Renewed Without a Reminder? Check Your State First

It depends on your state and your plan, and this guide is not legal advice. California (Bus. & Prof. Code § 17602) requires a notice 3 to 21 days before a free trial or promotional price longer than 31 days ends, and 15 to 45 days before a plan with an initial term of one year or longer renews; since the AB 2863 amendments, those rules apply to contracts entered into, amended or extended on or after July 1, 2025. New York (Gen. Bus. Law § 527-a) sets a 15-to-45-day notice before the cancellation deadline for paid terms of a year or longer that renew for six months or longer, and a 3-to-21-day notice for free trials or gifts longer than one month. At the federal level, the FTC's 2024 "click to cancel" amendments were vacated in 2025, and the FTC published an advance notice of proposed rulemaking in March 2026 — so no federal reminder rule is in force. A monthly plan with no long trial has no reminder window in either state's text.

Who is this guide for?

This guide is for someone whose subscription renewed automatically without a reminder they expected, who wants to know whether that was actually against the law where they live. It covers California and New York using the statute text directly, and states plainly where no verified rule was found for other states or at the federal level. It is not legal advice, and a lawyer licensed in your state is the right source for anything beyond this general summary.

Which state rules require a renewal notice?

California and New York both require notices before long free trials end and before year-or-longer terms renew; no federal rule is in force, and other states are not covered here.

Jurisdiction	Reminder requirement found in the statute	Applies to	Source
California	Notice 3–21 days before a free trial or promotional price longer than 31 days ends	Contracts entered into, amended or extended on or after July 1, 2025	Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 17602(b)(1)
California	Notice 15–45 days before renewal	Initial term of one year or longer	Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 17602(b)(2)
California	Notice 7–30 days before a fee change takes effect, plus an annual reminder for annual plans	Automatic renewal offers	Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 17602(g)(2), (h)
New York	Notice 15–45 days before the cancellation deadline	Contracts with an initial paid term of 1 year or longer that renew for 6 months or longer	N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law § 527-a
New York	Notice 3–21 days before the cancellation deadline	Free trials or gifts lasting more than 1 month	N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law § 527-a
Federal (FTC)	No reminder-email rule currently in force; the 2024 click-to-cancel amendments were vacated in 2025 and a new rulemaking (ANPRM) opened March 2026	Would apply nationwide if a new rule is finalized	FTC ANPRM, March 2026
Any other state	Not published in this guide — no state statute was verified for this record	—	—

What does California require?

California's Business and Professions Code § 17602 requires a business making an automatic renewal or continuous service offer to present the offer terms "in a clear and conspicuous manner before the subscription or purchasing agreement is fulfilled," obtain the consumer's affirmative consent, and provide an acknowledgment with the renewal terms and cancellation instructions. It also sets notice windows: at least 3 and at most 21 days before a free trial or promotional price that lasts more than 31 days expires (subdivision (b)(1)); 15 to 45 days before a contract with an initial term of one year or longer renews (b)(2); 7 to 30 days before a fee change takes effect (g)(2); and an annual reminder for annual automatic renewal agreements (h). Per subdivision (j), these amended requirements apply to contracts entered into, amended or extended on or after July 1, 2025. A month-to-month plan with no long trial and no price change has no reminder window in this text.

What does New York require?

New York's General Business Law § 527-a sets a direct reminder window for two categories: for contracts with an initial paid term of one year or longer that renew for six months or longer, the business must send notice 15 to 45 days before the cancellation deadline; for offers that include a free trial or gift lasting more than one month, the notice window is 3 to 21 days before the cancellation deadline. Both notices must include cancellation instructions and go out through the consumer's preferred channel — text, email, app notification, or another method the consumer selected.

Is there a federal reminder rule?

The FTC's "click to cancel" amendments to the Negative Option Rule, finalized in 2024, would have added a broader set of disclosure and cancellation requirements. A federal appeals court vacated that rule in 2025 on procedural grounds, meaning it is not currently in force. In March 2026, the FTC issued a new advance notice of proposed rulemaking asking the public whether a new rule is needed at all, or whether existing tools — consumer education, guidance, and enforcement under Section 5 of the FTC Act — are sufficient. That means there is no single federal reminder-email requirement in force right now, though the FTC has continued pursuing individual enforcement actions against specific companies under its existing unfair-or-deceptive-practices authority.

