Right to Repair Laws by State: What Product Brands Must Do in 2026

Last updated: October 26, 2026

A customer cracks the screen on a $600 smart display. The independent shop down the street can fix it in 40 minutes, if it can buy the panel, read the service manual and run the calibration tool. In nine US states, a manufacturer that hands those things to its own repair network but not to that shop is now breaking the law. That is what right to repair laws do, and they have moved faster than most product brands noticed.

Five years ago this was an activist slogan. Today, more than a quarter of Americans live in a state with right to repair protections, according to PIRG's count at the start of 2026, and three more electronics laws switched on during 2026 alone. If you sell anything with a circuit board through US retail, at least one of these laws already applies to you.

This guide is for the people who have to make it work: product, support, compliance and operations teams at brands that make electronics and appliances. It covers what the laws actually require, how the states differ, why the warranty side has been illegal for decades, and how to build one repair setup that satisfies every state at once.

What Is Right to Repair, From a Brand's Point of View?

Right to repair is the principle that people who buy a product should be able to get it fixed by whoever they choose: themselves, a neighborhood repair shop or the manufacturer. The consumer version of the story is about freedom and cheaper repairs. The brand version is simpler and more operational:

Whatever you give your authorized repair network, you now have to offer to owners and independent repairers too.

That usually means three things:

1. Documentation. Service manuals, schematics, exploded diagrams, troubleshooting trees, service bulletins and firmware notes.
2. Tools. Physical tools and, increasingly important, software tools: diagnostic apps, calibration utilities and the ability to reset locks after a repair.
3. Parts. Replacement parts, or in some cases assemblies of parts, at a price and on terms that do not make repair pointless.

None of the state laws force you to open a repair network, guarantee that independent repairs will be good, or hand over trade secrets beyond what repair actually requires. They target a narrower and very common pattern: a brand that has all the repair resources, shares them with chosen partners, and withholds them from everyone else.

That pattern is what the Federal Trade Commission looked at in its May 2021 report to Congress, Nixing the Fix. The FTC found "scant evidence" to support most of the justifications manufacturers gave for restricting repair, and in July 2021 the Commission unanimously adopted a policy statement promising more enforcement. The states then did what Congress did not: they wrote it into law.

Right to Repair Laws by State: Where Things Stand in October 2026

There is still no federal right to repair law for consumer electronics. Instead there is a patchwork of state laws, most modeled on the same template ("digital electronic equipment," "fair and reasonable terms," "independent repair provider") but with different dates, thresholds and exemptions.

Here are the consumer electronics and appliance laws that matter for most product brands. Separate laws for wheelchairs, farm equipment and cars exist in several states and are not covered here.

Sources: New York, Minnesota Attorney General, California industry advisory, Oregon Legislature, Colorado, Washington, Connecticut, Texas Legislature, Kansas Legislature.

Three patterns jump out of that table.

First, the lookback dates. Minnesota, California, Colorado and Washington all reach back to products sold from July 1, 2021, and Oregon goes back to 2015 for most electronics. A brand that "will deal with right to repair on the next product line" is already late for products sitting in customers' homes right now.

Second, the dates keep stacking. Colorado and Washington switched on in January 2026, Connecticut in July, Texas in September, and Kansas follows in 2027. More bills are moving every legislative session. Planning state by state means re-planning every six months.

Third, the requirements converge. Strip away the definitions and every law asks for the same three things on the same terms. That is good news: one well-designed repair setup covers all of them.

What Right to Repair Laws Require From Manufacturers

The statutes are written in legal language, but the obligations translate into a fairly concrete list.

1. Documentation on fair and reasonable terms

If your authorized service partners get a service manual, troubleshooting guide, wiring diagram or technical bulletin, owners and independent repairers must be able to get it too. Most laws say "fair and reasonable terms," and Colorado spells out what that means: the most favorable terms you offer an authorized repair provider, at a cost no greater than your suggested retail price.

In practice, documentation is the easiest obligation to meet and the one regulators and repair advocates check first, because it is visible. If your service manual exists only as a PDF emailed to five authorized partners, that is the gap to close.

2. Tools, including software

Physical tools such as pentalobe screwdrivers or pressing jigs can be sold. Software is where brands get caught. Diagnostic apps, calibration utilities, firmware flashers and tools that re-pair a replacement component after installation are all repair tools. Colorado requires software tools to be made available free of charge.

