U.S. Consumer Product Warranty Law: An Official-Source Overview

Scope and how to read this page

This is an informational source summary for warranty support teams. It is not a legal opinion, a fifty-state survey for a particular offering, or a statement that a seller, warranty, service contract, or product complies with law.

The summaries below identify the cited authority and its general subject. Statutes, regulations, agency guidance, product definitions, exceptions, thresholds, effective dates, and enforcement positions can change. The linked official source controls over this page.

• A written warranty, an implied warranty, a separately paid service contract, a return policy, and an insurance product are not interchangeable terms.
• Federal warranty rules and state contract or consumer-protection rules can apply to the same transaction.
• Product-safety, labeling, energy, radio-frequency, battery, connected-device, repair, and recycling rules are separate from the written warranty itself.
• MyCover.me is support software. The seller, warrantor, service-contract provider, manufacturer, importer, or other named party remains responsible for its own promises and legal obligations.

Federal written-warranty rules

The Federal Trade Commission explains that the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act does not require a business to provide a written warranty. When a supplier chooses to provide a written warranty on a consumer product, the Act and FTC warranty rules can govern the content, designation, disclosure, and performance of that warranty.

The FTC guide states that written warranties on consumer products costing more than $10 must be designated as either full or limited. The FTC disclosure rule addresses the information that must appear in a written warranty and requires the terms to be presented in a single, clear, and readily understood document.

The FTC pre-sale availability rule applies to written warranties on consumer products costing more than $15 and requires the warranty text to be available to the consumer before purchase. The rule includes provisions for catalog, mail-order, and electronic sales.

The FTC also explains that a supplier that offers a written warranty generally may not disclaim implied warranties. A limited written warranty may limit the duration of implied warranties when the limitation is reasonable, clear, prominent, and permitted by applicable state law.

The Act generally prohibits conditioning warranty coverage on the consumer's use of a named article or service unless it is provided without charge or the FTC grants a waiver. The FTC has separately warned companies about warranty language that restricts consumers' right to use independent repair or third-party parts.

State warranty and consumer-law layer

State law can govern implied warranties, disclaimers, privity, remedies, limitations periods, damages, used goods, and state consumer-protection claims. The FTC guide notes that state warranty law varies and directs businesses to state authorities or counsel for state-specific questions.

Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 106, Section 2-316A addresses limitations on excluding or modifying implied warranties or consumer remedies. Washington's version of UCC Section 2-316 addresses exclusion or modification of warranties and contains consumer-transaction provisions. Maine's Office of the Attorney General publishes state consumer guidance concerning express and implied warranties.

Louisiana Civil Code Article 2520 defines a seller's warranty against redhibitory defects. Article 2534 addresses the time for actions arising from such defects. This is a distinct state-law framework rather than a single nationwide warranty rule.

California consumer-goods warranty provisions

California's Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act contains state requirements for express warranties on consumer goods. Civil Code Section 1793.2 addresses service and repair facilities, repair completion, delivery of goods for service, and replacement or restitution when the manufacturer or its representative cannot service or repair the goods after a reasonable number of attempts.

Section 1793.1 addresses warranty registration cards and states that failure to return the card does not relieve the manufacturer of obligations under an express warranty, although the manufacturer may require reasonable proof of purchase.

Section 1793.03 contains service-literature and replacement-parts availability provisions for specified electronic and appliance products, with different periods based on the product's wholesale price. Section 1795.5 contains provisions concerning used consumer goods sold at retail.

Separately paid service contracts and extended coverage

The FTC guide distinguishes a warranty included with a product from a service contract that a consumer may purchase separately. A marketing label such as “extended warranty” does not by itself state which legal framework applies.

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners publishes a state chart for service contracts, motor clubs, and other extended warranties. The chart records differing state approaches and model-law activity; it does not present one uniform nationwide registration system.

California's Bureau of Household Goods and Services, the New York Department of Financial Services, the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, and the Arkansas Insurance Department each publish state-specific information for service-contract providers. The responsible regulator, registration requirements, contract rules, and financial-responsibility framework depend on the state and the structure of the offering.

