Washington governor signs right-to-repair law, giving consumers more control on fixing electronics

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson signed the Right to Repair Act into law on Monday, in a move aimed at making it easier for consumers and independent businesses to fix electronic devices. Washington is the sixth state to enact such a law, which calls for manufacturers of consumer electronics to provide the parts, repair tools and information required to fix products such as laptops, smartphones and home appliances. “Consumers should be able to affordably repair their electronic products instead of being forced to buy new ones,” Ferguson said in acknowledging the multi-year effort to get the law passed. “For Washingtonians, a… Read More

May 20, 2025 - 05:10

Washington governor signs right-to-repair law, giving consumers more control on fixing electronics

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson signed the Right to Repair Act into law on Monday, in a move aimed at making it easier for consumers and independent businesses to fix electronic devices.

Washington is the sixth state to enact such a law, which calls for manufacturers of consumer electronics to provide the parts, repair tools and information required to fix products such as laptops, smartphones and home appliances.

“Consumers should be able to affordably repair their electronic products instead of being forced to buy new ones,” Ferguson said in acknowledging the multi-year effort to get the law passed. “For Washingtonians, a right to repair their products will save them money and help reduce electronic waste.”

Rep. Mia Gregerson, chief sponsor of HB 1483, called it a “win for every person in Washington state” at a news conference alongside the governor and advocates for the legislation. “We all know that we want to keep our devices longer,” she added, citing the cost to replace and e-waste that is hurting the planet.

Under the law, consumers will be able to take their broken devices to the independent repair shop of their choice, or fix them themselves, instead of being locked into a manufacturer’s repair service.

The law also restricts parts pairing, a practice of using software that prevents technicians from fully installing spare parts, particularly those that aren’t officially approved by OEMs, according to previous reporting by Waste Dive.

iFixit, advocates for repairing anything and everything, called it “the strongest law we’ve seen yet.”