try.vin Consumer Protection Guides
US Lemon Law Guide by State
Every U.S. state has a lemon law that entitles buyers of defective new vehicles to a refund, replacement, or cash settlement — compare the rules side-by-side below.
The District of Columbia and Puerto Rico also have enacted statutes. Coverage period, required repair attempts, and days-out-of-service thresholds vary — click any state for the full plain-English breakdown, statute citation, and step-by-step claim process.
Not legal advice. Lemon laws are complex and change often. Verify the current text of the statute and consult a licensed attorney in your state before filing a claim.
| State | Statute | Months | Miles | Attempts | Days out | Arb. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama AL | Ala. Code § 8-20A-1 et seq. | 12 | 12,000 | 3 | 30 | — |
| Alaska AK | Alaska Stat. § 45.45.300 et seq. | 12 | 12,000 | 3 | 30 | — |
| Arizona AZ | Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 44-1261 et seq. | 24 | 24,000 | 4 | 30 | — |
| Arkansas AR | Ark. Code Ann. § 4-90-401 et seq. | 24 | 24,000 | 3 | 30 | — |
| California CA | Cal. Civ. Code § 1793.2 | 18 | 18,000 | 4 | 30 | — |
| Colorado CO | Colo. Rev. Stat. § 42-10-101 et seq. | 12 | — | 4 | 30 | — |
| Connecticut CT | Conn. Gen. Stat. § 42-179 et seq. | 24 | 24,000 | 4 | 30 | Required |
| Delaware DE | Del. Code Ann. tit. 6, § 5001 et seq. | 12 | 12,000 | 4 | 30 | — |
| District of Columbia DC | D.C. Code § 50-501 et seq. | 24 | 18,000 | 4 | 30 | — |
| Florida FL | Fla. Stat. § 681.101 et seq. | 24 | — | 3 | 15 | Required |
| Georgia GA | Ga. Code Ann. § 10-1-780 et seq. | 24 | 24,000 | 3 | 30 | — |
| Hawaii HI | Haw. Rev. Stat. § 481I-1 et seq. | 24 | 24,000 | 3 | 30 | — |
| Idaho ID | Idaho Code § 48-901 et seq. | 24 | 24,000 | 4 | 30 | — |
| Illinois IL | 815 ILCS 380/1 et seq. | 12 | 12,000 | 4 | 30 | — |
| Indiana IN | Ind. Code § 24-5-13-1 et seq. | 18 | 18,000 | 4 | 30 | — |
| Iowa IA | Iowa Code § 322G.1 et seq. | 24 | 24,000 | 3 | 20 | — |
| Kansas KS | Kan. Stat. Ann. § 50-645 | 12 | 12,000 | 4 | 30 | — |
| Kentucky KY | Ky. Rev. Stat. § 367.840 et seq. | 12 | 12,000 | 4 | 30 | — |
| Louisiana LA | La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 51:1941 et seq. | 12 | — | 4 | 90 | — |
| Maine ME | Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 10, § 1161 et seq. | 24 | 18,000 | 3 | 15 | Required |
| Maryland MD | Md. Code Ann., Com. Law § 14-1501 et seq. | 24 | 18,000 | 4 | 30 | — |
| Massachusetts MA | Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 90, § 7N1/2 | 12 | 15,000 | 3 | 15 | Required |
| Michigan MI | Mich. Comp. Laws § 257.1401 et seq. | 24 | — | 4 | 30 | — |
| Minnesota MN | Minn. Stat. § 325F.665 | 24 | 18,000 | 4 | 30 | — |
| Mississippi MS | Miss. Code Ann. § 63-17-151 et seq. | 12 | 12,000 | 3 | 15 | — |
| Missouri MO | Mo. Rev. Stat. § 407.560 et seq. | 12 | 12,000 | 4 | 30 | — |
| Montana MT | Mont. Code Ann. § 61-4-501 et seq. | 24 | 18,000 | 4 | 30 | Required |
| Nebraska NE | Neb. Rev. Stat. § 60-2701 et seq. | 12 | 12,000 | 4 | 40 | — |
| Nevada NV | Nev. Rev. Stat. § 597.600 et seq. | 12 | 12,000 | 4 | 30 | — |
| New Hampshire NH | N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 357-D:1 et seq. | 12 | — | 3 | 30 | Required |
| New Jersey NJ | N.J. Stat. Ann. § 56:12-29 et seq. | 24 | 24,000 | 3 | 20 | — |
| New Mexico NM | N.M. Stat. Ann. § 57-16A-1 et seq. | 12 | 12,000 | 4 | 30 | — |
