Louisiana's Automatic Renewal Law: What Subscribers Should Know

Through the end of 2026, Louisiana's operative rule is one short section: Louisiana Revised Statutes (R.S.) section 9:2716, "Contracts with automatic renewal clauses," added by Acts 2010, No. 906. It applies to any person, firm, or corporation engaged in commerce that sells, leases, or offers to sell or lease products or services to a consumer under a contract that automatically renews unless the consumer cancels.

Subsection D's exemptions are broad. The section does not apply to the Louisiana Rental-Purchase Agreement Act (R.S. 9:3351 through 3362); to banks, trust companies, savings and loan associations, savings banks, credit unions, finance or credit companies, industrial loan companies, other licensed financial institutions and their subsidiaries and affiliates; to insurers licensed under Title 22; to contracts entered into before January 1, 2011; or to a contract that lets the consumer cancel by written notice within thirty days, or within one month, after the initial period has expired.

That last exemption matters more than it looks: many month-to-month subscriptions already allow cancellation at any time, which can place them outside the section entirely. Where California and Colorado write broad rules about how subscriptions are sold and cancelled, R.S. 9:2716 mainly polices two disclosures. This page is general information about the statute, not legal advice; consult the statute or a licensed Louisiana attorney about a specific situation.

Subsection A carries the first duty: a business must disclose the automatic renewal clause clearly and conspicuously in the contract or in the contract offer. The fact that an agreement rolls over on its own cannot be buried in terms you were never shown.

Subsection B carries the second: the business must disclose clearly and conspicuously how to cancel the contract. Note where that may appear. The statute allows it in the initial contract, in the contract offer, or "with delivery of products or services," so cancellation instructions may legitimately arrive with your first shipment or welcome materials rather than at checkout.

R.S. 9:2716 does not define "clearly and conspicuously." Unlike the Colorado and Minnesota statutes, it supplies no formatting test such as larger type, contrasting color, or set-off symbols. Louisiana's new Click-to-Cancel Act does supply one, but only from January 1, 2027 forward.

R.S. 9:2716 governs what a business must tell you about cancelling, not how cancelling must work. There is no online-cancellation mandate, no toll-free number requirement, and no rule that ending a subscription be as easy as starting one.

The statute's teeth are in Subsection E: any contract automatically renewed in violation of the section "shall revert to a thirty day renewal contract in accordance with the same terms." Rather than voiding the agreement, the law converts a non-compliant long renewal into a rolling thirty-day arrangement, shortening how long you can be held to a term you were not properly told about.

Subsection C gives businesses a defense. A business that fails to comply is nonetheless not in violation if it demonstrates all three of: that it established, implemented, and enforces written compliance procedures; that the failure resulted from error; and that, as a matter of routine business practice, it provides a full refund or credit for all amounts billed to or paid by the consumer from the renewal date until the contract is terminated or the next renewal notice, whichever occurs first.

Louisiana's current statute requires none. R.S. 9:2716 contains no provision obliging a business to warn you before a subscription renews. Once the up-front disclosures are made, nothing in the section requires a reminder before the next charge.

That changes on January 1, 2027. R.S. 51:3303(C) will require notice before renewal in three circumstances: the renewal term is twelve months or longer, there is a material change in the contract terms including a price increase, or the contract converts from a trial period to a paid subscription. The notice must come at least three days before the renewal or conversion and must state the renewal terms, the amount to be charged, and instructions on how to cancel.

The significant development is Act 830 of the 2026 Regular Session, originally House Bill 750, which enacts Chapter 70 of Title 51 as R.S. 51:3301 through 3305 under the short title "Click-to-Cancel Act." Section 2 of the Act sets its effective date at January 1, 2027, so it is not in force during 2026. R.S. 9:2716 remains the operative rule until then, and the Act does not repeal it.

When it takes effect, the chapter will require a business to present the automatic renewal offer terms clearly and conspicuously before the agreement is fulfilled and in visual proximity to the request for acceptance; obtain affirmative consent before charging; provide a retainable acknowledgment with the offer terms, cancellation policy, and cancellation instructions; keep records demonstrating consent for at least one year; and provide a cost-effective, timely, easy-to-use cancellation mechanism that is not unreasonably burdensome or designed to deter cancellation and that allows cancellation online, or by email, telephone, or another commonly used method.

Its coverage is narrower than it first appears. R.S. 51:3305 provides that R.S. 51:3301 through 3304 do not apply to a person with fewer than fifty employees or annual gross revenue under five million dollars, counting subsidiaries, parents, and affiliates together. R.S. 51:3303(E) adds exemptions for rental-purchase agreements, financial institutions, Title 22 insurers and affiliates, contracts entered into before January 1, 2011, FCC-regulated services, certain nonprofit and trade-association member programs, and professional subscription services such as multiple listing services not offered primarily for personal, family, or household purposes.

R.S. 9:2716 does not name an enforcement agency. Its remedy operates directly on the contract through the Subsection E reversion to a thirty-day renewal term.

Public enforcement arrives with the new chapter. From January 1, 2027, R.S. 51:3304 makes a violator subject to a civil penalty set by the Attorney General of no more than five hundred dollars per violation. R.S. 51:3303(D) requires written notice of the alleged violation and thirty days to cure before any enforcement action or civil penalty, with no penalty imposed if the violation is cured and written confirmation given; that cure right does not apply to willful or repeated violations. R.S. 51:3303(F) separately shields a person who demonstrates a good faith effort to comply and maintains reasonable compliance procedures from liability for technical or inadvertent violations causing no material harm.

Consumers who believe a Louisiana business misled them about a renewal can contact the Louisiana Attorney General's Public Protection Division, which houses the office's consumer protection work. Keep the sign-up screen, the contract or welcome email, dated cancellation requests, and billing statements. This page is general information about Louisiana law as of 2026 and is not legal advice; statutes and effective dates change, so review the primary sources below or consult a licensed Louisiana attorney.