When you buy a smartphone, laptop, or even a tractor, you might assume you own it completely. Yet many manufacturers restrict your ability to repair these products by limiting access to parts, tools, and diagnostic information. This practice forces you to use expensive authorized repair services or replace items prematurely.
Right to Repair is a movement advocating for your legal right to fix and modify the products you own, ensuring access to the parts, tools, and information needed without being forced to go through the original manufacturer. The concept applies to everything from electronics and appliances to farming equipment and medical devices. More than 80 percent of American adults support Right to Repair policies, reflecting widespread frustration with current restrictions.
Understanding the basics of Right to Repair helps you make informed decisions about your purchases and repairs. It also connects to broader issues of ownership, environmental sustainability, and economic fairness. Whether you want to fix your own devices or support local repair shops, knowing your rights matters in today’s technology-driven world.
Key Takeaways
- Right to Repair laws require manufacturers to provide consumers and independent repair shops with access to parts, tools, and repair documentation
- Six U.S. states have passed Right to Repair legislation covering various products, though coverage and requirements vary significantly by state
- Supporting repair over replacement reduces electronic waste, saves money, and strengthens local economies while giving you more control over products you own
What Is Right to Repair?
Right to repair refers to your legal ability to fix, modify, and maintain products you own using the parts, tools, and information you need. The movement advocates for manufacturers to provide the same resources to you and independent repair shops that they give to their authorized service centers.
Core Principles of Right to Repair
The right to repair movement centers on four essential pillars that work together to ensure your ability to fix what you own.
Access to information means you should receive the same repair manuals, diagnostic guides, and technical documentation that manufacturers provide to their authorized dealers. When companies withhold this information, they make independent repairs unnecessarily difficult.
Access to parts and tools requires manufacturers to sell original components and specialized equipment to everyone at fair prices. Currently, many companies restrict genuine parts to their authorized networks, creating a repair monopoly.
Freedom from software locks addresses digital barriers like “parts pairing,” where devices refuse to accept replacement components unless validated by proprietary manufacturer software. Even genuine parts from another device won’t work without this validation.
Repair-friendly design pushes for products built with fixability in mind from the start. This challenges planned obsolescence tactics like gluing batteries permanently, soldering memory chips directly to motherboards, or using proprietary screws that require special tools.
Ownership and Consumer Rights
When you purchase a product, consumer rights advocates argue you should own it completely—not just the physical shell while the manufacturer retains functional control.
Your repair rights mean you can choose where and how to fix your devices. You don’t have to perform repairs yourself, but you deserve access to affordable options beyond manufacturer-controlled service centers.
Research shows that 82% of consumers believe manufacturers should provide diagnostic information, tools, and parts to independent repair professionals. This isn’t just about convenience—it’s about your fundamental property rights and the freedom to maintain your possessions.
The concept extends beyond electronics to include vehicles, appliances, farm equipment, and medical devices. Each sector faces similar challenges where manufacturers use technical and legal barriers to control the repair market.
Origins and Growth of the Movement
The right to repair movement emerged as products became increasingly difficult to fix independently. Decades ago, you could take broken items to local repair shops or fix them yourself with basic tools and publicly available information.
As technology advanced, manufacturers began restricting access to parts and technical data. They introduced proprietary components and software locks that prevented repairs outside their authorized networks.
Farmers became early advocates when modern tractors required dealer-only software to diagnose and clear error codes, even for simple fixes. Equipment failures during critical harvest seasons meant significant financial losses.
The movement gained momentum as consumer electronics, medical equipment, and household appliances adopted similar restrictions. Organizations like The Repair Association began coordinating advocacy efforts across industries, pushing for legislation that protects your ability to repair what you own.
Key Components and Requirements
State-level right to repair laws in 2025 establish clear requirements that manufacturers must follow to enable repairs. These obligations center on providing access to essential parts, sharing technical documentation, and designing products that can actually be fixed when something goes wrong.
Access to Parts and Diagnostic Tools
You need two fundamental things to repair any device: the physical components that have failed and the tools to identify what’s broken. Manufacturers must now make replacement parts available directly to you and to independent repair shops, ending the practice of restricting parts only to authorized service centers.
Diagnostic software and repair tools must also be accessible at fair prices. Think of diagnostic tools as the debugging console for physical products—they reveal error codes, sensor readings, and system states that would otherwise remain hidden. Without these tools, even having the right parts doesn’t help much.
Current laws typically require manufacturers to provide parts availability for 5-10 years after a product’s release. This ensures you can maintain devices well beyond their warranty period, reducing waste and extending product lifecycles.
