Automatic Renewal Provisions

Enacted in 2023, the Connecticut Automatic Renewal and Continuous Services Law prohibits businesses that enter into or offer these agreements from charging a consumer’s credit card, debit card, or third-party payment account for any automatic renewal or continuous services without the consumer’s affirmative consent. It also requires these businesses to establish and maintain a toll-free phone number, email address, or postal address, or an online way for consumers to prevent automatic renewals or prevent and terminate continuous consumer services. An agreement has an automatic renewal or continuous service provision, then the business must disclose (as applicable) that the agreement will automatically renew until the consumer acts to prevent it or business will provide continuous services under the agreement until the consumer acts to prevent or terminate them. (C.G.S.A. § 42-158ff) See also Public Act Summary.

As a general matter, Connecticut courts will give effect to contracts that provide for automatic renewal in the absence of written notice. See Unifirst Corp. v. Rubino Brothers, Inc., 2004 WL 2668794 (Conn. Super. 2004) (automatic lease renewal clause held to be effective, where notice of cancellation not forwarded to lessor pursuant to the terms of the lease).

None.