If your field technicians use a dealer portal to run diagnostics, assume that portal, or an equivalent, is in scope.

3. Parts, at prices that make repair possible

You must make replacement parts available to owners and independent shops, on the same terms you give your network. New York's law lets a manufacturer offer an assembly instead of individual components where the risk of improper installation raises the risk of injury, a nod to batteries and high-voltage parts.

California adds a time dimension: parts, tools and documentation must stay available for 3 years after the last date a model was manufactured if its wholesale price is $50 to $99.99, and 7 years if it is $100 or more, regardless of how long your warranty is. For most consumer electronics and appliances, that 7-year clock is the binding constraint on your spare parts planning.

4. Timing after first sale

Some states set a deadline. Minnesota expects resources to be available within 60 days after the first sale of the equipment in the state. Kansas allows up to one year. Launching a product and "publishing repair info later" is a plan with an expiry date.

5. No locks that defeat repair

If your product needs a security reset, a pairing step or an activation code after a part swap, the laws generally expect you to provide what is needed to complete the repair. That leads to the most technical fight in right to repair.

Parts Pairing: The Fight Inside Right to Repair Laws

Parts pairing is the practice of using software to tie a component to one specific device through its serial number. Swap in a genuine screen from another unit and the phone shows an "unknown part" warning, disables a feature such as True Tone or the fingerprint sensor, or refuses to work at all, unless the swap is authorized through the manufacturer's own system.

Manufacturers defend pairing as anti-theft and anti-counterfeit protection. Repair advocates see it as a way to keep a monopoly on repair even after documentation and parts are available. The states are now taking sides:

• Oregon was first. Its law prohibits parts pairing that prevents installation of a replacement part, reduces functionality or causes misleading alerts, for equipment manufactured and sold in Oregon after January 1, 2025. The Attorney General can bring civil actions for violations from July 1, 2027.
• Colorado restricts parts pairing, with exceptions, for equipment first made and sold in the state after January 1, 2026.
• Washington brought in its own restrictions from January 1, 2026: no more "unknown part" pop-ups or degraded features after a working replacement is installed.

For most brands, the practical question is not legal theory. It is whether your engineering team pairs components at all, and if so, whether you can ship a user-facing way to re-pair a part after an independent repair. If the answer is "only through our service tool," that tool is now in scope for the documentation and software obligations above.

The Warranty Side: Magnuson-Moss Already Bans "Warranty Void If Removed"

Here is the part many brands miss: the most visible right to repair violation is not new at all. It has been illegal under federal law since 1975.

The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, at 15 U.S.C. § 2302(c), says no warrantor may condition a written or implied warranty on the consumer using any article or service identified by brand, trade or corporate name, unless that article or service is provided free under the warranty. A manufacturer can get a waiver from the FTC only if the product genuinely works only with the named part and the waiver is in the public interest.

That one sentence rules out a lot of familiar language:

• "Use of non-original parts voids this warranty."
• "Warranty valid only if serviced by an authorized dealer."
• A "warranty void if removed" sticker over screws that owners need to open for routine maintenance.

The FTC has acted on it repeatedly. In July 2024, FTC staff sent warning letters to eight companies: five air purifier and treadmill brands over statements that customers had to use specified parts or service providers to keep their warranties, and three computer hardware makers over "warranty void if removed" stickers placed where they hinder maintenance and repair.

To be clear about what the law does and does not say: you are still allowed to refuse warranty coverage for damage that an independent repair actually caused. What you cannot do is void the whole warranty simply because someone other than you opened the product, or because they used a part that was not yours.

There is a second, quieter warranty rule worth knowing. Under the FTC's rules, a full warranty cannot require the owner to return a registration card as a condition of coverage. Registration is still valuable, for recalls, support and owner relationships, but it has to earn its place rather than being a hidden condition. Our warranty registration guide covers how to make that value exchange work.

If you want a quick audit, search your own warranty terms, packaging, manuals and website FAQ for the words "void," "authorized," "genuine" and "original." Every hit is worth a second look by counsel.

How US Right to Repair Laws Differ From the EU Directive

If you sell in Europe as well, you are dealing with a second, different model. The EU's Right to Repair Directive has applied since July 31, 2026, and it works through product categories that already have EU ecodesign repairability rules, such as smartphones, tablets, washing machines, dishwashers, displays and vacuum cleaners.

