California Automatic Renewal Law: What It Requires and How to Use It

This is a consumer guide, not legal advice. Whether the law applies to you depends on your facts, where you live and what the business sells. The statute text below was read on leginfo.legislature.ca.gov on November 5, 2026, and the quotations are copied from it.

What does California's automatic renewal law actually say?

The core rule is in Business and Professions Code section 17602. Subdivision (a) lists what is unlawful for a business that makes an automatic renewal offer or continuous service offer to a consumer in California. Four of those items matter most when you are disputing a charge:

• Terms must be visible at the moment of the sale. The business must present the offer terms "in a clear and conspicuous manner before the subscription or purchasing agreement is fulfilled and in visual proximity" to the request for consent. For free trials, it must clearly explain the price that will be charged after the trial ends.
• No charge without consent. It is unlawful to "charge the consumer's credit or debit card, or the consumer's account with a third party, for an automatic renewal or continuous service without first obtaining the consumer's affirmative consent." That covers promotional or discounted prices that later change.
• An acknowledgment you can keep. The business must give you an acknowledgment that includes the offer terms, the cancellation policy and how to cancel, "in a manner that is capable of being retained by the consumer."
• No misrepresentation. It is unlawful to "misrepresent, expressly or by implication, any material fact related to the transaction," including the fact that a renewal exists.

Subdivision (a)(6) adds that the business must keep verification of your consent for at least three years, or one year after the contract ends, whichever is longer. That is why a request for the consent record is a fair thing to ask for.

The definitions in section 17601 matter too. A "free-to-pay conversion" is a provision where a customer gets a product or service free for an initial period and "will incur an obligation to pay" unless they take action to cancel before the period ends. A "consumer" is an individual who buys or leases goods, services, money or credit "for personal, family, or household purposes." So a trial that turned into a paid plan is inside the law, and a purchase for your business generally is not.

Who and what does the law cover?

It covers a business that makes an automatic renewal offer or continuous service offer to a consumer in California. The California Attorney General's consumer alert on the Automatic Renewal Law, dated September 4, 2025, describes it as applying to consumer services, subscriptions and plans that continue until you cancel or that automatically renew, including a free trial that charges you unless you cancel first.

Some businesses are exempt. Section 17605 lists exemptions, including services regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission, the Federal Communications Commission or the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, entities regulated by the Department of Insurance, alarm company operators, banks and credit unions, and certain service contract sellers. If your charge comes from a phone, cable, utility, insurance or bank product, the exemptions may apply and you should check them before you cite the law.

How must a company let you cancel?

Section 17602 splits cancellation into several rules.

Any subscription. Under subdivision (c), the business must provide "a toll-free telephone number, email address, a postal address if the seller directly bills the consumer," or another "cost-effective, timely, and easy-to-use mechanism for cancellation," described in the acknowledgment. If it offers a toll-free line, it must answer "promptly during normal business hours" and not "obstruct or delay" your cancellation. If you leave a voicemail asking to cancel, it must "within one business day" either process it or call you back.

Signed up online. Under subdivision (d), a business that lets you accept the offer online "shall allow a consumer to terminate the automatic renewal or continuous service exclusively online, at will, and without engaging any further steps that obstruct or delay the consumer's ability to terminate." The method must be either a prominently located direct link or button, in your account or settings, or "an immediately accessible termination email formatted and provided by the business that a consumer can send to the business without additional information." A business may require you to log in if you have an account, but if you can't, you can't be blocked from cancelling by another method.

Same medium. Subdivision (f) says cancellation must be available "in the same medium that the consumer used in the transaction," or the one you are used to using with the business, "including, but not limited to, in person, by telephone, by mail, or by email."

Retention offers are allowed, within limits. Under subdivision (e), on a phone call a business may offer a discount or explain what cancelling means, but only after it first "clearly and conspicuously" tells you that you can complete cancellation at any time by saying you want to "cancel" or words to that effect. Once you say it, it "shall promptly process the cancellation." Online, a retention offer must appear alongside a prominent "click to cancel" link or button.

What notices must a business send before a renewal?

The statute sets timing rules. These come from subdivisions (b), (g) and (h) of section 17602:

Situation	What the business must send	When
Free trial or promotional price lasting more than 31 days	A notice that it will renew, the renewal terms, the amount, how to cancel, and contact information	At least 3 days and at most 21 days before the trial or promotional price ends
Initial term of one year or longer that renews automatically	The same renewal notice	At least 15 days and not more than 45 days before it renews
Change in the fee on an existing plan	A clear notice of the change plus how to cancel	No less than 7 days and no more than 30 days before the change takes effect
Material change to other terms	A clear notice of the change and how to cancel	Before the change
Any annual plan	An annual reminder in the same medium used to sign up, naming the service, the frequency and amount of charges, and how to cancel	Annually

One exception in subdivision (b)(1)(B) is worth knowing. A business is exempt from the trial and promotional notice if you didn't sign up electronically and it hasn't "collected or maintained" a valid email address, phone number or other way to notify you electronically.

