Your right to a written estimate before an appliance repair

The states whose laws make an appliance repair company give a written estimate, tell you its service call or diagnosis fee, or follow other billing rules, each with its statute.

Updated November 3, 202624 official sources

On this page5 sections

1Written estimates
2Service call and diagnosis fees
3Other billing rules
4New York City and two counties
5Everywhere else

A few states have laws that make an appliance repair company give you a written estimate, limit how far the bill can go over it, or tell you what the service call costs. Here's each one we've confirmed in the law itself, with its statute or rule. Each state's name links to its rules page on this site.

Written estimates

State	The rule
California	Before any repair, the service dealer has to give you a written estimate covering all parts and labor, and the initial service call if there was one. It can't charge more than the estimate without your consent first, and if you agree orally, in person or by phone, the dealer has to note on the invoice the date, time, who agreed, and the added parts, labor and cost.^1-2
Connecticut	If you ask, a repair business has to give you a written estimate of the parts and labor for the job, and it can't charge for work or parts beyond that estimate without your consent. Work charged at $25 or more has to be written up on an invoice describing the work and parts, and the business has to post a sign telling customers about these rights. This covers repairs to any consumer goods except motor vehicles.^3-4
Michigan	For refrigerators, freezers, dehumidifiers, ovens, ranges, microwave ovens, washers, dryers, dishwashers, trash compactors and window air conditioners used at home, the repairer has to give you a written estimate before doing any work, with labor and parts listed separately, which you approve by signing it, by phone or another equivalent way. The bill can't be more than 110% of the estimate unless you give permission.^5-6
Minnesota	For appliance repairs costing more than $100, a shop has to give you a written estimate before starting if you ask for one. It can't charge more than 110% of the estimate unless the extra work couldn't reasonably have been foreseen and it gives you a revised written estimate and you agree to go on, and it can't charge for repairs you didn't authorize.^7-8
Ohio	For repairs and services expected to cost more than $25, a business you meet in person has to give you a form before work starts, and you can choose a written estimate, an oral estimate or none. If you asked for an estimate, it needs your spoken or written OK before adding more than $5 to an estimate of $50 or less, or 10% or more to a larger one.^9-10

Service call and diagnosis fees

State	The rule
California	The dealer has to tell you the service call charge, and any diagnosis fee, before each service call, and can't add charges beyond that quote except under the estimate rules. It may charge a reasonable fee for finding out what's wrong, but only if it tells you the amount in writing before an in-home repair, before taking the appliance away, or when it accepts the appliance at its shop, and that fee counts as part of the service call charge.^1-2
Michigan	A repairer may charge for examining the appliance and diagnosing the problem if the fee is shown on the written estimate, and if that means taking the appliance apart, the estimate has to include the cost of taking it apart and putting it back together. Repairers may charge for a service call, and any service call charge has to appear on the final bill.^{5, 11}
Minnesota	A shop may charge for a service call even if it doesn't make an estimate or repair, and if you ask, it has to tell you before the visit that there's a charge and how it's worked out. A shop may also charge for writing an estimate, including taking the appliance apart, diagnosing the problem and putting it back together, and the invoice has to list any service call or estimate charge.^{8, 12-13}
Ohio	A repair business has to tell you on first contact about any charge that isn't for the repair itself, such as a service charge, a trip charge or a diagnosis fee, whether or not it ends up doing the repair.⁹

Other billing rules

State	The rule
Delaware	Delaware's home improvement rules cover installing, replacing or repairing stoves, water heaters, and heating and air conditioning systems in a home. The contractor has to give you a written contract that describes the work and the contract price, with every term filled in before you sign, and a home improvement contract can't be presented as just an estimate.¹⁴
Maryland	A company that repairs home appliances for a fee has to give you a written bill showing the hourly labor rate, the time actually spent, the itemized cost of new parts, and the itemized cost of any used or reconditioned parts marked as used. This doesn't apply to work under a service contract or when you were given a flat price or firm estimate before the repair.¹⁵
Oregon	It's an unlawful trade practice in Oregon to service or take apart someone's goods without their authorization.¹⁶
Rhode Island	A business that services or repairs electric or gas appliances has to tell you before it starts if it plans to use used or rebuilt parts, and has to note them on your repair invoice.¹⁷

New York City and two counties

New York State doesn't license appliance repair, but New York City and Suffolk and Nassau counties do.¹⁸

New York City: a business that repairs electronics or home appliances needs a Department of Consumer and Worker Protection Electronics license, which replaced the Electronic and Home Appliance Service Dealer license on September 8, 2026, and it has to post a notice that you're entitled to a written estimate for all repairs and that no repair is done without your authorization. Suffolk County: the Department of Consumer Affairs issues a Home Appliance Repair License. Nassau County: the Office of Consumer Affairs licenses electronic and home appliance service dealers, and its rules require a written agreement signed by both sides that names the work, the parts and the final price.^19-24 New York's rules page has the city's license lookup.

Everywhere else

A state that isn't listed here may still have a consumer rule that reaches appliance repair, and a city or county may have one of its own. Wherever you are:

Ask for a written estimate before the work starts, and ask the company to call you before it goes over that amount.
Ask what the service call or diagnosis fee is before the technician comes, and whether it counts toward the repair.
Keep the estimate, the invoice and any warranty papers until you're sure the repair has held up.

How to check an appliance repair company has each state's licensing rule and where to look a company up, and What appliance repair costs has published national ranges to check an estimate against.

Each company on this site is listed with its phone number where it has one, so you can call two or three and compare. You can also send a request through the request form.

Estimate, fee and billing rules from state legislatures, agencies and attorneys general, and New York City and county consumer affairs offices, checked October 2026.