Automatic renewal laws by state
22 states and the District of Columbia have a general automatic renewal law, and 23 more states regulate renewals or cancellation only for certain contracts, such as gym memberships, service contracts or subscriptions bought online. We found no such law in the other 5 states. The table gives each state's citation and main rule, read on its official site. No federal click-to-cancel rule is in force, but the federal Restore Online Shoppers' Confidence Act still applies to online sign-ups.
Last reviewed 10 official sources
Automatic renewal laws in all 50 states and DC
Each citation links to the text on the state's official site, and a state name links to its own page where we have one. Sector only means the state regulates renewals for some contracts, such as gym memberships, but has no general law. For gym contracts, see gym contract cancellation laws by state.
Alabama
- General law
- Sector only
- Citation
- Ala. Code § 8-23-4
- Main rule
- Gym contracts must allow penalty-free cancellation within three days by written notice (8-23-4).
Alaska
- General law
- Sector only
- Citation
- AS 45.45.920, 45.45.930
- Main rule
- Free trials need clear terms and consent, and you can cancel any time during the trial.
Arizona
- General law
- Sector only
- Citation
- Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 44-1793
- Main rule
- Gym contracts can be cancelled by mail, hand delivery, email or the gym's website (ARS 44-1793).
Arkansas
- General law
- Yes
- Citation
- Ark. Code § 4-86-112
- Main rule
- If you signed up online you must be able to cancel online, and every business must offer a cancel path in the same medium.
California
- General law
- Yes
- Main rule
- If you signed up online, the business must let you cancel online at will, with a direct link, button or ready-made email.
Colorado
- General law
- Yes
- Citation
- C.R.S. § 6-1-732
- Main rule
- If you signed up online, the seller must give you a one-step online cancellation link, available right after login.
Connecticut
- General law
- Yes
- Citation
- Conn. Gen. Stat. § 42-158ff
- Main rule
- Online sign-ups must be cancellable online, and since July 1, 2026 you get an annual reminder before renewals.
Delaware
- General law
- Yes
- Citation
- 6 Del. C. §§ 2731-2737
- Main rule
- Online contracts must be cancellable online, and longer renewals need a notice 30 to 60 days before the cancel deadline.
District of Columbia
- General law
- Yes
- Citation
- D.C. Code §§ 28A-201 et seq.
- Main rule
- Yearly contracts need a renewal notice 30-60 days before the deadline, and emailed notices must include a link to cancel.
Florida
- General law
- Sector only
- Citation
- Fla. Stat. § 501.165
- Main rule
- Service contracts must let you cancel the same way you signed up; breaking the rules voids the renewal clause.
Georgia
- General law
- Sector only
- Main rule
- Subscriptions accepted online must be cancellable online, and a renewal notice is due before or within 3 days after charging.
Hawaii
- General law
- Yes
- Citation
- Haw. Rev. Stat. § 481-9.5
- Main rule
- Sellers must offer a toll-free number, email, postal address or other easy cancel route; 1-year contracts get a 30-60 day notice.
Idaho
- General law
- Sector only
- Citation
- Idaho Code § 48-603G
- Main rule
- Subscriptions bought online must be cancellable online at no extra fee; 12-month renewals need notice 30-60 days ahead.
Illinois
- General law
- Yes
- Citation
- 815 ILCS 601
- Main rule
- If you signed up online you must be able to cancel online; yearly contracts need a reminder 30-60 days before the deadline.
Indiana
- General law
- Sector only
- Citation
- Ind. Code ch. 24-5-7
- Main rule
- A gym (health spa) contract can be cancelled in writing within 3 full business days of signing.
Iowa
- General law
- Sector only
- Citation
- Iowa Code § 552.8
- Main rule
- Gym and exercise club contracts may not auto-renew and are capped at 36 months.
Kansas
- General law
- None found
- Citation
- None found
- Main rule
- No general automatic renewal law found; K.S.A. 50-617 treats unordered goods or services as a gift.
Kentucky
- General law
- Yes
- Citation
- KRS 365.400 to 365.408
- Main rule
- If you accepted a subscription online, the business must let you cancel it online, for example by a ready-made email.
Louisiana
- General law
- Yes
- Citation
- La. R.S. 9:2716
- Main rule
- Contracts must clearly say they auto-renew and how to cancel; from 2027 larger firms must offer online, email or phone cancelling.
