Legal Definitions - prospective law

A prospective law is a legal rule or statute that applies only to events, actions, or circumstances that occur after the law has officially taken effect. It does not reach back in time to alter the legal consequences of things that happened before its enactment. In essence, it looks forward, governing future conduct rather than past conduct.

• Example 1: New Building Codes

  A city council passes a new ordinance requiring all newly constructed commercial buildings, starting six months from now, to include specific energy-efficient insulation and solar panels. Buildings for which construction permits were issued before this six-month grace period are not subject to these new requirements.

  Illustration: This is a prospective law because it only applies to buildings constructed or permitted *after* the specified future date. Existing buildings or those already under construction according to older permits are not retroactively forced to comply with the new energy standards. The law governs future construction projects, not past ones.

• Example 2: Changes to Professional Licensing

  A state board for medical professionals enacts a new rule stating that, effective next year, all new applicants for a medical license must complete an additional 100 hours of specialized training in telemedicine. Individuals who already hold a license or whose applications were submitted before the effective date are not required to meet this new training standard.

  Illustration: This law is prospective because it only affects individuals applying for a license *from the next year onward*. It does not invalidate the licenses of current practitioners or change the requirements for applications already in progress under the old rules. The law looks to future applicants.

• Example 3: Consumer Product Safety Standards

  A federal agency introduces a new safety regulation requiring all children's toys manufactured or imported into the country after January 1st of the upcoming year to be made from a specific non-toxic, biodegradable plastic. Toys already in warehouses or on store shelves that were produced before this date are still legal to sell.

  Illustration: This is a prospective law because it applies only to toys produced or brought into the country *after* the specified future date. It does not require a recall or ban on existing inventory that met older standards. The law sets a new standard for future manufacturing and importation, not past production.