Guides
Lemon law arbitration, state by state
Pick your state to place each step on a timeline, from the written notice to the program’s decision. Below, which states run their own program and which send you to the manufacturer first.
From written notice to a decision
Certified mail, return receipt requested.
Earliest decisionbetween Nov 5, 2026 and Dec 15, 2026
1. Done · milestone
Written notice reaches the manufacturer
Oct 16, 2026
After the third attempt, written notice by registered or express mail; the manufacturer has 10 days to respond and 10 days to repair (§ 681.104). At 15 days out of service, written notice too.
Fla. Stat. ch. 681 (Motor Vehicle Warranty Enforcement Act)2. In progress · 3 weeks
Final repair window
Nov 5, 2026
After notice, 10 days to respond and 10 more days to complete the repair (Fla. Stat. 681.104).
Fla. Stat. ch. 681 (Motor Vehicle Warranty Enforcement Act)3. Upcoming · 0 day – 6 weeks
Dispute program decides
Nov 5, 2026 – Dec 15, 2026
A program that follows 16 CFR Part 703 must decide within 40 days of receiving your dispute. A certified manufacturer procedure first if there is one (file within 60 days after the rights period); then the Florida New Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board (§ 681.109).
16 CFR 703.5(d)4. Upcoming · milestone
Accept, refuse or go further
Nov 5, 2026 – Dec 15, 2026
Request arbitration within 60 days after the 24-month rights period ends; a lawsuit within 1 year after the rights period or after the final arbitration action (§§ 681.109, 681.112).
Arbitration is the usual road for a lemon law claim, and it comes in two forms. A manufacturer program is set up by the car maker under the federal rule 16 CFR Part 703: it is free to the owner, must decide within 40 days, and its decision does not bind the owner, who may still sue. A state program is run or overseen by the state, often by the attorney general, and manufacturers must take part. As read on November 1, 2026, 14 jurisdictions have a state program or a state body that hears claims, and 30 require the owner to try a qualifying manufacturer program before going to court. In a few states the program is optional. The timeline above shows, for any state, the time the manufacturer has after notice where the text sets it, and the 40 days of a federal-rule program.
Which dispute step comes first in your state?
New York
State-run program
| What the text says: Attorney General’s Lemon Law Arbitration Program (requests to the Lemon Law Unit). | |
| Deadline | not set in the text read |
State laws read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
Which program comes first, state by state
| State | First step | What the text says |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Manufacturer program first | If the manufacturer has an informal dispute procedure that complies with the federal rules, you must exhaust it before suing (§ 8-20A-3). |
| Alaska | Manufacturer program first | A dispute procedure approved by the Attorney General must be used before going to court; one that is not approved is optional. Its decision binds the manufacturer, not you (Department of Law). |
| Arizona | Manufacturer program first | If the manufacturer runs an informal dispute procedure that complies with 16 CFR Part 703, you must use it before asking for a refund or replacement (§ 44-1265). |
| Arkansas | Manufacturer program first | A manufacturer procedure certified by the Attorney General must be used first, at no cost to you (Act 297, Sec. 16). |
| California | Manufacturer program first | If the manufacturer has a state-certified third-party dispute program and disclosed it, you must use it before relying on the presumption in court. |
| Connecticut | State-run program | State arbitration run by the Department of Consumer Protection ($50 fee) when the manufacturer has no procedure certified by the Attorney General; a certified procedure must be used first (§§ 42-179, 42-181, 42-182). |
| Delaware | Manufacturer program first | A manufacturer procedure binds you only if the Division of Consumer Protection has certified it; otherwise you may go straight to the remedies (§ 5007). |
| District of Columbia | State-run program | You must first bring the claim to the Board of Consumer Claims Arbitration before asking a court for a refund or replacement (§ 50-502). |
| Florida | State-run program | A certified manufacturer procedure first if there is one (file within 60 days after the rights period); then the Florida New Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board (§ 681.109). |
| Georgia | State-run program | State-run arbitration by the Consumer Protection Division, at no cost, after any state-certified manufacturer mechanism, which must be used first (file within 1 year after the period; 40 days to decide). These steps come before a lawsuit (§§ 10-1-786, 10-1-788). |
| Hawaii | State-run program | State Certified Arbitration Program (SCAP), $50 filing fee, returned if you win; binding or non-binding at your choice. The manufacturer has 45 days to carry out a refund or replacement. |
| Idaho | Manufacturer program first | The manufacturer must offer a consumer arbitration program in Idaho (§ 48-903(7)); use it first when it applies. Check the Attorney General’s guide for the time to contest a decision: it gives two different figures. |
| Illinois | Manufacturer program first | The manufacturer’s third-party dispute board decides first; you may sue if you disagree, the manufacturer may not dispute the board. |
| Indiana | Manufacturer program first | An informal procedure certified by the Attorney General must be used first if the manufacturer has one (IC 24-5-13-19). |
| Iowa | Manufacturer program first | If the manufacturer has a certified program and told you how to file, you must use it first (§ 322G.6). |
| Kansas | Manufacturer program first | A manufacturer procedure that complies with 16 CFR Part 703 must be used first (§ 50-645(e)). |
| Kentucky | Manufacturer program first | If a dispute system under KRS 367.860 to 367.870 or a procedure under 16 CFR Part 703 exists, it comes before a lawsuit. |