Maine
- General law
- Sector only
- Citation
- 10 M.R.S. §§ 1210-C, 1210-D
- Main rule
- Online subscriptions and gyms must let you cancel the same way you signed up, after clear terms and your express consent.
Maryland
- General law
- Yes
- Citation
- Md. Code, Com. Law § 14-1329
- Main rule
- Cancelling must be as easy as signing up, in the same medium, and must stop recurring charges immediately.
Massachusetts
- General law
- Yes
- Citation
- 940 CMR 38.00
- Main rule
- Cancelling must be as easy as signing up and use the same medium; longer plans need a reminder 5 to 30 days before the deadline.
Michigan
- General law
- None found
- Citation
- None found
- Main rule
- No general automatic renewal law; renewal bills (HB 4826, SB 535) are pending in committee in the 2025-2026 session.
Minnesota
- General law
- Yes
- Citation
- Minn. Stat. §§ 325G.56-325G.62
- Main rule
- Cancelling must be as easy as signing up, and sellers with account websites must offer an online cancel option.
Mississippi
- General law
- Sector only
- Citation
- Miss. Code Ann. § 75-83-5
- Main rule
- Gym members may cancel in writing within five business days (Miss. Code 75-83-5).
Missouri
- General law
- Sector only
- Citation
- RSMo § 407.675
- Main rule
- Buyers club contracts may not auto-renew and are capped at 24 months.
Montana
- General law
- None found
- Citation
- None found
- Main rule
- No general automatic renewal law found in Montana's consumer protection statutes (MCA Title 30, chapter 14).
Nebraska
- General law
- None found
- Citation
- None found
- Main rule
- No general automatic renewal law; the 2023 Automatic Renewal Limitation Act bill (LB132) was postponed in 2024.
Nevada
- General law
- Sector only
- Citation
- NRS 598.948, 598.950
- Main rule
- Gym and dance studio contracts may not auto-renew and can be cancelled within 3 business days.
New Hampshire
- General law
- Sector only
- Citation
- RSA 358-I:5
- Main rule
- Gym contracts last at most a year, cannot auto-renew past a month, renewals need written OK.
New Jersey
- General law
- Sector only
- Citation
- N.J.S.A. 56:12-95.5, 56:8-42.1
- Main rule
- Service contracts need a 30-60 day renewal notice and online gym memberships need online cancel.
New Mexico
- General law
- Yes
- Citation
- 12.2.11 NMAC
- Main rule
- Auto-renewing service contracts need a 30-60 day cancel notice, and written cancellations by fax, mail or email must be honored.
New York
- General law
- Yes
- Citation
- N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law §§ 527, 527-a
- Main rule
- Cancelling must be as easy as signing up and in the same medium; in-person sign-ups must also cancel online or by phone.
North Carolina
- General law
- Yes
- Citation
- N.C. Gen. Stat. § 75-41
- Main rule
- The contract must clearly say how to cancel, and renewals over 60 days need written notice 15 to 45 days ahead.
North Dakota
- General law
- Yes
- Citation
- N.D. Cent. Code ch. 51-37
- Main rule
- Sellers must offer a simple, cost-effective way to cancel; renewals over six months need notice 30 to 60 days before renewal.
Ohio
- General law
- Sector only
- Main rule
- Gym and dance contracts can be cancelled within 3 business days by mail, email, fax or delivery.
Oklahoma
- General law
- Sector only
- Citation
- Okla. Stat. tit. 59, § 2004
- Main rule
- Gym contracts are cancelled in writing by certified mail or personal delivery (59 O.S. 2004).
Oregon
- General law
- Yes
- Citation
- ORS 646A.292-646A.295
- Main rule
- Sellers must offer a toll-free number, email, postal address or other easy way to cancel, described in your confirmation.
Pennsylvania
- General law
- Sector only
- Citation
- Health Club Act (Act 87 of 1989)
- Main rule
- Gym contracts cannot auto-renew unless you accept the renewal at the end of each term.
Rhode Island
- General law
- Sector only
- Citation
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 6-13-14
- Main rule
- Gym members can cancel in person, by email or by mail within 10 business days of signing.
South Carolina
- General law
- Yes
- Citation
- S.C. Code § 37-6-120
- Main rule
- Auto-renewing consumer service contracts are unenforceable unless you get a notice 30-60 days before the cancellation deadline.
South Dakota
- General law
- Sector only
- Citation
- S.D. Codified Laws § 49-31-116
- Main rule
- Phone/telecom contracts of a year or more need renewal notice 30 to 60 days ahead (49-31-116).
