Automatic renewal rules in Iowa

Each point below comes from the text on Iowa's official legislature or code site, read on the review date. The full text has definitions and exceptions, so open it before you rely on one point.

What the text says, word for word:

• “A physical exercise club contract shall not contain an automatic renewal clause.” (Iowa Code § 552.8)
• “A physical exercise club contract shall not have a duration longer than thirty-six months.” (Iowa Code § 552.8)
• “You may cancel this transaction within three business days from the above date.” (Iowa Code § 552.5(2)(a))
• “To cancel this transaction, send, or deliver a signed and dated copy of this cancellation notice or any other written notice by certified or registered mail” (Iowa Code § 552.5(2)(a))

To find the cancellation route and mailing address of the business you are leaving, start with Gym memberships, Planet Fitness, LA Fitness and Crunch Fitness.

1. 1

   Check how you signed up

   Find the email or contract that confirmed the subscription and note the next renewal date, so you know how much time you have.

2. 2

   Cancel through the protected channel

   Exercise club contracts cannot renew automatically. Within three business days of signing, a buyer may cancel by sending a signed written cancellation notice by certified or registered mail to the club address in the contract. Keep whatever confirmation the business gives you.

3. 3

   Send a written notice you can prove

   Iowa Code § 552.8 covers only gym and exercise club contracts, so cite it only if your contract is one of them. Write to the business, cite Iowa Code § 552.8 and ask for written confirmation. You can build the letter with the free letter template.

4. 4

   If you are billed again

   Reply with your proof and the citation, ask for a refund, and if that fails, dispute the charge with your bank. See what to do when a company keeps charging you.

Where no statute sets the route, many contracts ask for written notice. A mailed letter with a delivery record proves the date your notice arrived, and it is the route of last resort when an online or phone cancellation fails.

See certified mail for cancellations for the proof each mail service gives you.

The federal Restore Online Shoppers' Confidence Act requires online sellers using automatic renewals to provide simple mechanisms to stop recurring charges. The FTC's 2024 click-to-cancel amendments are not in force: on July 8, 2025 the Eighth Circuit vacated them (Custom Communications, Inc. v. FTC, No. 24-3137), on February 12, 2026, in a rule effective that day, the FTC recodified its Negative Option Rule "as it existed before the effective date" of the 2024 amendments (91 FR 6507), and on March 13, 2026 it asked for public comment on "the need for amendments" (91 FR 12318). Our state-by-state overview and the FTC click-to-cancel guide have the details.