Right-to-repair laws and independent appliance shops

The short version for a busy shop owner

Right-to-repair laws are not one law. Each state writes its own definition of covered equipment and its own list of exclusions, and that list decides whether a refrigerator control board or a washer diagnostic tool is in scope. For independent appliance shops, the two laws people ask about most, Minnesota's and New York's, point in opposite directions. Minnesota's text covers digital electronic equipment broadly and does not carve out appliances^[1]. New York's text names refrigerators, ovens, microwaves and heating and air-conditioning units and does not require manufacturers to supply parts, tools or documentation for them^[2].

Who this affects

Appliance repair is a trade of very small firms. In 2023 there were 5,595 appliance repair and maintenance establishments with paid employees, employing 24,621 people, and 79.5% of them had fewer than five employees^[4]. Alongside them were 31,411 home and garden equipment and appliance repair businesses with no paid employees at all^[5]. These shops do not have the leverage to negotiate parts access one manufacturer at a time, which is why the wording of state law matters to them.

Demand is steady. In Angi's 2025 survey, 22% of homeowners installed a new appliance during the year^[6], and every one of those units eventually needs service, increasingly on electronic controls rather than mechanical parts.

Minnesota and New York side by side

Minnesota adds a timing rule that is useful in practice: parts, tools and documentation must be available within 60 days after the first sale of the equipment in the state, although a manufacturer does not have to supply parts it no longer has^[1]. Note one exclusion that matters to appliance techs who also do installation: work that Minnesota law requires to be done or supervised by a licensed individual or contractor under chapter 326B is outside the repair law^[1].

Warranty law already protects your customers

Many lost jobs start with a customer who believes calling an independent shop will void the manufacturer's warranty. Federal warranty law says tie-in provisions, which state or imply that a consumer must buy or use an item or service from a particular company to keep warranty coverage, generally are not allowed^[3]. A manufacturer can refuse to cover damage caused by parts or service it did not provide, and it can require specific parts or service only if it supplies them free under the warranty^[3].

Your CSR can say this on the phone without overselling it:

• "Using an independent shop does not by itself void your warranty. The manufacturer can decline to cover damage caused by outside work, so we document every repair and use parts that match the original specification."
• "If your unit is still under the manufacturer's warranty and the repair is covered, it may cost you less to call the manufacturer first. We are happy to help if they cannot get to you or if the part is not covered."

The second script loses some jobs in the short term and wins trust in the long term. For the other side of the warranty question, see the guide to becoming a manufacturer-authorized servicer.

How to request parts and documentation

1. 01

   Confirm the unit and sale location

   Record model, serial number and, where you can, the purchase date and state. Minnesota's law turns on the sale date and New York's on the date first sold or used^[1][2].

2. 02

   Check the manufacturer's parts and service pages

   Many makers already sell service manuals, wiring diagrams and parts to independents. Start with what is offered before asking for more.

3. 03

   Put the request in writing

   Email the manufacturer's parts or service support. Name the model, the part or document you need and the statute if the unit was sold in Minnesota.

4. 04

   Log the answer and the date

   Keep a simple spreadsheet: request date, what you asked for, reply date, outcome. Patterns of refusal are useful to trade groups and to state attorneys general.

5. 05

   Tell the customer the realistic timeline

   If a board is on backorder, say so on the first call and offer to book the repair visit when the part ships.

What you can do this month, with or without a new law

Most of the parts-access problem is solved shop by shop, not in the legislature. The shops that complain least about access tend to do the same few things: they keep accounts with more than one authorized distributor, they buy service documentation as soon as a new model line appears in their area, and they train CSRs to collect model and serial numbers on the first call so the tech can check parts before driving out.

• Open accounts with at least two parts distributors so one backorder does not stop a job.
• Ask every caller for the model and serial number from the label inside the door or on the back panel. A photo by text or email works too.
• Keep a short list of brands and model families you do not service, and say so on your website and in your phone greeting.
• Price diagnostic visits so the visit still pays when the customer decides not to repair.
• Save every service manual you buy in one shared folder, organized by brand and model family.

These habits also make the law useful when it applies. A Minnesota request for documentation goes faster when you already know the exact model, the sale date and the part number you need.

Questions to ask before you buy diagnostic tools

Electronic controls mean more of the job happens on a laptop or a phone app. Before paying for a manufacturer's diagnostic tool or software subscription, ask:

1. Which model years and product lines does it cover, and how often is it updated?
2. Does it need an authorized-servicer login, or can an independent shop buy it outright?
3. Does it read fault codes only, or can it also run component tests and load firmware?
4. How many service calls a year on this brand would it take for the tool to pay for itself in saved diagnosis time?
5. Under your state's law, is the same tool one the manufacturer must offer on fair and reasonable terms?

In Minnesota, the statute's definition of what a manufacturer must make available includes tools and embedded software updates for diagnostic, maintenance or repair purposes^[1]. That does not make every tool free, but it gives you a basis to ask.

Decision criteria: when to take the job

• Take it when the part is orderable from the manufacturer or an authorized distributor and the diagnostic does not need dealer-only software.
• Quote a diagnostic visit only when you can explain to the customer what happens if the part turns out to be unavailable.
• Decline or refer when the repair needs a licensed trade you do not hold, such as gas line or electrical work, or when the unit is under a warranty that would cover the repair at no charge.
• Track declined jobs by brand. If one brand makes up most of your declines, reconsider how you advertise that brand.

Example: a fictional three-tech appliance shop in Duluth logs every parts request for six months. It finds that most refusals come from one brand's refrigerator control boards. It adds a line to its phone intake: "For that brand's refrigerators, we can diagnose, but the control board may only be available through the manufacturer's own service." Callbacks and refund requests on that brand drop because expectations are set before the visit.

What to watch next

Expect more states to debate repair bills, and expect the fights to be about definitions and exclusions rather than the headline idea. When a bill appears in your state, read three parts first: the definition of covered equipment, the list of exclusions and the date the law applies to. Those three answers tell you whether an appliance shop gains anything. Keep your licensing, insurance and sales tax house in order too, since the shops that benefit from new access are the ones customers can find and trust.