Tennessee
- General law
- Yes
- Citation
- Tenn. Code Ann. § 47-18-133
- Main rule
- If you signed up online you must be able to cancel online; sellers must also offer a phone, email, postal or other easy way.
Texas
- General law
- Sector only
- Citation
- Tex. Occ. Code ch. 702
- Main rule
- Health spa members can cancel for a full refund by certified mail within 3 business days.
Utah
- General law
- Yes
- Citation
- Utah Code ch. 13-70
- Main rule
- Sellers must notify you 30 to 60 days before a paid term renews, listing the date, total cost and how to cancel.
Vermont
- General law
- Yes
- Citation
- 9 V.S.A. § 2454a
- Main rule
- Contracts of a year or more cannot auto-renew without your separate opt-in; online sign-ups must be cancellable online.
Virginia
- General law
- Yes
- Main rule
- Cancelling must be as easy as signing up, through every sign-up channel, and you cannot be forced to talk to an agent.
Washington
- General law
- Sector only
- Citation
- RCW ch. 19.142
- Main rule
- Gym contracts over one year can be cancelled for any reason on 30 days' written notice.
West Virginia
- General law
- Sector only
- Citation
- W. Va. Code St. R. § 142-13
- Main rule
- Gym members may cancel in writing before the fourth business day after signing (142 CSR 13).
Wisconsin
- General law
- Sector only
- Citation
- Wis. Admin. Code ATCP 123.08
- Main rule
- Telecom, cable and internet renewals need a 30-60 day reminder unless cancellable anytime.
Wyoming
- General law
- None found
- Citation
- None found
- Main rule
- No general automatic renewal law and no gym-contract statute found; no renewal bill was filed in 2025 or 2026.
What state automatic renewal laws require
The general laws follow a common pattern, although the details and the time windows differ from state to state. Most of them ask a business that sells a subscription or membership that renews on its own to do five things.
- Show the terms before you agree. The renewal terms must appear clearly and conspicuously before you are bound, close to the place where you give consent, as California § 17602 requires.
- Get your consent before the first charge. Illinois bars a business from charging your card for an automatic renewal without first obtaining your consent (815 ILCS 601).
- Send a confirmation you can keep, with the cancellation policy and the steps to cancel. In Minnesota, unless you signed up by toll-free phone, email or post, one of the cancellation options must be as easy to use as the way you signed up (Minn. Stat. § 325G.57).
- Remind you before some renewals. Common windows are 15 to 45 days before a yearly renewal (California, Arkansas, Maryland) and 30 to 60 days before the cancellation deadline or the renewal (Illinois, Vermont, Delaware, the District of Columbia).
- Let you cancel the way you signed up. New York requires a cancellation mechanism as easy to use as the one you used to consent (N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law § 527-a), Virginia bars making you talk to an agent to cancel (Va. Code § 59.1-207.46), and Colorado requires a one-step online cancellation link for online sign-ups (Senate Bill 25-145).
These rules matter most for the subscriptions people most often try to leave: streaming services, software subscriptions, news and magazine subscriptions and gym memberships. Each company guide shows how that company takes cancellations and where to write to it.
Several laws are new or changed recently. Arkansas's law took effect on August 5, 2025, Maryland's on June 1, 2026, and amendments in Connecticut and Virginia on July 1, 2026. Utah's Automatic Renewal Contracts Act has applied since January 1, 2025, and New York's amendments since November 2025. Louisiana's Click-to-Cancel Act is enacted but takes effect only on January 1, 2027.
States that regulate only some contracts
23 states have no general automatic renewal law but regulate renewals or cancellation for particular contracts. Most of these are gym and health club laws. Pennsylvania, Iowa, Nevada and New Hampshire bar or limit automatic renewal clauses in gym contracts, and many other states give a short window to cancel a new gym contract in writing.
The rest cover service contracts (Florida, New Jersey), subscriptions bought online (Georgia and Idaho, and Maine for listed online services and health clubs), free trials (Alaska), buyers clubs (Missouri) or phone and internet contracts (South Dakota, Wisconsin). If your contract falls outside the sector, the contract terms and federal law decide how you cancel.
For a gym membership, start with the gym cancellation guides, for example Planet Fitness. For home security and phone, TV and internet contracts, look for the renewal notice the law requires and the cancellation steps it must list.