| New York NY | N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law § 198-a | 24 | 18,000 | 4 | 30 | Required |
| North Carolina NC | N.C. Gen. Stat. § 20-351 et seq. | 24 | 24,000 | 4 | 20 | — |
| North Dakota ND | N.D. Cent. Code § 51-07-16 et seq. | 12 | 12,000 | 4 | 30 | — |
| Ohio OH | Ohio Rev. Code § 1345.71 et seq. | 12 | 18,000 | 3 | 30 | — |
| Oklahoma OK | Okla. Stat. tit. 15, § 901 et seq. | 12 | — | 4 | 30 | — |
| Oregon OR | Or. Rev. Stat. § 646A.400 et seq. | 24 | 24,000 | 4 | 30 | — |
| Pennsylvania PA | 73 Pa. Stat. § 1951 et seq. | 12 | 12,000 | 3 | 30 | — |
| Puerto Rico PR | P.R. Laws Ann. tit. 10, § 2051 et seq. | 12 | 18,000 | 3 | 30 | — |
| Rhode Island RI | R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-5.2-1 et seq. | 12 | 15,000 | 4 | 30 | — |
| South Carolina SC | S.C. Code Ann. § 56-28-10 et seq. | 12 | 12,000 | 3 | 30 | — |
| South Dakota SD | S.D. Codified Laws § 32-6D-1 et seq. | 12 | 12,000 | 4 | 30 | — |
| Tennessee TN | Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-24-201 et seq. | 12 | 12,000 | 3 | 30 | — |
| Texas TX | Tex. Occ. Code § 2301.601 et seq. | 24 | 24,000 | 4 | 30 | Required |
| Utah UT | Utah Code § 13-20-1 et seq. | 12 | 12,000 | 4 | 30 | — |
| Vermont VT | Vt. Stat. Ann. tit. 9, § 4170 et seq. | 12 | — | 3 | 30 | Required |
| Virginia VA | Va. Code Ann. § 59.1-207.9 et seq. | 18 | — | 3 | 30 | — |
| Washington WA | Wash. Rev. Code § 19.118.005 et seq. | 24 | 24,000 | 4 | 30 | Required |
| West Virginia WV | W. Va. Code § 46A-6A-1 et seq. | 12 | 12,000 | 3 | 30 | — |
| Wisconsin WI | Wis. Stat. § 218.0171 | 12 | 12,000 | 4 | 30 | — |
| Wyoming WY | Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 40-17-101 et seq. | 12 | — | 3 | 30 | — |
Click any column header to sort. Data is a summary of statutory headline rules and not a substitute for reading the full statute.
How state lemon laws work
What a lemon law actually covers
Every state lemon law is a warranty-enforcement statute. It does not apply to "bad buys" or cars that simply turn out to be worse than expected — only to vehicles with a manufacturer-covered defect that substantially impairs the use, value, or safety of the vehicle and that the dealer cannot repair within a reasonable number of attempts.
The "reasonable number" rule
Most states presume that three or four failed repair attempts for the same defect — or roughly 30 cumulative days the vehicle was out of service for warranty work — is unreasonable. Some states drop the repair-attempt count for serious safety defects (e.g. brakes, steering, airbags) to one or two.
Remedies: refund, replacement, or cash
The manufacturer typically owes you either a full refund (purchase price, taxes, fees, and finance charges, minus a mileage offset) or a comparable replacement vehicle. Some states also allow a negotiated cash settlement where you keep the vehicle.
Federal backup: Magnuson-Moss
Even when a state lemon law doesn't apply (used cars, private sales, missed deadlines), the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (15 U.S.C. § 2301) still protects buyers who received an express written warranty. Attorney fees are recoverable under Magnuson-Moss in nearly every state.
Frequently asked questions
Worried a used car you're about to buy has a hidden lemon history?
A lemon-law buyback leaves a permanent “lemon” brand on the vehicle’s title in most states. Run the VIN through try.vin to see whether a vehicle has ever been repurchased by the manufacturer before you commit.