Your smartphone screen cracks. Your laptop battery dies. Your refrigerator starts making a noise. In a rational world, you'd take it to a repair shop — or fix it yourself — and get it working again at a fraction of the cost of a replacement. In the world that Apple, John Deere, and dozens of other manufacturers have created, that simple act has been made deliberately difficult, expensive, or outright impossible.
That's the problem that right-to-repair laws are designed to solve. And after years of advocacy, the movement is finally gaining real legislative traction across the United States — with significant implications for your wallet.
How Manufacturers Killed the Repair Economy
Over the past two decades, manufacturers have systematically dismantled the independent repair ecosystem that once made fixing things cheap and accessible. They've done it through a combination of tactics: designing products with proprietary screws and adhesives that make them nearly impossible to open without specialized tools; using software locks that disable devices when non-manufacturer parts are detected; refusing to sell spare parts to independent repair shops; and threatening to void warranties if consumers seek third-party repairs.
The result has been a massive transfer of wealth from consumers to manufacturers. Apple's repair services alone generate billions of dollars annually. A battery replacement that costs $15 in parts can cost $80–$100 at an Apple Store. A screen repair that an independent technician could perform for $50 costs $279 through official channels.
"When you buy a product, you should own it — including the right to repair it. Manufacturers have turned repair into a profit center by making it artificially difficult."
The Legislative Landscape: Where Things Stand
The right-to-repair movement has achieved significant legislative victories at the state level. As of early 2026, the following states have enacted meaningful right-to-repair legislation:
Minnesota passed the nation's first comprehensive right-to-repair law for consumer electronics in 2023, requiring manufacturers to provide parts, tools, and repair documentation to consumers and independent repair shops.
California enacted the Electronic Right to Repair Act, which applies to electronics sold after July 2021 and priced between $50 and $99.99, with broader coverage expanding in subsequent years.
New York passed a digital right-to-repair law in 2022, and additional legislation covering agricultural equipment and home appliances has advanced through the legislature.
Colorado enacted right-to-repair legislation for agricultural equipment, addressing the particularly acute problem faced by farmers who cannot repair their own John Deere tractors without dealer authorization.
At the federal level, the FTC issued a report in 2021 finding that manufacturer repair restrictions harm consumers and small businesses, and called on Congress to act. Federal legislation has been introduced but has not yet advanced to a vote.
What Right-to-Repair Laws Actually Require
The specifics vary by state, but effective right-to-repair legislation generally requires manufacturers to: make repair manuals and diagnostic tools available to consumers and independent repair shops at fair prices; sell spare parts to consumers and independent shops on the same terms as authorized repair providers; and refrain from using software to disable devices repaired with legitimate third-party parts.
✅ What You Can Do Right Now
Before paying for an expensive manufacturer repair, check iFixit.com for free repair guides covering thousands of devices. Look for independent repair shops in your area — they often charge 50–70% less than manufacturer service centers. If you're in a state with right-to-repair laws, you can request repair documentation and parts directly from the manufacturer. And when buying new electronics, consider repairability scores published by iFixit and other organizations.
The Bigger Stakes: Sustainability and Waste
Right to repair isn't just about saving money — it's also an environmental issue. The United States generates approximately 6.9 million tons of electronic waste per year, much of it from devices that were discarded because repair was too expensive or impossible. Extending the life of electronics through repair is one of the most effective ways to reduce the environmental footprint of consumer technology.
When manufacturers make repair impossible, they're not just extracting money from consumers — they're accelerating the disposal of devices that contain toxic materials and require enormous resources to produce. Right-to-repair laws address both the economic and environmental dimensions of this problem simultaneously.