Washington Gym and Subscription Cancellation Letter

Cancel a gym membership or an auto-renewing subscription in Washington with a letter that builds in Washington law, including Health Studio Services (RCW chapter 19.142). It runs in your browser; nothing you type is stored or sent.

Washington rules checked against primary sources on October 21, 2026.

Everything you type stays in your browser. Nothing is sent, saved, or added to the page address.

Only the reasons Washington law addresses for this kind of contract are listed.

Washington gym membership rules

The law: Health Studio Services (RCW chapter 19.142). Read the law

Who it covers: The chapter covers health studios selling exercise, body building, weight loss, figure development or martial arts instruction or facility use, for contracts made on or after July 26, 1987, but not schools, licensed professionals, tax-exempt nonprofits where fitness is incidental, diet programs, member-governed nonprofit clubs, or certain older aerobics-only studios.

  • Other rights to end the contract: If your contract runs longer than one year, you can cancel for any reason on 30 days written notice; you get unused prepaid dues back and an initiation fee pro rata less up to half (unless you signed a separate nonrefundable-amount clause). Source: RCW 19.142.040(7)(c); 19.142.050(1), (3)
  • Cooling-off period: You can cancel without penalty by delivering or mailing written notice before midnight of the third business day after signing, and the studio must return all amounts paid within 30 days; business days exclude Sundays and legal holidays. Source: RCW 19.142.040(9)
  • How the club must let you cancel: The three-day cancellation is by written notice delivered or mailed to the studio; after a written notice of cancellation, the studio may require you to return your membership card. Source: RCW 19.142.040(9); 19.142.050
  • Moving away: You can cancel if you move your permanent home more than 25 miles from the studio and any affiliated studio offering similar services at no extra cost; for contracts over one year, only after the first year. If you already lived over 25 miles away when you signed, you must move at least 5 more miles. The studio may ask for reasonable evidence and may keep up to half of an initiation fee. Source: RCW 19.142.040(7)(b); 19.142.050(3)
  • Disability or illness: You can cancel if you become totally disabled; the contract may require confirmation by an exam by a physician both sides agree on. Unused prepaid dues are refunded and an initiation fee is refunded pro rata less up to half (none after three years). Source: RCW 19.142.040(7)(a); 19.142.050(1)-(2)
  • Death of the member: The contract may be cancelled if the buyer dies, with a refund of unused prepaid dues and relief from future dues. Source: RCW 19.142.040(7)(a); 19.142.050(1)
  • Club closes or moves: You can cancel if the studio permanently closes and the seller offers no comparable facility within 10 miles (pro rata initiation-fee refund), or if promised facilities are not completed on time (full initiation-fee refund). If you bought before the studio opened, you may also cancel within the first five business days it is open for your use and providing the agreed services, with a full refund of the initiation fee. Source: RCW 19.142.040(7)(d)-(f); 19.142.050(4)-(5)
  • Military service: A service member with orders for a permanent change of station, or to deploy for at least 30 days, may terminate or suspend health studio services by written notice (email counts) with written proof of the orders, with no penalty or fee. Source: RCW 38.42.160
  • Refund timing: After any written cancellation notice, the studio must refund within 30 days. Source: RCW 19.142.050

If a business will not process a cancellation, you can complain to: Washington Attorney General, Consumer Protection Division

Your details
The business

Use the cancellation address in your contract if it gives one; for a franchise gym, that is often your home club.

Leave blank to cancel immediately.

Check before you send:

  • Add the member name exactly as it appears on the account.
  • Add the business name.
  • Add the business mailing address (from your contract or the business website).

Your letter

[Member name]

[Your address]

October 26, 2026

[Business name]

[Business address]

Re: Cancellation of membership

To whom it may concern:

I am writing to cancel my membership, effective immediately.

Please stop all further charges to my payment method, refund any amount paid for a period after the cancellation takes effect, and confirm the cancellation in writing, including the date it took effect.

Please keep this letter with the account records. I am keeping a copy, with proof of the date it was sent.

