The following rules of interpretation apply to resolutions adopted by the Council, laws enacted by the Council, and the County Charter: (a) Bold face. A word has no legal significance solely because it appears in bold face. Bold face indicates that the term is defined or is a heading. (b) How to compute periods measured in months. If a period of time is measured in months, the period begins and ends at 12:01 a.m. on the same number day of a month. However, if there are not enough days in the final month for this to be possible, the period ends on the final day of the final month. (c) How to compute deadlines. If the Charter or Code or a resolution requires or allows a person to perform an act within a specific time period measured in days, the person must compute the deadline in the following manner: (1) Count the day after the event as the first day of the period, if the period follows an event. (2) Count the remaining number of days in the period. However, if the period is 7 days or less, omit Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays. (3) Do not count the last day if it is a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday or if the office where the person must file a paper or perform an act is not open during the regular hours of that office. (d) Requirements to act by a specific date. If the Charter or Code or a resolution requires or allows a person to perform an act by a specific date, but the specific date is a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, the person may perform the act on the next day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday. (e) Signatures. The signature of a person may be the actual signature of the person or a mark that the person has authorized. (f) Singular and plural. The singular includes the plural and the plural includes the singular. (g) Tense. The present tense includes the future tense. (h) Title of sections. Titles and captions are not part of the Charter or Code or a resolution. They only advise the reader of the content of each provision.

(a) General meanings of terms. Unless another meaning is given, in laws enacted by the Council in legislative session the following words have the meanings indicated: (1) “Class A violation,” “class B violation,” “class C violation” mean the 3 classes of violations of county laws, ordinances, and regulations. These classes are described in section 1-19 of the Code. (2) “Holiday” means: (A) a day specifically designated as a holiday under the County personnel regulations; and (B) any other days that the Chief Administrative Officer designates as a special holiday or substitute holiday under the personnel regulations. (3) “Method (1),” “method (2),” “method (3)” mean the 3 procedures used to adopt and review executive regulations. These methods are prescribed in Section 2A-15 of the Code. (4) “Oath” means a statement that a person makes under penalty of law. (5) “Person” means an individual or legal entity. (b) Exceptions to general meanings. A word has a meaning that is different from its definition in subsection (a) of this section if: (1) the context clearly indicates that the meaning in this section is not appropriate; or (2) this Code contains another definition for the word in a specific context.

If a law refers to a written document, the law includes any document that can be read by a person or a machine. However, if the purpose of the law is to give notice, the document should be in a form that the general public can read easily.

All references in the Code to a chapter, section, or subsection refer to parts of this Code, unless the context indicates otherwise.