Repair Manuals and Information
Technical documentation like repair manuals and schematics transforms parts and tools into actual repair capability. These documents show you how components connect, what voltages to expect, and which screws hold what together.
Repair information includes troubleshooting guides that walk you through systematic diagnosis. Instead of guessing which part failed, you follow logical steps to isolate the problem. Manufacturers must provide these resources in formats you can actually use—not buried in proprietary systems or written in unnecessarily complex language.
Firmware access is particularly important for modern electronics. When a repair requires software updates or recalibration, you need the same tools technicians use. This levels the playing field between you and authorized repair centers.
Repair-Friendly Design and Repairability
Repairability starts at the design stage, not when something breaks. Products built with standard fasteners, modular components, and accessible layouts make repairs feasible for people without specialized training.
Repair-friendly design means avoiding practices like gluing batteries into cases or soldering memory chips directly to motherboards. When components are removable and replaceable, you can swap out a single failed part instead of discarding the entire device.
Manufacturers must now inform you in instruction manuals and on packaging which components cannot be easily replaced. This transparency lets you make informed purchasing decisions based on long-term maintainability, not just initial features.
Challenges and Barriers to Repair
Manufacturers have implemented multiple layers of restrictions that prevent you from fixing your own devices. These barriers range from physical design choices like proprietary screws to sophisticated digital locks that reject replacement parts, creating obstacles that keep repairs firmly under corporate control.
Manufacturer Restrictions and Proprietary Technology
Electronics manufacturers design products with features that actively discourage repair. You’ll encounter proprietary screws like Apple’s pentalobe design that require specialized tools unavailable in standard toolkits.
Many devices use industrial-strength adhesive instead of simple screws to secure batteries and components. This makes disassembly nearly impossible without damaging the device. Manufacturers also solder essential components like memory and processors directly to motherboards, which prevents you from upgrading or replacing individual parts.
These design decisions aren’t accidental. They represent a strategic shift toward products that cannot be opened, serviced, or modified by anyone outside the manufacturer’s authorized network. When your device breaks, these physical barriers force you toward expensive manufacturer-controlled repair channels rather than affordable local shops.
Software Locks and Updates
Digital restrictions have become the most effective barrier to repair. Parts pairing technology digitally links your device’s main circuit board to its original components through unique serial numbers. When you install a replacement screen or battery, even a genuine part from another identical device, the software refuses to accept it.
Your device may display persistent error messages, lose functionality, or stop working entirely. The only solution requires the manufacturer’s proprietary software tool to validate the repair, which they keep secret from independent repair shops and consumers.
Software updates can introduce new restrictions that weren’t present when you purchased your device. Manufacturers use these updates to tighten control over repairs, sometimes disabling features if unauthorized parts are detected. This creates a moving target where a repair that works today might fail after tomorrow’s software update.
Intellectual Property and Legal Obstacles
The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) criminalizes circumventing digital locks, even for legitimate repairs. This means that bypassing software restrictions to fix your own device could technically violate federal law. Manufacturers invoke copyright protection over diagnostic software and repair manuals, treating them as proprietary trade secrets.
This legal framework transforms repair from a property rights issue into an intellectual property battle. You own the physical device, but manufacturers claim ownership over the software that makes it function. The U.S. Copyright Office has created specific exemptions to the DMCA for repair purposes, but these exemptions are temporary and require periodic renewal.
Manufacturers withhold repair documentation, schematics, and diagnostic tools from the public market. They argue this protects their competitive advantage and prevents intellectual property theft.
Parts Pairing and Certified Repair
Parts pairing creates an artificial scarcity by making genuine components functionally useless without manufacturer authorization. Your iPhone might reject a camera module taken from an identical phone, displaying warnings about “non-genuine” parts despite both being authentic Apple components.
This system forces you into certified repair networks where manufacturers control pricing without competition. Repair costs often approach the 50% threshold of a new device’s price, strategically encouraging replacement over repair.
Independent repair shops cannot compete when they’re denied access to the validation tools needed to complete repairs. You lose the choice to support local businesses or perform DIY fixes. Some manufacturers program devices to enter restricted “limp mode” when errors are detected, a state that only authorized technicians can clear using exclusive diagnostic software.
Legislation and Policy Landscape
All fifty U.S. states have considered right to repair laws, with growing momentum at both state and federal levels. The legislative framework now includes specific provisions for parts access, documentation requirements, and protections against manufacturer restrictions.
Overview of Right to Repair Laws
Right to repair laws aim to give you and independent repair shops equal access to the parts, tools, and repair information that manufacturers provide to their authorized service centers. These laws typically cover several key aspects that protect your ability to fix what you own.
