If you live in one of eight states, you might.
Today is International Repair Day, and this year marks a milestone in the right to repair movement in the U.S. Three states including Texas passed laws this year that protect consumers’ right to repair the products they own, meaning that about a third of the U.S. population now has access to independent repair. This is great news for consumers, independent repair businesses, and the environment.
But there is more to be done. Research from Consumer Reports (CR) shows that consumers who live in states with right to repair laws may not be aware of their rights. Consumers may also need help finding repair options in their communities. Finally, even when consumers are aware of their rights and can find repair options, companies may not be providing the tools and documentation necessary for repairs. When that happens, it’s up to state attorneys general to enforce these laws.
CR conducted a nationally representative survey of 2,016 U.S. adults in June 2025 that asked consumers if they were aware if their state had an existing right to repair law. The overwhelming majority, 76% of Americans, said that they were unsure: even in the five states that had existing digital right to repair laws at the time, seven out of ten people (71%) were unsure. There is no meaningful difference between people in the right to repair states and those in the other states in terms of awareness of their state’s laws.
So in honor of International Right to Repair Day, if you live in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Texas or Washington, you have access to some forms of repair. Each state is slightly different, and the laws in Connecticut, Texas, and Washington won’t go into effect until July 2026, September 2026, and January 2026, respectively. But broadly speaking, the laws provide access to documentation, tools, software, and parts at the same prices available to independent repair shops. This means you can find a local independent repair shop and see if they can fix your broken device.
Which leads to the next potential repair roadblock. Many consumers don’t know where to go for repairs. One option is to search for local repair shops using your favorite search engine. If you want to repair something yourself, iFixit has repair guides on thousands of products and YouTube is full of helpful videos. So give it a try! It’s usually cheaper, and you may be able to save something from ending up in a landfill.
Finally, if you live in a state with repair laws, and discover that the manufacturer of the item you are trying to repair doesn’t actually provide the necessary parts, tools, documentation or software, then tell us about it. We are interested in holding companies that break the law accountable, and to do that, we need examples of manufacturers who aren’t following the law.
So celebrate International Repair Day by telling your friends in states with repair laws that they have the right to repair the products they own, and helping them find ways to fix their stuff. And if you can’t fix your stuff, please tell us about it.