The big differences for a brand:

• The EU obliges manufacturers to repair. For covered products, the manufacturer must offer repair at a reasonable price, even outside the legal guarantee. The US state laws mostly oblige you to enable others to repair.
• The EU links repair to product data. EU ecodesign rules and the coming Digital Product Passport put spare parts availability and repair information into a structured, product-level record. The US laws are about access, not format.
• The EU is one rulebook. The US is a patchwork that grows every legislative session.

The good news is the same as before: the work overlaps almost completely. A brand that publishes model-specific repair documentation, parts lists and diagnostic guidance in one place, reachable from the product itself, has done most of the work for both.

The Business Case: Why Brands That Lean In Come Out Ahead

It is easy to see right to repair purely as a cost. The brands handling it best treat it as an after-sales opportunity, for a few reasons.

Repair keeps owners in your ecosystem. An owner who fixes a two-year-old product is still your customer, still using your app, still a candidate for accessories and the next model. An owner who cannot fix it may simply buy a competitor's product.

Public repair content cuts support load. Much of what goes into a service manual (error codes, reset procedures, filter and battery replacements) is exactly what generates "how do I…" tickets. Publishing it to everyone answers those questions before they reach your team. We cover that link in how digital manuals reduce returns.

Parts become a revenue line. Selling parts directly to owners and independent shops, at fair prices, is a business, not just a compliance cost. Brands that already sell filters, batteries and accessories have the logistics in place.

It protects your reputation. Repair restrictions make headlines and draw regulator attention. Being the brand with a clear, public repair page is a far better story than appearing in the next FTC warning letter round.

A Right to Repair Compliance Checklist That Covers Every State

Instead of building nine state-specific programs, build to the strictest common denominator. Here is the checklist we would use.

Step 1: Map your products against the laws

List every model that contains digital electronics and is sold for personal or household use in the US. For each one, record:

• First manufacture date and last manufacture date (or planned end of production).
• Wholesale price band (under $50, $50 to $99.99, $100 and over), which drives California's 3-year or 7-year support periods and the Texas threshold.
• Whether it falls into a common exemption: motor vehicles, medical devices, farm and off-road equipment, game consoles, alarm and security systems, large commercial equipment.
• Which states it is sold in, through any channel, including retail and marketplaces.

Step 2: Inventory your repair resources

For each model, find out what your authorized repair network actually receives today: manuals, schematics, bulletins, diagnostic software, calibration tools, parts catalogs and pricing. This is your legal baseline. In most states, anything on this list has to be available to owners and independent repairers too.

Step 3: Decide what you publish openly and what you sell

Most brands land on a split like this:

• Publish openly: user-level repair guides, troubleshooting steps, error codes, parts lists with part numbers, exploded diagrams, safety warnings and end-of-life information.
• Make available on request or for purchase: professional service manuals, diagnostic software licenses where a fee is allowed, physical tools and parts.
• Gate carefully, with a documented reason: anything with a genuine safety or security justification, such as battery assemblies or security resets. Keep the reason in writing, because "fair and reasonable" will be judged against what your authorized network gets.

Step 4: Fix your parts pairing and software locks

Ask engineering one direct question: can a working replacement part, installed by an owner or independent shop, function fully without your service tool? If not, plan a supported path, such as an owner-facing re-pairing step, especially for products sold in Oregon, Colorado and Washington.

Step 5: Clean up warranty language

Remove anything that conditions coverage on authorized service or original parts, unless those are provided free. Replace "warranty void if removed" stickers with clear guidance on which parts owners can safely service. Keep the right to deny claims for damage an independent repair actually caused.

Step 6: Set your support horizon

California's 7-year clock for products of $100 and up is the practical floor for many brands. Plan spare parts inventory, documentation maintenance and tool support for the full window after a model's last manufacture date, not after the warranty expires.

Step 7: Publish it where people will actually find it

This is where many brands stumble. Repair information buried in a support portal three clicks deep, or sent as a PDF on request, technically exists but helps nobody. Put it on a page for that exact model, reachable from the QR code on the product or its quick-start card, so owners and repairers land on the right manual, parts and steps in one scan.

Step 8: Keep one source of truth

Laws will keep changing. If every state's requirements are met by one product-level repair page, updating that page updates your compliance everywhere. If your repair content lives in six systems, every new law becomes a project.