| Louisiana | Manufacturer program first | A manufacturer dispute procedure that qualifies must be used first (51:1944). |
| Maine | State-run program | State Lemon Law Arbitration Program run by the Attorney General; free for the consumer (a $1 fee is collected at the sale of each new car). |
| Maryland | Optional | You may use a manufacturer procedure that complies with 16 CFR Part 703; it does not take away your other rights (§ 14-1502(i)). |
| Massachusetts | State-run program | State-certified arbitration program of the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation. |
| Michigan | Manufacturer program first | If the manufacturer has an informal dispute procedure, you must use it first. |
| Minnesota | Manufacturer program first | The manufacturer must offer a dispute mechanism in Minnesota, and you must use it before suing (subd. 6). |
| Mississippi | Manufacturer program first | A qualifying manufacturer informal dispute program must be used first (§ 63-17-163). |
| Missouri | Manufacturer program first | The manufacturer must tell you about its informal dispute procedure (§§ 407.573, 407.575). |
| Montana | Manufacturer program first | A certified manufacturer procedure must be tried first; the state department also selects arbitrators (§§ 61-4-506, 61-4-516). |
| Nebraska | Manufacturer program first | A procedure certified by the Director of Motor Vehicles must be used first if there is one; the DMV describes informal arbitration or a lawsuit. |
| Nevada | Manufacturer program first | A manufacturer dispute procedure must be used first when it qualifies (NRS 597.620). |
| New Hampshire | State-run program | New Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board ($50 filing fee; the manufacturer pays $250), or the manufacturer’s program: you choose one. The board hears the case within 40 days, and the manufacturer’s last attempt falls in those days. |
| New Jersey | State-run program | Lemon Law Unit of the Division of Consumer Affairs (state hearing, $50 fee, recoverable if you win), or the Superior Court. |
| New York | State-run program | Attorney General’s Lemon Law Arbitration Program (requests to the Lemon Law Unit). |
| North Carolina | Manufacturer program first | A manufacturer procedure must be used first only if the warranty clearly requires it. |
| North Dakota | Manufacturer program first | A binding appeals, arbitration or mediation board the manufacturer belongs to must be used first; hearing in North Dakota (§ 51-07-18). |
| Ohio | Manufacturer program first | A qualified manufacturer mechanism approved by the state must be used first if you were told of it (§ 1345.77). |
| Oklahoma | Manufacturer program first | A manufacturer dispute procedure that qualifies must be used first (§ 901(F)). |
| Pennsylvania | Optional | The manufacturer’s dispute program, if one exists, binds the manufacturer but not you; without one you may sue at the outset. |
| Rhode Island | State-run program | Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board within the Attorney General’s office (new vehicles), or the manufacturer’s program. |
| South Carolina | Manufacturer program first | A manufacturer’s binding procedure, or the state alternate procedure of § 56-28-90, must be used first (§ 56-28-60). |
| South Dakota | Manufacturer program first | A manufacturer dispute procedure held in South Dakota must be used first. |
| Tennessee | Manufacturer program first | If the manufacturer has an informal procedure that complies with FTC rules, the refund provisions wait until you have used it; its decision does not bind you. |
| Texas | State-run program | Complaint to the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles ($35 fee), which holds the hearing. |
| Utah | Manufacturer program first | A manufacturer dispute procedure must be used first (§ 13-20-7); a lawsuit also waits for the Division of Consumer Protection’s investigation (§ 13-20-6). |
| Vermont | State-run program | Vermont Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board, or the manufacturer’s procedure (§ 4173). |
| Virginia | Optional | Using the manufacturer’s procedure is your choice (§ 59.1-207.15). |
| Washington | State-run program | State arbitration administered by the Attorney General; the manufacturer must take part (RCW 19.118.090). |
| Wisconsin | Manufacturer program first | If a procedure certified by the Department of Transportation is available to you, you must use it before suing (§ 218.0171(3)). |
| Wyoming | Manufacturer program first | A manufacturer informal dispute procedure that complies with federal rules must be exhausted first (§ 40-17-101(f)). |
State programs
A state program is the strongest forum for an owner: it is not funded by the manufacturer, and the manufacturer must join it. Florida, Georgia, Maine, New York, Texas and Washington are the best known. Some are hearings before a state agency, like the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles or the New Jersey Lemon Law Unit; others are arbitrations organized by the attorney general, like those of New York, Maine and Washington.
Each has its own deadline, counted from delivery or from the end of the protection period. Florida asks for the request within 60 days after the 24-month rights period ends, Georgia within 12 months after it, Washington within 30 months of delivery.
Manufacturer programs
When a warranty names a dispute program that follows the FTC rule, the owner must usually try it before suing on the warranty. The rule makes the program free, requires it to be independent of the manufacturer’s influence, and gives it 40 days to decide. If it misses that limit, the owner may go to court. A state may add its own conditions, as California does by certifying programs and Delaware by requiring certification before a program can bind owners.
Preparing the file
Programs decide on paper first. Put the repair orders in date order, with the days in and out of the shop; add the purchase or lease contract, the warranty, the notice letter and its mailing receipt; and write a one-page summary of the defect and the attempts. The letter builder produces the notice, and the checker gives the count your state applies.