Automatic renewal rules in Ohio

We read Ohio Rev. Code §§ 1345.41-1345.50 on the state's official site and list what it requires below. A summary leaves out detail; the linked text is the authority.

What the text says, word for word:

• “The buyer shall deliver the notice by manual delivery, personal delivery, or by certified mail delivery, return receipt requested, electronic mail, or facsimile transmission.” (ORC 1345.43)
• “Notice of cancellation need not take a particular form and is sufficient if it indicates, by any form of written expression, the intention of the buyer not to be bound by the contract.” (ORC 1345.43)
• “notify customers of such expiration at least forty-five calendar days, but not more than ninety calendar days, in advance of the contract expiration date” (OAC 4901:1-21-11(F)(2))
• “state that the customer contract will renew at the specified rate unless the customer affirmatively cancels the contract” (OAC 4901:1-21-11(F)(2))

Our company guides show how each business takes cancellations and where to write, for example Gym memberships, Planet Fitness, LA Fitness and Crunch Fitness.

1. 1

   Note how and when you agreed

   Write down the date you signed up, how you did it and when the next charge is due. Those three facts decide which rule above applies to you.

2. 2

   Use the cancellation route the law protects

   Health spa, dance, martial arts and dating-service contracts may be cancelled until midnight of the third business day after first service is available (seventh if not yet open) by written notice delivered by hand, certified mail, email or fax. Auto-renewing energy supply contracts require a 45 to 90 day notice explaining how to cancel. Take a screenshot or keep the email that confirms it.

3. 3

   Put it in writing as well

   Ohio Rev. Code §§ 1345.41-1345.50 covers only gym, dance, martial arts and dating service contracts, so cite it only if your contract is one of them. Write to the business, cite Ohio Rev. Code §§ 1345.41-1345.50 and ask for written confirmation. You can build the letter with the free letter template.

4. 4

   If the charges continue

   Show the business your proof and the statute, then dispute the charge with your card issuer. What to do if a company keeps charging you walks through it.

Outside gym, dance, martial arts and dating service contracts, Ohio law sets no special cancellation route, so your contract's terms apply. A letter sent with tracking adds what an online click often lacks: a dated, third-party record that you asked to cancel, which card issuers and state consumer offices can check.

Certified mail for cancellations explains what each delivery record proves.

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.