What to Publish, and Where Owners Will Look for It

A practical repair page for one model usually has five blocks:

1. Identify the product. Model name, model number and, ideally, the serial or batch, so the owner knows the information matches their unit.
2. Repair guides. Step-by-step instructions with photos or diagrams for the common repairs: battery, screen, filters, belts, fans, ports. Mark which repairs are safe for owners and which need a professional.
3. Parts. A parts list with part numbers, availability and where to buy, including through independent channels.
4. Diagnostics. Error codes, troubleshooting trees and any software tools, with download links where they are free.
5. Manuals and documents. The full user manual, service documentation that you make available, safety information and end-of-life or recycling instructions.

The question is where this page lives. A website support section works, but owners rarely start there when something breaks. They look at the product, the box or the quick-start card. That is why a growing number of brands put a QR code on the product or its quick-start card that opens a product page with exactly these blocks.

That is what we built Veribl's right to repair pages to do: one QR code per product opens a page with the repair guides, parts and service information for that model, alongside the digital manuals and warranty details, so updates reach every owner at once instead of waiting for the next print run. The same page can carry the owner's warranty and claims, which ties in neatly with warranty management: when an owner reports a fault, you can see what repairs were attempted and decide coverage fairly.

What Comes Next

Expect three things over the next two years.

More states. Kansas is already scheduled for July 2027, and similar bills are introduced in many legislatures every session. The template is mature, so new laws tend to look like the existing ones, with slightly different dates and exemptions.

Enforcement catching up. Several laws were written with delayed enforcement, such as Oregon's July 1, 2027 date for Attorney General actions. Early on, regulators issue guidance and warnings. Brands that can show a clear, public repair program will be in a far better position than brands that can only show good intentions.

Repair data becoming structured. In Europe, repair information is moving into Digital Product Passports. US laws do not require that yet, but buyers, retailers and repairers increasingly expect repair information to be product-specific, current and machine-readable. Building your repair content as structured data per model, rather than as one big PDF, is the safer long-term bet.

The brands that will find this easy are the ones that treat repair information as part of the product, published from day one, rather than as a document handed out when someone complains.

Common Questions

What is right to repair?

Right to repair is the principle, now written into law in several US states, that owners and independent repair shops should be able to fix the products people buy. For brands, it means offering owners and independent repairers the same parts, tools and documentation your authorized network gets, on fair and reasonable terms.

Which states have right to repair laws for electronics?

As of October 2026, New York, Minnesota, California, Oregon, Colorado, Washington, Connecticut and Texas have consumer electronics laws in force or taking effect during 2026, and Kansas follows for equipment sold from July 1, 2027. Each sets its own dates, scope and exemptions.

Is there a federal right to repair law in the US?

Not for consumer electronics. The federal layer is the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, which bars conditioning a warranty on branded parts or service unless they are free, plus FTC enforcement. The FTC's 2021 "Nixing the Fix" report found scant evidence for most repair restrictions.

What do right to repair laws require manufacturers to provide?

Documentation, diagnostic and repair tools including software, and replacement parts, on fair and reasonable terms, usually no worse than what authorized repairers get. Some states add support periods, deadlines after first sale and limits on parts pairing.

What is parts pairing and where is it banned?

Parts pairing is software that ties a component to one device by serial number, so replacements get rejected, lose features or trigger warnings. Oregon restricts it for equipment made and sold after January 1, 2025, and Colorado and Washington added restrictions from January 1, 2026.

Are "warranty void if removed" stickers legal?

Generally not when they stop owners from routine maintenance or repair. Magnuson-Moss bars conditioning a warranty on a particular brand of parts or service unless it is free, and FTC staff sent warning letters over these stickers in 2024.

Do right to repair laws apply to products already sold?

Depending on the state, yes. Minnesota, California and Colorado reach back to products sold from July 1, 2021, and Oregon to 2015 for most electronics. New York, Connecticut, Texas and Kansas apply only to products first sold after their own effective dates.

How should a brand publish repair information?

Where owners and repairers look first: a product page reached from the QR code on the product or quick-start card, with the guides, parts, diagnostics and manuals for that exact model, kept as one source of truth so updates reach every state at once.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. State laws have detailed definitions and exemptions, so check your specific products with counsel.