Requirements checklist: did the company follow the law?

Use this before you write. Each row has the part of the statute behind it, so you can cite it instead of arguing.

Question	Where it comes from	Evidence to look for
Were the renewal terms clear and next to the sign-up button?	17602(a)(1)	Screenshot of the checkout page, if you have one
Did you tick or click something that agreed to the renewal?	17602(a)(2), (a)(4)	Sign-up confirmation, account history
Did you get a confirmation with terms, cancellation policy and how to cancel?	17602(a)(3)	The email after sign-up
For a long trial or annual plan, did a renewal notice arrive in the window?	17602(b)	Search your inbox and spam for the dates
Did the price change without notice?	17602(g)(2)	Notice dates versus the first higher charge
Could you cancel online if you signed up online?	17602(d)	Screens or steps that blocked you
Did a phone line or voicemail go unanswered?	17602(c)(2)	Call times, voicemail date
Did you get an annual reminder?	17602(h)	Reminder email from the past year

If several rows come back "no," you have specific facts to put in front of the company and, later, your card issuer.

How do you use the law in a cancellation email?

Keep it short, factual and dated. Cite the statute once, quote nothing you are unsure of, and state the outcome you want. Here is a template you can adapt:

Subject: Cancel my subscription and refund the [date] charge, account [email or ID]

Hello,

I'm a California resident. Please cancel my [plan name] subscription effective today, [date], and confirm in writing.

I was charged [amount] on [date]. [One fact: I did not receive a renewal notice / I could not find a way to cancel online / I cancelled on the 3rd.] Under California Business and Professions Code section 17602, a business must obtain a consumer's affirmative consent to an automatic renewal and, for an online sign-up, let the consumer cancel online without obstruction.

Please refund the [date] charge of [amount] to my original payment method, and send me a copy of the consent record and the acknowledgment sent to me at sign-up.

If I don't hear back by [date, 10 days out], I'll dispute the charge with my card issuer and report the issue to the California Attorney General.

Thank you, [Name]

Three notes on that email. First, "cancel effective today" does the main job even if the refund is refused. Second, asking for the consent record uses subdivision (a)(6), which requires the business to keep it. Third, the statute does not itself say you are owed a refund. It sets rules for the business, so frame the refund as what you are asking for, not what the law automatically grants. You can build the full email from your receipt with the cancellation email tool, and the refund email generator writes the refund request.

What happens if a business ignores the law?

Section 17604 says a violation "shall not be a crime," but "all available civil remedies that apply to a violation of this article may be employed." It also says a business that complies "in good faith" is not subject to civil remedies. In practice that means enforcement is civil, not criminal, and a business that tried to comply has a defense.

Section 17603 has one rule that is easy to use if it applies to you. If a business sends goods under a continuous service agreement or automatic renewal "without first obtaining the consumer's affirmative consent as described in Section 17602," the goods are treated "for all purposes" as "an unconditional gift to the consumer." That means you can keep them and owe nothing, including return shipping. It applies to goods, not to digital subscriptions.

The Attorney General's alert says the law is enforced by the Attorney General's Office and by district and city attorneys, and that people who believe their rights were violated are encouraged to file a complaint at oag.ca.gov/report. Report after you've written to the company and kept the replies. If the charge is still there, the next step is your card issuer. Our guides to being charged after cancelling and what to do when a company refuses a refund cover that sequence, and the free trial refund guide covers trials.

Does this apply outside California?

Only if you are covered by California law, which depends on the business's offer to a consumer "in this state." Other states have their own automatic renewal laws with different notice and cancellation rules. Look up the code for your state before you cite one, and don't assume the California timing windows carry over. The federal "click to cancel" rule was vacated by a court and should not be cited as current law.

FAQ

What is California's automatic renewal law?

It is Article 9 of Chapter 1 of Part 3 of Division 7 of the Business and Professions Code, sections 17600 to 17606. It regulates automatic renewal and continuous service offers made to consumers in California, covering consent, disclosures, renewal notices and cancellation.

Can a company make me call to cancel if I signed up online?

Under section 17602(d), a business that lets you accept an offer online must let you terminate it "exclusively online, at will." It can ask you to log in if you have an account, and you can't be blocked from cancelling by another method if you can't authenticate online.

Does the law require a refund?

The text does not set a general refund right. It sets duties on the business. The consent and cancellation rules give you strong facts to ask for a refund, and a failure to follow them supports a complaint or a card dispute.

Does the 2025 amendment apply to my old subscription?

The amended text says the changes apply "only to a contract entered into, amended, or extended" on or after July 1, 2025. A subscription that renewed or changed after that date may be covered. For older terms, the earlier version of the law applied.

Are free trials covered?

Yes. Section 17601 defines a free-to-pay conversion, and section 17602 requires the post-trial price to be clearly explained. For trials longer than 31 days, a notice is due 3 to 21 days before the trial ends.

Who do I complain to?

The Attorney General's consumer alert points to oag.ca.gov/report for complaints. You can also dispute the charge with your card issuer, which has its own deadlines, so send the written notice early.