What if your state's rule was not followed?

1. Identify your state and the length of your plan, and compare it against the table above.
2. If you are in California or New York and the applicable notice window was not followed, save your renewal confirmation, the charge date, and any communications from the company as evidence.
3. If your state is not listed here, do not assume no rule applies — check your own state's consumer protection office, since several states have been actively updating automatic-renewal laws throughout 2025 and 2026, and this guide does not cover every state's statute.
4. Consider a complaint to your state attorney general's consumer protection division, which handles state-law automatic-renewal complaints directly.

What mistakes should you avoid?

• Assuming every renewal needs a reminder. California and New York set windows for long trials and year-or-longer terms (and California also for fee changes); a plain monthly renewal has no reminder window in either statute.
• Assuming the FTC's click-to-cancel rule is currently in force. It was vacated in 2025; the FTC reopened rulemaking in 2026 but has not finalized a replacement.
• Treating this guide as legal advice for your specific situation. It reports statute text and FTC rulemaking status only.
• Giving up because a rule was not found for your state in this guide. Check your state attorney general's office directly; this guide covers only California and New York in detail.
• Confusing a price increase with a missing renewal reminder. They are governed by different parts of these statutes; see the price-increase guide if the renewal also raised your price.

What should you do next?

Find your state in the table above. If you are in California or New York, compare your plan length and trial length to the statute's specific windows before assuming a violation occurred. If your state is not covered here, contact your state attorney general's consumer protection office directly rather than relying on this guide alone.

FAQ

Does my state require a reminder before a subscription auto-renews?

It depends on the state and the plan. New York requires a 15-to-45-day notice for paid terms of a year or longer and a 3-to-21-day notice for free trials longer than one month. California sets the same two windows (for trials or promotions longer than 31 days), plus a 7-to-30-day notice before a fee change. This guide does not cover other states; check your state attorney general's office.

Is there a federal law requiring a renewal reminder right now?

Not currently in force. The FTC's 2024 click-to-cancel rule was vacated by a federal appeals court in 2025. The FTC opened a new rulemaking process in March 2026, but no replacement rule has been finalized as of this guide's last review.

What should I do if I think my state's renewal notice rule was violated?

Save your renewal confirmation, the charge date, and any company communications, then contact your state attorney general's consumer protection division, which handles these complaints directly under state law.

Is this guide legal advice?

No. It summarizes statute text for California and New York and the federal rulemaking's current status. For advice about your specific situation, consult an attorney licensed in your state.

Claim ledger

Claim	Source	Checked	Confidence
California requires notices 3–21 days before a trial or promotion longer than 31 days ends, 15–45 days before a year-or-longer term renews, and 7–30 days before a fee change, for contracts on or after July 1, 2025.	https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=17602&lawCode=BPC	2026-09-16	High
New York requires a 15-to-45-day renewal notice for annual-or-longer plans renewing six months or more, and a 3-to-21-day notice for trials or gifts longer than one month.	https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/GBS/527-A	2026-09-16	High
The FTC's 2024 click-to-cancel Negative Option Rule amendments were vacated, and the FTC opened a new advance rulemaking in March 2026 rather than enforcing a finalized replacement.	https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/03/ftc-seeks-public-comment-response-advance-notice-proposed-rulemaking-regarding-negative-option	2026-09-16	High

Sources

• https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=17602&lawCode=BPC — official California Business and Professions Code 17602 text, checked 2026-09-16.
• https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/GBS/527-A — official New York General Business Law 527-a text, checked 2026-09-16.
• https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/03/ftc-seeks-public-comment-response-advance-notice-proposed-rulemaking-regarding-negative-option — official FTC press release on the 2026 Negative Option Rule rulemaking, checked 2026-09-16.