Sincerely,

[Member name]

Before you send (not part of the letter)

  • Washington: The three-day cancellation is by written notice delivered or mailed to the studio; after a written notice of cancellation, the studio may require you to return your membership card. (RCW 19.142.040(9); 19.142.050)
  • Refund timing in Washington: After any written cancellation notice, the studio must refund within 30 days. (RCW 19.142.050)
  • Send it in a way you can prove: a method your contract or state law names, and keep a copy. Certified mail with a return receipt gives you a dated record.
  • If charges continue after the cancellation takes effect, you can dispute them with your card issuer or bank (see the timing rules on this page).
  • Complaints: Washington Attorney General, Consumer Protection Division, https://www.atg.wa.gov/file-complaint
  • This letter is a starting point you edit and send yourself. It does not cancel anything by itself, and it is not legal advice.

Washington gym membership cancellation law

Washington regulates these contracts through Health Studio Services (RCW chapter 19.142) (RCW 19.142.010, RCW 19.142.040, RCW 19.142.050). The rules below come from the statute text; each links to its source, and the first line says which contracts the law covers.

Washington gym membership rules

The law: Health Studio Services (RCW chapter 19.142). Read the law

Who it covers: The chapter covers health studios selling exercise, body building, weight loss, figure development or martial arts instruction or facility use, for contracts made on or after July 26, 1987, but not schools, licensed professionals, tax-exempt nonprofits where fitness is incidental, diet programs, member-governed nonprofit clubs, or certain older aerobics-only studios.

  • Other rights to end the contract: If your contract runs longer than one year, you can cancel for any reason on 30 days written notice; you get unused prepaid dues back and an initiation fee pro rata less up to half (unless you signed a separate nonrefundable-amount clause). Source: RCW 19.142.040(7)(c); 19.142.050(1), (3)
  • Cooling-off period: You can cancel without penalty by delivering or mailing written notice before midnight of the third business day after signing, and the studio must return all amounts paid within 30 days; business days exclude Sundays and legal holidays. Source: RCW 19.142.040(9)
  • How the club must let you cancel: The three-day cancellation is by written notice delivered or mailed to the studio; after a written notice of cancellation, the studio may require you to return your membership card. Source: RCW 19.142.040(9); 19.142.050
  • Moving away: You can cancel if you move your permanent home more than 25 miles from the studio and any affiliated studio offering similar services at no extra cost; for contracts over one year, only after the first year. If you already lived over 25 miles away when you signed, you must move at least 5 more miles. The studio may ask for reasonable evidence and may keep up to half of an initiation fee. Source: RCW 19.142.040(7)(b); 19.142.050(3)
  • Disability or illness: You can cancel if you become totally disabled; the contract may require confirmation by an exam by a physician both sides agree on. Unused prepaid dues are refunded and an initiation fee is refunded pro rata less up to half (none after three years). Source: RCW 19.142.040(7)(a); 19.142.050(1)-(2)
  • Death of the member: The contract may be cancelled if the buyer dies, with a refund of unused prepaid dues and relief from future dues. Source: RCW 19.142.040(7)(a); 19.142.050(1)
  • Club closes or moves: You can cancel if the studio permanently closes and the seller offers no comparable facility within 10 miles (pro rata initiation-fee refund), or if promised facilities are not completed on time (full initiation-fee refund). If you bought before the studio opened, you may also cancel within the first five business days it is open for your use and providing the agreed services, with a full refund of the initiation fee. Source: RCW 19.142.040(7)(d)-(f); 19.142.050(4)-(5)
  • Military service: A service member with orders for a permanent change of station, or to deploy for at least 30 days, may terminate or suspend health studio services by written notice (email counts) with written proof of the orders, with no penalty or fee. Source: RCW 38.42.160
  • Refund timing: After any written cancellation notice, the studio must refund within 30 days. Source: RCW 19.142.050

If a business will not process a cancellation, you can complain to: Washington Attorney General, Consumer Protection Division

Washington subscription and automatic renewal law

Washington has no general automatic renewal law.

