# Free Government, Law and Spending APIs

Page: https://free-web-services.com/web-services/open-data/government/

Government and law APIs give laws and regulations, parliaments and their members, public spending and crime statistics, for example to follow a bill, look up an MP or see where public money goes.

## Services

| Service | API key | Formats | Free use |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Congress.gov API](https://free-web-services.com/web-services/open-data/government/congress-gov-api.md) | Needed, free | JSON, XML | Free with a free api.data.gov key. |
| [FBI Crime Data API](https://free-web-services.com/web-services/open-data/government/fbi-crime-data-api.md) | Needed, free | JSON | Free with a free api.data.gov key. |
| [Federal Register API](https://free-web-services.com/web-services/open-data/government/federal-register-api.md) | Not needed | JSON, CSV | Free, no key needed. |
| [legislation.gov.uk API](https://free-web-services.com/web-services/open-data/government/legislation-gov-uk-api.md) | Not needed | XML, RSS | Free, no key needed. |
| [Police API (data.police.uk)](https://free-web-services.com/web-services/open-data/government/police-api-data-police-uk.md) | Not needed | JSON | Free, no key needed, up to 15 requests a second; the data is under the Open Government Licence. |
| [UK Parliament Members API](https://free-web-services.com/web-services/open-data/government/uk-parliament-members-api.md) | Not needed | JSON | Free, no key needed. |
| [USAspending API](https://free-web-services.com/web-services/open-data/government/usaspending-api.md) | Not needed | JSON | Free, no key needed. |

## Questions

**Which free government, law and spending APIs work without an API key?**  
Federal Register API, legislation.gov.uk API, Police API (data.police.uk), UK Parliament Members API and USAspending API work without a key, according to their documentation. Most keyless services ask you to keep the number of requests reasonable, and some ask for a User-Agent that names your app.

**Are these government, law and spending APIs really free?**  
The services here can be used without paying, at least on a free plan or free tier, often with limits such as a number of requests per day or non-commercial use only. The table above quotes what each service says about its free use; check the provider's own terms before you rely on it.

**How up to date is this list?**  
The address of every service is checked about once a week, and services that stop working or stop being free are removed. This list last changed on November 8th, 2026.