In the 5 states where we found no law on renewals (Kansas, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska and Wyoming), your contract and federal law set the rules. Michigan had renewal bills in committee when we checked; a bill is not law until it is enacted.
Federal rules: ROSCA and the FTC click-to-cancel rule
Restore Online Shoppers' Confidence Act, 15 U.S.C. § 8403
Source: 15 U.S.C. § 8403, Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act (GPO)
- Applies to goods or services sold on the internet through a negative option feature, such as an automatic renewal.
- The seller must clearly disclose all material terms before taking your billing information, get your express informed consent before charging you, and provide simple mechanisms for you to stop recurring charges.
In October 2024 the FTC announced amendments to its Negative Option Rule, widely called the click-to-cancel rule. On July 8, 2025, the Eighth Circuit held that the FTC had skipped a required step in its rulemaking and vacated the amended rule (Custom Communications, Inc. v. FTC, No. 24-3137).
On February 12, 2026 the FTC published a rule restoring the Negative Option Rule to its text before the 2024 amendments, which covers prenotification plans only. On March 11, 2026 it announced an advance notice of proposed rulemaking asking whether to amend the rule, with comments due April 13, 2026 (FTC). On the review date, the FTC's Negative Option Rule page showed no proposed or final rule after that notice.
There is no federal click-to-cancel rule in force today. Your tools are the federal online-sales law above, your card issuer's dispute process and the law of your state. Our guide to the FTC click-to-cancel rule covers the federal side in detail.
How to use your state's law when you cancel
Find your state and its rule
Look up your state in the table above. Where a state has its own page, it lists what the law requires point by point, with the key phrases quoted from the official text.
Cancel the way the law protects
Most general laws protect the route you used to sign up, and many require an online option for online sign-ups. Use that route first and save the confirmation screen or email.
Put it in writing and keep the proof
Send your cancellation so it arrives before the renewal or the deadline in your reminder, and keep the delivery record. Our guide to certified mail for cancellations explains what each record proves, and the cancellation letter template lays out the letter.
Point to the rule if you are blocked
If a business refuses your cancellation or keeps charging you, quote the section that applies in your follow-up and in any complaint to your state attorney general, and see what to do if a company keeps charging you.
To find the last safe day to post a letter before a renewal, use the cancellation deadline calculator.
How we checked each state
For every state we read the current text of each statute or regulation on the state's own legislature, code or agency site on October 27, 2026, and checked the citation, the time windows and the cancellation rules against that text. A bill that has not been enacted is not listed as law, and a law that is enacted but not yet in force says so.
None found means a search of the state's official code turned up no law on automatic renewals or membership cancellations. It is not a promise that no rule exists, and most states also have a general consumer protection law against unfair or deceptive practices. Laws change, so check the linked text again if your contract renews some time from now.
Send your cancellation by certified mail
Tell us the company you want to leave. We write a formal cancellation letter, mail it by certified mail the next business day and send you the delivery proof.
Sources
Official pages we read on the review date.
- California Business and Professions Code § 17602 (California Legislative Information)
- Illinois Automatic Contract Renewal Act, 815 ILCS 601 (Illinois General Assembly)
- Minnesota Statutes § 325G.57 (Minnesota Revisor of Statutes)
- New York General Business Law § 527-a (New York State Senate)
- Code of Virginia § 59.1-207.46 (Virginia Law)
- Colorado Senate Bill 25-145, online cancellation of automatic renewal contracts (Colorado General Assembly)
- 15 U.S.C. § 8403, Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act (GPO)
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, Custom Communications, Inc. v. FTC, No. 24-3137 (July 8, 2025)
- FTC press release, March 11, 2026: advance notice of proposed rulemaking on negative option marketing
- FTC: Negative Option Rule (rule page and Federal Register notices)
This is general information, not legal advice.
Related guides
The FTC click-to-cancel rule: status and what still applies
What the FTC click-to-cancel amendment required, why a court struck it down and which laws still apply to cancelling.
How to stop an automatic renewal
The practical sequence for stopping a plan that renews on its own, and what to do if it charges you anyway.
What to do if a company keeps charging you after you cancel
Your proof, a letter to the company, a billing dispute with your card issuer within 60 days, and where to complain.
How to cancel a subscription by mail
Who to write to, what to say and how to send a letter that leaves a dated record of your request.
Questions readers ask next
Cancellation guides for companies
Each company guide shows how the company takes cancellations and the mailing address we hold for it.