Repair restrictions and state right-to-repair laws

The FTC has stated that warranty language tying coverage to branded parts or authorized service can violate federal warranty law unless a statutory exception or FTC waiver applies. Damage caused by a third-party part or service is a separate question from a blanket statement that any independent repair voids the entire warranty.

As of the official sources reviewed on September 9, 2026, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Texas, and Washington had enacted broad consumer-electronics or digital-equipment repair statutes with operative requirements. Kansas had enacted legislation with product applicability tied to products first sold in the state on or after July 1, 2027.

The covered products, excluded products, manufacturer or seller definitions, price thresholds, sale or manufacture dates, parts-pairing rules, security exceptions, and required repair resources differ among the cited state laws. The statute for the relevant state and product must be reviewed directly.

Furniture, mattresses, and children's products

Warranty rules are separate from product-safety rules. The Consumer Product Safety Commission publishes guidance under the Flammable Fabrics Act for covered fabrics and products, federal requirements for mattresses and mattress sets, and a mandatory safety standard for clothing storage units.

CPSC also publishes category-specific requirements for durable infant or toddler products. Covered children's products can be subject to third-party testing, Children's Product Certificates, tracking labels, product-registration requirements, and product-specific safety standards.

The Environmental Protection Agency administers federal formaldehyde emission standards for composite wood products under Title VI of the Toxic Substances Control Act. California and other states can also maintain licensing or labeling programs for upholstered furniture, bedding, or related products.

Major appliances and EnergyGuide information

The FTC's Energy Labeling Rule covers specified appliance categories. The FTC's manufacturer FAQ explains labeling obligations and the presentation of EnergyGuide information for covered products, including online and catalog sales contexts.

The Department of Energy administers energy-conservation standards and certification, compliance, and enforcement programs for covered products and equipment. These requirements are separate from the manufacturer's or seller's written warranty.

A washer, refrigerator, dishwasher, water heater, room air conditioner, or other appliance can therefore involve warranty terms, state warranty law, product-safety obligations, EnergyGuide requirements, DOE standards, and service or repair rules at the same time.

Consumer electronics, batteries, and connected products

Federal Communications Commission rules restrict the marketing of radio-frequency devices before the applicable equipment-authorization requirements are satisfied. The warranty does not replace equipment authorization or labeling obligations.

CPSC's button-cell and coin-battery guidance summarizes federal performance and labeling requirements for products containing or designed to use those batteries. Product safety, certification, warnings, and recall obligations remain separate from warranty service.

The EPA identifies state electronics-stewardship programs and notes that state requirements differ. California separately administers a covered electronic-waste recycling program.

California Civil Code Section 1798.91.04 and Oregon Revised Statutes Chapter 646A contain security provisions for connected devices. Hardware warranty duration and connected-device security obligations are separate subjects.

Safety certificates, recalls, and hazard reporting

CPSC explains that manufacturers and importers of products subject to an applicable consumer-product safety rule must issue the required General Certificate of Conformity or Children's Product Certificate. The required certificate depends on the product and applicable rule.

CPSC publishes information for businesses concerning the prohibition on selling recalled products. CPSC also publishes materials on reporting under Section 15(b) of the Consumer Product Safety Act. These subjects are product-safety obligations and are not resolved by accepting or denying a warranty request.

What this means for MyCover.me

MyCover.me records products, purchase context, coverage information, customer support requests, messages, evidence, and seller-selected resolutions. It can display the issuer, source, policy version, coverage dates, and verification provenance supplied through the seller's workflow.

MyCover.me does not issue a legal opinion, certify a seller or product as compliant, determine whether a service contract is licensed, act as the coverage issuer merely by hosting a support workflow, or replace the current statute, regulator, or qualified counsel.

A MyCover.me policy check reflects the seller's configured policy and available records. It is not a conclusion about statutory rights and does not automatically reject a customer request.