Relevant dates in "Lemon Law" history

All 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia have a lemon law in some form. The first one was enacted in 1982 in Connecticut. Over the next three years, by the end of 1985, 35 states and the District of Columbia had passed a lemon law. The most recently passed state lemon law took effect in Alaska in 1994.

The following list shows during what year the lemon law in your state first became effective. Some states have amended their lemon laws from their original form to reflect changes and updates in the law. When reviewing your state's lemon law, make sure you are always reviewing the most recent version.

1975 – Congress passes the Federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act
1982 – Connecticut lemon law takes effect
1983 – California, District of Columbia, Florida, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Texas, Wisconsin and Wyoming lemon laws take effect
1984 – Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia lemon laws take effect
1985 – Delaware, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma and Utah lemon laws take effect
1986 – Michigan and New Mexico lemon laws take effect
1987 – North Carolina and Ohio lemon laws take effect
1988 – Idaho and Kentucky lemon laws take effect
1989 – South Carolina lemon law takes effect
1990 – Alabama, Georgia and Washington lemon laws take effect
1991 – New Hampshire lemon law takes effect
1993 – Arkansas, Indiana and South Dakota lemon laws take effect
1994 – Alaska lemon law takes effect