Keep Tech Working.
Right to repair is not a slogan for independent shops. It is the parts you can order, the manuals you can read, the diagnostics you can run, and the customers who can choose you. The TCA fights for every one of those because every one of them is your business.
Join the TCA See where the laws standWhat right to repair means for your shop
Parts you can buy
Manufacturers decide whether independent shops can purchase original parts at all, and on what terms. Right to repair laws require fair and reasonable access.
Documentation you can use
Service manuals, schematics, and firmware tools are routinely withheld from anyone outside the authorized network. The law puts them in your hands.
Devices that accept the fix
Parts pairing can disable a working screen or battery because it was not installed through the manufacturer's channel. The strongest state laws now prohibit it.
Customers who can choose you
When repair is restricted, consumers are steered to the manufacturer or told to replace the device. Right to repair keeps the choice, and the revenue, local.
Where the TCA stands
Laws are the only durable solution to this problem. Voluntary programs come and go on the manufacturer's schedule and the manufacturer's terms. The TCA fully supports passing right to repair laws in statehouses across the country and at the federal level, so that every American and every independent repair shop has these rights in writing.
We also know that laws do not pass themselves. They pass when legislators hear from the people who fix things for a living and the people who depend on them.
What the TCA does
We educate
Most of the TCA's right to repair work over the past several years has gone into explaining the issue to repair professionals and consumers: what the laws require, which states have them, and what changes for a shop when they take effect. That writing lives on the TCA blog and on WhereToRepair.org, and the best of it is linked below.
We mobilize
The TCA encourages repair people to speak up, show up, and tell their legislators what restricted repair costs a small business. A shop owner's story carries more weight in a committee room than any lobbyist's talking points.
We advocate
The TCA has submitted formal letters of support for right to repair bills in New York, Minnesota, Oregon, Colorado, and Washington, and has backed legislators by email in many other states. All five of those states now have a digital right to repair law on the books. The TCA's founder also serves on the board of Repair.org, the national coalition behind most state right to repair legislation.
Virginia
The TCA's home state has been a hard one. Digital right to repair bills have now failed two years running in the General Assembly without receiving a hearing, and the issue has lacked a strong champion in Richmond. Shifting federal priorities and a change of administration worked against repair in the 2026 session. The TCA will be back for 2027 with more members, more shop stories, and more time on the calendar.
Where the laws stand
Updated October 2026. Consumer electronics laws only; automotive, agricultural, and wheelchair laws are not included.
Nine states have enacted laws giving owners and independent shops a right to repair digital electronic equipment.
Two cautions when you read that list. First, Connecticut's law covers specific internet connected devices rather than phones and laptops generally, so it is far narrower than the rest. Second, a law on the books is not the same as a repair you can finish. Kansas, for example, still lets manufacturers require authorization or an internet connection to use parts and tools. Whether independent shops can actually complete repairs, not just buy parts, is the question that will define the next round of legislation.
Bills were introduced or advanced in several more states during 2026, including Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Ohio. Federal legislation has been introduced in Congress but has not been enacted.
Live state by state tracking is maintained by Repair.org.
Read the TCA's right to repair coverage
For repair professionals (TCA blog)
- Right to Repair 2026: Complete Advocacy Guide for Tech Repair Pros. How to find your representatives, contact legislators and media, and push from access to enforcement.
- Right to Repair 2026: What It Means for Your Repair Shop. Law status, parts access, parts pairing bans, and enforcement.
- Digital Right to Repair 2026: The New Rules of the Game. Colorado's law and what shops should do about parts pairing.
- Right to Repair: The Economic Engine America Needs Now. The economic case for repair.
- The Data Gap Costing Tech Repair Shops $50,000+ Per Year. Why industry data matters in testimony.
- Beyond Phone Repair: All 10 Consumer Electronics Categories. How state laws expand what you can fix.
For consumers (WhereToRepair.org)
- The Right to Repair: Saving Americans Money Through Repair. What repair restrictions cost families, farmers, and businesses.
- Right to Repair: A Long American Tradition. Why fixing what you own is nothing new.
- Big Tech Decides When Your Stuff Breaks. Right to Repair in 2026 Can Stop Them. Authorized repair markups versus independent shops.
- Digital Right to Repair: Why You Deserve Control Over Your Devices. A plain language explainer.
- Warranty Myths Exposed. Your rights under the Magnuson-Moss Act.
- iPhone Repair Scam Exposed: Apple's $350 Markup. What advancing laws change for consumers.
How to get involved
Join the TCA
Membership funds this work and puts your shop's name behind it. Join now.
Contact your legislator
If your state has a pending bill, a short note from a local business owner matters. Tell them what you fix, who you fix it for, and what you cannot get from manufacturers today. Find your legislator and take action.
Tell your story
The TCA collects real examples of repair restrictions from working shops to use in testimony and letters. Send yours to rob.link@techcareassociation.org.
Read and share
The TCA blog covers right to repair developments as they happen. Browse the blog and pass the good ones along.
Frequently asked questions
Does right to repair let anyone open my customers' devices?
Right to repair laws govern what manufacturers must make available: parts, tools, and documentation. They do not change who a customer chooses to hire or what qualifications a shop holds.
My state has no law yet. Does this still affect my shop?
Yes. Manufacturers that comply in one state often change practices nationally rather than maintain separate programs. Oregon's parts pairing ban is one example of a state law with effects well beyond its borders.
What is the difference between a state law and a manufacturer repair program?
A manufacturer program is voluntary and can be changed or withdrawn at any time. A state law is enforceable, typically through the state's consumer protection act, and applies on fair and reasonable terms set by statute.
How can I help if I am not in a state with a pending bill?
Join the TCA, document the restrictions you run into, and share them. Those examples become testimony in states where bills are moving.
Keep Tech Working.
Every right to repair law on the books passed because repair people and their customers showed up. Put your shop behind the next one.
Join the TCA