Washington subscription and auto-renewal rules

We found no general Washington automatic renewal statute. Your contract terms, federal law for online sign-ups, and general consumer protection law apply.

If a business will not process a cancellation, you can complain to: Washington Attorney General, Consumer Protection Division

Federal rules that still apply

No. The Federal Trade Commission finalized a "click to cancel" rule in 2024, but on July 8, 2025 the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit vacated it because the agency skipped a preliminary regulatory analysis the FTC Act requires (Custom Communications, Inc. v. FTC, No. 24-3137 (8th Cir. 2025)). The vacatur brought back the original 1973 rule, which covers only "prenotification" plans such as product-of-the-month clubs, not gym memberships or most subscriptions.

In March 2026 the FTC asked for public comment on a new negative option rule. An advance notice is an early step: it does not create any new obligation for businesses. (FTC press release, March 11, 2026)

Federal law still reaches subscriptions sold online. For subscriptions sold online with automatic charges, federal law (ROSCA) requires clear disclosure of the terms, the consumer's express informed consent, and simple mechanisms to stop the recurring charges. (15 U.S.C. 8403). For gym memberships signed in person, the cancellation rules come from state law and your contract.

If they keep charging you

If a business keeps charging you after a cancellation took effect, you can dispute the charge with the company that issued your card or holds your account. For a credit card, a written billing-error notice must reach the card issuer, at the address it gives for billing errors, within 60 days after it sent the first statement showing the charge. (12 CFR 1026.13(b)) For a debit card or bank transfer, an oral or written error notice must reach the bank within 60 days after it sent the statement that first shows the charge. (12 CFR 1005.11(b)(1)(i))

For automatic debits from a bank account, you can also stop future payments. You can tell your bank to stop a preauthorized electronic payment from your account, orally or in writing, at least three business days before the payment is scheduled. If you call, the bank may require written confirmation within 14 days, and an unconfirmed oral stop order then lapses. (12 CFR 1005.10(c)(1)-(2))

Your copy of the cancellation letter and your proof of the date you sent it are the evidence for a dispute. The regulations define which errors these procedures cover and the card issuer or bank investigates, so send the dispute promptly and in writing.

You can also report a business that will not let you cancel to your state attorney general (each state page lists its complaint office), to the Federal Trade Commission, or, for a problem with a card or bank dispute, to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

What this tool does not do

  • It does not cancel anything for you or contact the business. You send the letter yourself.
  • It cannot read your contract. A statute may exempt your club or plan (for example by price, length, or type of business), and your contract may give you more rights than the statute.
  • It does not tell you whether you owe a fee, a buyout, or the rest of a contract term. Those depend on your contract and the facts.
  • It covers state statutes and the main federal rules only. City rules and court decisions can add to them.
  • It is legal information, not legal advice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a cooling-off period for gym memberships in Washington?

You can cancel without penalty by delivering or mailing written notice before midnight of the third business day after signing, and the studio must return all amounts paid within 30 days; business days exclude Sundays and legal holidays. (RCW 19.142.040(9))

Can I cancel my gym membership in Washington if I move?

You can cancel if you move your permanent home more than 25 miles from the studio and any affiliated studio offering similar services at no extra cost; for contracts over one year, only after the first year. If you already lived over 25 miles away when you signed, you must move at least 5 more miles. The studio may ask for reasonable evidence and may keep up to half of an initiation fee. (RCW 19.142.040(7)(b); 19.142.050(3))

How do I cancel a gym membership in Washington?

The three-day cancellation is by written notice delivered or mailed to the studio; after a written notice of cancellation, the studio may require you to return your membership card. (RCW 19.142.040(9); 19.142.050)

Does Washington have a click-to-cancel law?

We found no general Washington automatic renewal law. For subscriptions sold online, federal law (ROSCA) requires a simple way to stop recurring charges.

Sources

Washington rules checked against official sources on October 21, 2026.

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