to create or amend an act is approved, a Drafting Committee is selected and a reporter/drafter – an expert in the field – is hired.

Model acts are designed to serve as a guideline for legislation that states and territories can borrow from or adapt to suit their individual needs and conditions.

The ULC budget is supplemented by publishing royalties and by grants to support specific projects from foundations or the federal government.

Commissioners devote thousands of hours—amounting in some cases to millions of dollars worth of time—to the development of uniform and model acts.