When you perform repairs under these laws, manufacturers cannot void your warranty. This protection builds on the existing Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, which already prevents companies from denying warranty coverage simply because you chose an independent repair shop.
Right to repair legislation does not assign any new liability to manufacturers for mistakes made by independent repairers. The laws focus on access rather than transferring responsibility.
Key provisions in most repair bills include:
- Diagnostic tools: Access to the same software and hardware tools manufacturers use
- Genuine parts: Ability to purchase replacement parts at fair prices
- Repair documentation: Comprehensive manuals, schematics, and technical guides
- Software access: Permission to bypass locks that prevent repairs
- Parts pairing prohibitions: Prevention of software that disables third-party components
Recent Updates: State and Federal Initiatives
As of 2025, 20 states have active right to repair legislation with 41 bills covering a wide variety of products. Six states have already passed a total of eight laws over the last few years.
Bills have been introduced in all 50 U.S. states, marking significant progress for the movement. Wisconsin became the final state to introduce repair legislation, completing nationwide coverage.
The 2025 legislative template includes stronger protections than previous versions. It broadens prohibitions on parts pairing to cover component-level identification, ensuring that both complete parts and board-level components can be replaced without reduced functionality.
Documentation requirements have also expanded. The 2025 template now explicitly requires board-level schematics, full parts lists, and detailed PCB layouts for independent repair providers.
The Right to Repair Act and Fair Repair Act
Several federal bills aim to establish nationwide repair standards. These federal initiatives work alongside state laws rather than replacing them, as they address different repair barriers.
State-level repair acts typically require manufacturers to provide access to repair resources within that state’s jurisdiction. Federal legislation would remove broader barriers, such as Digital Millennium Copyright Act restrictions that currently prevent you from bypassing software locks.
The Digital Fair Repair Act and similar federal proposals focus on digital equipment and electronics. These bills would mandate that original equipment manufacturers provide the same diagnostic information, tools, and parts to independent repair businesses and individual owners.
State and federal laws complement each other by tackling distinct challenges. State enforcement through Attorney Generals addresses regional compliance, while federal action removes national legal obstacles.
International Approaches and Trends
The repair rights movement extends beyond the United States, with multiple countries developing their own legislative frameworks. International approaches often influence U.S. policy development and vice versa.
European Union regulations have established some of the strongest repair requirements globally. These laws require manufacturers to make spare parts available for specific product categories and provide minimum repairability standards.
Canada, Australia, and several Asian nations have also begun exploring repair legislation. Each country adapts the core principles to fit its existing consumer protection laws and manufacturing landscape.
International trends show increasing focus on environmental sustainability alongside consumer rights. Many countries link repair laws to e-waste reduction goals and circular economy initiatives, recognizing that repair reduces carbon emissions from new manufacturing.
Repair Providers and Industry Impact
Right to repair legislation fundamentally reshapes who can fix your devices and how the repair industry operates. Independent repair shops gain access to the same parts and tools that manufacturers provide to authorized networks, while the broader service industry adapts to new compliance requirements and competitive dynamics.
Independent and Third-Party Repair Shops
Independent repair providers are local businesses and technicians who fix devices without manufacturer authorization. These third-party repair shops have historically faced barriers accessing genuine parts, diagnostic software, and repair manuals that authorized service centers receive automatically.
Right to repair laws level this playing field. When you take your phone or laptop to an independent repair shop, those technicians can now obtain official documentation and components on fair terms. This access means you’re no longer forced to choose between expensive manufacturer repairs and potentially risky unofficial fixes.
The cell phone repair industry remains highly fragmented, with smaller independent businesses controlling most of the market. These shops serve communities where authorized repair centers don’t exist, particularly in rural areas where accessing manufacturer-approved service might require traveling significant distances.
Certified and Manufacturer-Affiliated Service
Manufacturer-affiliated service providers operate through official authorization agreements with device makers. These certified technicians traditionally enjoyed exclusive access to proprietary tools, parts inventory, and technical support that independent shops couldn’t obtain.
Under new regulations, this exclusivity diminishes as manufacturers must share resources. Your local authorized service center still exists, but it now competes on service quality and convenience rather than being your only option for genuine parts. Manufacturers can no longer use parts pairing software to block third-party components from functioning in your device when such practices are explicitly banned in multiple states.
Authorized networks maintain advantages through direct manufacturer relationships and warranty coverage, but they operate in a more competitive environment.
