Maryland automatic renewal law
Maryland's automatic-renewal law for subscription businesses: 7 cited requirements (disclosure, consent, acknowledgment, notice windows, cancellation), effective dates and who can sue. Generated from Checkbox's legal catalog; pending attorney review.
At a glance
| Applies to | Consumers in Maryland, wherever the business is located |
| Laws | Maryland Consumer Protection — Automatic Renewals (2025 chs. 204, 205) |
| Effective | 2026-06-01 |
| Status | In force |
| Requirements in the catalog | 7 (2 with a notice window) |
| Private right of action | public enforcement only |
| Last reviewed | 2026-10-29 |
Federal law applies on top of this: see federal subscription law.
The law
Maryland Consumer Protection — Automatic Renewals (2025 chs. 204, 205)
- Citation: Md. Code Ann., Com. Law § 14-1329
- Effective: 2026-06-01
- Status: In force
- Verified: 2026-10-29, official text read in full (confidence: high)
Renewal terms next to consent; easily accessible cancellation methods; post-trial price; consent to auto-charging for terms over one month; cancellation at least as easy as sign-up in the same medium (prominent link/button or email, no required agent); notices 3-21 days before trials over 14 days convert and 15-45 days before 1-year terms renew. Unfair, abusive or deceptive trade practice (Title 13); no private right of action under this section.
Scope: Exempt: businesses whose renewal practices are regulated by the Maryland Insurance Administration, entities regulated under the Service Contracts and Consumer Products Guaranty Act, and PSC-, FCC- or FERC-regulated services.
Requirements
Each row is one obligation in the catalog, in plain English, with the provision it comes from. "Applies when" lists the conditions under which it applies (otherwise it always applies to covered offers). The ids are stable and match the dataset and Checkbox API results.
At sign-up
| Requirement | Applies when | Effective | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
Present the renewal terms clearly and conspicuously next to the consent request Before the subscription is fulfilled, present the automatic renewal offer terms — including the price charged after the initial term ends or how the agreement will change at the end of it — clearly and conspicuously and in visual proximity to the request for consent (for oral offers, at the same time as the request). US-MD.14-1329.b.1.i | always | 2026-06-01 | Md. Code Ann., Com. Law § 14-1329(b)(1)(i) |
Disclose the cancellation methods in an easily accessible way Present the consumer with an easily accessible disclosure of the methods the consumer may use to cancel the automatic renewal. US-MD.14-1329.b.1.ii | always | 2026-06-01 | Md. Code Ann., Com. Law § 14-1329(b)(1)(ii) |
Explain the post-trial price If the offer includes a free gift or trial, clearly and conspicuously explain the price charged after the trial and how pricing will change at its end. US-MD.14-1329.b.2 | free trial | 2026-06-01 | Md. Code Ann., Com. Law § 14-1329(b)(2) |
Notice and consent before automatically charging a credit card (initial terms over one month) For an automatic renewal offer with an initial definite term of more than one month, do not automatically charge the consumer's credit card unless clear and conspicuous notice is given and the consumer consents to the automatic charge. US-MD.14-1329.d | term ≥ 2 months | 2026-06-01 | Md. Code Ann., Com. Law § 14-1329(d) |
Before charges (notices and reminders)
| Requirement | Applies when | Effective | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
Notice 3-21 days before a free gift or trial longer than 14 days converts If the offer includes a free gift or trial lasting more than 14 days, give a clear and conspicuous notice 3 to 21 days before the automatic renewal takes effect, stating: that it will renew unless cancelled; the duration and terms of the renewal (including the post-trial price); the ways to cancel; a cancellation link if sent electronically; and contact information. US-MD.14-1329.c.2 | free trial, trial ≥ 15 days | 2026-06-01 | Md. Code Ann., Com. Law § 14-1329(c)(1)-(2) |
Renewal notice 15-45 days ahead for initial terms of at least one year If the consumer accepted an initial term of at least one year, give the § 14-1329(c)(1) notice 15 to 45 days before the automatic renewal takes effect. US-MD.14-1329.c.3 | term ≥ 12 months | 2026-06-01 | Md. Code Ann., Com. Law § 14-1329(c)(1), (c)(3) |
Cancelling
| Requirement | Applies when | Effective | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
Cancellation as easy as sign-up, same medium, prominent link/button or email, no required live agent Provide a cost-effective, timely and easy-to-use mechanism to cancel, avoid (increased) charges and immediately stop recurring charges, without unreasonable delay, hindrance or obstruction. It must be at least as easy as the consent mechanism and available in the same medium. Online cancellation must be easy to find, must not require talking to a live or virtual representative (unless sign-up did), and must include a prominently placed direct link or button (in the account/profile or device/user settings) or an immediately accessible pre-formatted termination email. Phone cancellation must be performed promptly on a number that is answered or records messages during business hours; in-person cancellation must resemble the in-person sign-up and also offer the online and phone options. US-MD.14-1329.b.3 | always | 2026-06-01 | Md. Code Ann., Com. Law § 14-1329(b)(1)(iii), (b)(3) |
Notice windows
When each notice must be sent. A notice outside its window does not count, so schedule sends against the exact dates.
| Notice | When | Applies when | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notice 3-21 days before a free gift or trial longer than 14 days converts | 3-21 days before the trial ends | free trial, trial ≥ 15 days | Md. Code Ann., Com. Law § 14-1329(c)(1)-(2) |
| Renewal notice 15-45 days ahead for initial terms of at least one year | 15-45 days before renewal | term ≥ 12 months | Md. Code Ann., Com. Law § 14-1329(c)(1), (c)(3) |
Several states use overlapping windows; one email can often satisfy all of them. See free-trial notices and price increases.
Who can sue, and remedies
Private right of action: No private right of action: enforced by public officials only.
Unfair, abusive or deceptive trade practice (Consumer Protection Act Title 13); the statute says there is no private right of action under this section.
Remedy figures come from the cited statutes and from public enforcement records summarized in Checkbox's litigation research; figures from secondary sources are marked "unverified" where they appear.
Check your subscription flow
Checkbox evaluates these requirements automatically: the sign-up page, the emails and the cancellation flow are checked against Maryland's rules (and every other jurisdiction's) on every check. 18 machine checks cover this page.
- Free to start: get test API keys or connect the MCP server at
https://app.checkbox.site/mcpfrom your coding assistant. - Preflight a disclosure, a Stripe Checkout Session or an email before you ship: preflight checks (
--jurisdictions US-MDlimits a check to Maryland's rules). - Start from the subscription compliance checklist.
Data and citation
This page is generated from the open subscription law dataset (catalog 2026.11.01.1, CC BY 4.0), available as JSON and CSV. Cite it as: Checkbox, "Maryland automatic renewal law", checkbox.site/laws/maryland, catalog 2026.11.01.1 (last reviewed 2026-10-29). Report an error: support@checkbox.site.
Checkbox is compliance software, not a law firm; nothing in these docs is legal advice (details). You remain solely responsible for your subscription program, and Checkbox takes on no legal liability for it (Terms). Checkbox is a System1 company; Trust center · Status. For AI agents: every page is available as Markdown at the same URL plus .md; the index is /llms.txt.