Auto-Renewal Law Compliance Checker
Sell subscriptions, memberships, or any plan that renews automatically? Answer 10 quick questions about your checkout, consent, and cancellation flow — get an instant risk report measured against California's auto-renewal law, other US state laws, and federal ROSCA rules. Free, no sign-up, runs entirely in your browser.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a federal click-to-cancel law in the US?
Not currently. The FTC finalized a federal "click-to-cancel" (Negative Option) rule in October 2024, but the US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit vacated it in July 2025 on procedural grounds. The FTC began a replacement rulemaking in early 2026, but as of October 2026 no new federal rule had been finalized. State auto-renewal laws, ROSCA, and Section 5 of the FTC Act still apply.
Which state law should subscription businesses worry about most?
California's. Assembly Bill 2863 amended the state's Automatic Renewal Law effective July 1, 2025, and it sets the strictest standard: express affirmative consent (no pre-checked boxes), consent records kept for at least 3 years, and cancellation through the same medium the customer used to sign up — online signup means a prominently placed online cancel option.
How many states have auto-renewal laws?
About 30 states now have some form of automatic-renewal or click-to-cancel legislation, and the patchwork keeps growing — new or amended laws took effect in 2026 in Colorado, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, and Virginia, and New York City's click-to-cancel rule took effect in October 2026. Notice windows vary (for example, 15–45 days before the cancellation deadline in New York, 30–60 days in Florida).
What are the penalties for violating auto-renewal laws?
Under ROSCA, federal penalties can reach about $50,120 per violation. States impose their own penalties on top, and California's ARL in particular has driven numerous consumer class actions. Beyond fines, deceptive cancellation flows routinely generate chargebacks and reputational damage.
Do these rules apply to B2B subscriptions, or only consumers?
Don't assume B2B is exempt. The vacated FTC rule covered business customers too, ROSCA and FTC Act enforcement can reach B2B negative-option practices, and Colorado expanded its online cancellation law to business-to-business subscriptions in February 2026.
Is this checker legal advice?
No. It's an educational self-assessment based on publicly reported summaries of the law as of October 2026. Laws change and every business's situation differs — consult a licensed attorney before making compliance decisions.