Impact on the Repair Industry
The repair industry undergoes significant transformation as six states have implemented comprehensive right to repair regulations. Service providers across both independent and authorized channels must adapt to standardized access to repair materials.
For you as a consumer, this creates more repair options and competitive pricing. Independent repair providers can now offer services previously impossible without manufacturer cooperation. The industry sees job creation, especially in areas where authorized service was previously unavailable.
Manufacturers face new compliance obligations but also opportunities. By providing parts, tools, and documentation, companies can build customer loyalty and open revenue streams through parts sales rather than forcing exclusive service arrangements.
Environmental and Economic Benefits
Right to repair legislation addresses two critical challenges: the growing mountains of discarded electronics and the financial burden consumers face when devices fail. These laws create pathways toward both environmental sustainability and meaningful household savings.
Reducing E-Waste and Supporting Sustainability
Electronic waste represents one of the fastest-growing waste streams globally, with approximately 40 million tons generated annually. Only 12.5% of this waste gets recycled, while the majority is burned, releasing harmful toxins into the atmosphere.
When you repair your device instead of replacing it, you directly reduce waste accumulation. Repairing electronics can significantly prolong their lifecycle, diminishing the volume of waste produced and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The environmental benefits extend beyond immediate waste reduction. Repairing existing devices decreases your carbon footprint associated with manufacturing new electronics. Research shows that repairing assets rather than replacing them could decrease the Global Warming Potential by 40.9% for motors and 37.4% for generators.
Repairability also enhances resource efficiency by reducing reliance on rare earth minerals needed for new consumer electronics. When you repair and sanitize your devices, you typically use more widely available materials compared to manufacturing new products.
Cost Savings for Consumers
Repairing rather than replacing your devices significantly lowers per-use costs, making it a more economical choice. You spread out purchase costs over additional uses, extending the value you receive from each product.
The economic benefits of right-to-repair laws translate to lower repair costs and extended product lifespans, saving you money in the long run. When replacement components become accessible, you avoid paying premium prices charged by manufacturers for authorized repairs.
Free competition among repair providers drives innovation that benefits you through lower prices and improved repair quality. Independent local repair shops can offer more affordable alternatives to manufacturer-authorized service centers.
You also save on waste disposal fees, particularly for hazardous items such as medical and electronic waste. These savings compound over time as you maintain your existing devices rather than continuously purchasing new ones.
Role in Combating Planned Obsolescence
Planned obsolescence describes the practice of designing products with limited lifespans to encourage frequent replacements. This approach conflicts with both environmental sustainability and your financial interests.
Right to repair legislation challenges this model by ensuring you have access to replacement components and repair documentation. When manufacturers must provide these resources, they face stronger incentives to design more durable products.
Your ability to repair creates market pressure for higher-quality consumer electronics. Manufacturers who focus on durability and repairability attract consumers seeking better value for money. The Right to Repair movement is fundamentally about empowering consumers, strengthening local economies, and protecting the environment.
Device repair options foster a culture of responsibility and sustainable consumption. When you can maintain your possessions, you take charge of their longevity rather than accepting predetermined obsolescence. This shift promotes longer product lifespans and reduces the cycle of constant replacement that depletes resources and generates waste.
Resources and Advocacy
Multiple organizations provide educational materials and tools to help you repair your devices, while advocacy groups work to expand legal protections. These resources range from repair guides and community forums to policy initiatives that ensure manufacturers provide access to parts and documentation.
Nonprofit and Community Support
The Repair Association leads advocacy efforts to protect and expand repair rights across the United States. This organization connects you with legislative campaigns and educational resources about your legal rights as a product owner.
You can also find support through groups like PIRG, which focuses on ensuring you have access to information, tools, and independent repair shops when your devices break. These organizations work at state and federal levels to push for legislation that benefits consumers.
The Culture of Repair Project aligns with international bodies to promote repair awareness and reduce barriers. They focus on building a broader culture that values fixing items rather than replacing them.
Many of these nonprofits encourage you to contact legislators, share information on social media, and participate in grassroots campaigns. Your involvement can directly influence policy outcomes in your state.
Popular Repair Resources and Tools
iFixit serves as a comprehensive platform offering free repair guides, teardowns, and troubleshooting steps for thousands of devices. You’ll find detailed instructions with photos that walk you through each repair process step by step.
The platform also sells specialized tools and genuine replacement parts, making it easier to complete repairs yourself. Their community forums allow you to ask questions and learn from experienced repair enthusiasts.
Many manufacturers now provide repair materials directly on their websites due to recent legislation. You can typically find parts, diagnostic software, and service manuals by searching the manufacturer’s support pages or contacting customer service teams.