More than one-quarter of Americans covered by Right to Repair in 2026
People should be able to fix their stuff: It’s an old idea which is catching on anew. Products used to come with service manuals and readily available spare parts, but over the years, manufacturers have restricted those materials to their “authorized” service personnel. Right to Repair seeks to restore repair access to all of us, so that once you buy something, you truly own it, rather than the manufacturer still having a say in what you do with it.
Right to Repair reforms require manufacturers to make parts, tools and manuals available to the product owner and independent repair technicians. Over the last few years, an increasing number of states are enacting these protections.
Six new laws come into force
As 2025 ended, five states have enacted six electronics Right to Repair laws — one each in New York, Minnesota, California and Oregon and two in Colorado. But as the clock turned to 2026, another six bills come into force.
This year, Oregon added Right to Repair rules for wheelchairs, expanding upon its extremely strong repair protections for consumer electronics. On Jan. 1, Oregon’s rules for repairing wheelchairs take effect, as will a new wheelchair law in Nevada.
Washington state passed two new Right to Repair laws this year: one for consumer electronics and the other for wheelchairs, which also came into force at the start of 2026.
Adding in the populations of the states with new laws, come January 1, 25.75% of Americans will live in a state with an enforceable Right to Repair law.
Additionally, rules passed in Connecticut and Texas are slated to take effect in July 2026 and September 2026 respectively, increasing the population percentage to at least 35.5% by the fall.
Our research has found that despite the growing consumer protections, some companies have been slow to adjust their policies, while others limit repair access to states with laws they need to comply with. That’s why Fair Share supports the groups and individuals in the Right to Repair movement who continue to work to make sure people in all 50 states have the ability to fix their stuff.
This story was originally reported by our allies at PIRG.