Illinois gym cancellation law: your rights

In short

The law says you can cancel a new Illinois gym contract within 3 business days after the first business day after you sign (7 calendar days if the gym is not open yet, or if you did not sign at an existing gym) and get your money back.
If you move more than 25 miles from the gym and it does not offer a comparable gym within 25 miles of your new home, the law says you may cancel and owe only for the time before you gave proof of the move, plus a fee of no more than $50 or 10% of the unused balance (whichever is less) if your contract provides for one.
If death or a disability keeps you from using the gym, the law limits what you owe to the time before the death or the start of the disability, and the gym may ask for reasonable evidence.
The law says these cancellations must be in writing and may be sent by certified or registered mail to the address in your contract. They may also be sent online if you joined online, or by email if your contract lists an email address. Refunds are due within 30 days after the gym receives your notice.
If you signed up online for a membership that renews automatically, Illinois law says the business must let you cancel the automatic renewal online.
Outside these specific situations, your contract's own cancellation terms generally apply. Governmental and not-for-profit gyms are not covered by the fitness law.

Physical Fitness Services Act

815 ILCS 645/1 et seq. (cancellation and refund rules in 815 ILCS 645/6, as amended by P.A. 103-838, eff. 1-1-2025; lifetime-membership rules in 815 ILCS 645/7.5, added by P.A. 104-350, eff. 1-1-2026)

Change your mind after signing: Every covered contract must let the customer cancel within 3 business days after the first business day after the customer signs, with a refund of all money paid. 'Business day' means any day the facility is open for business. A customer who buys a plan at a facility that has not opened yet, or who does not buy the contract at an existing facility, gets 7 calendar days to cancel for a full refund. The notice must be in writing and sent by certified or registered mail to the address in the contract. It may also be sent online through the center's website if the contract was made online, or to the email address in the contract if one was given (815 ILCS 645/6(a)(1), (b)). Refunds are due within 30 days after the center receives the notice.
If you move away: If the customer's residence moves more than 25 miles from the center's facilities, and the center does not name a center with comparable facilities and services within 25 miles of the new residence that agrees to take over the contract, the customer may cancel. The customer then owes only the charges for the time before reasonable evidence of the move is presented to the center. The center may also charge a reasonable fee if the contract provides for one, capped at 10% of the unused balance or $50, whichever is less (815 ILCS 645/6(a)(2)).
If you become disabled or ill: If the customer cannot use or receive all of the contracted services because of disability, the customer owes only the charges for the time before the disability began. The center may require and verify reasonable evidence of the disability (815 ILCS 645/6(a)(3)). The statute does not specifically require a physician's certificate. It says 'reasonable evidence'.
If the member dies: If the customer cannot use the services because of death, the estate owes only the charges for the time before death. The center may require and verify reasonable evidence of the death (815 ILCS 645/6(a)(3)).
How notice can be given: For the cancellations above (cooling-off, relocation, death or disability), the contract must say that notice is made in writing and delivered by certified or registered mail to the center at the address in the contract. Since 1-1-2025 (P.A. 103-838), notice may also be given online at the center's website if the contract was made online, or by the email address in the contract if one was provided (815 ILCS 645/6(b)). The Act does not say that notice takes effect on mailing. Refunds are due within 30 days of the center's receipt of the notice.
Limits on contracts: The initial term may not be longer than one year from the date the contract is made. The customer may be offered an option to renew for consecutive periods of up to one year each, for a reasonable consideration of not less than 10% of the cash price of the original membership (815 ILCS 645/8(c)). Overlapping contracts for basic services between the same center and customer count as one contract (815 ILCS 645/9(a)). Every contract that automatically renews must comply with the Automatic Contract Renewal Act (815 ILCS 645/6(c)). From 1-1-2026, a center may not offer or advertise a 'lifetime membership' that violates Section 8(c). It must clearly and conspicuously disclose any change in the customer's total payment obligation, or any reduction in benefits, at least 60 days before a contract automatically renews, and it must give the customer a copy of the contract on request (815 ILCS 645/7.5).
Other rules: Scope: applies to any 'physical fitness center', meaning any person or business entity offering physical fitness services to the public (815 ILCS 645/2). Governmental and not-for-profit entities are exempt from the Act, except for the CPR-staffing rule in Section 14 (815 ILCS 645/3(a)). Contracts must be in writing, and the customer must get a copy at signing (Sec. 4). If a planned or under-construction center's facilities are not available within 12 months, or within 3 months of a date stated in the contract (whichever is earlier), the customer may cancel and receive all payments back within 30 days of the center's receipt of the notice (Sec. 7). Money collected before opening must be held in escrow, or the center must show the Attorney General that it can meet claims (Sec. 13). We found no general registration or bonding requirement in the current Act; Sections 8(a) and 8(b) are marked '(Blank)'. A contract that does not comply with the Act is void and unenforceable (Sec. 9(c)), and any waiver of the Act is void (Sec. 9(b)). A contract entered into in reliance on false or misleading information is void and unenforceable (Sec. 10(b)). A customer injured by a violation may sue for damages, and judgment may be for 3 times actual damages plus costs and reasonable attorney fees (Sec. 11). The Attorney General enforces the Act using Consumer Fraud Act powers (Sec. 12).

Automatic renewal and online cancellation

Automatic Contract Renewal Act, 815 ILCS 601/1 et seq. (Sec. 10 as amended by P.A. 102-517, eff. 1-1-2022; P.A. 103-70, eff. 1-1-2024; P.A. 103-919, eff. 1-1-2025)

Yes, for online sign-ups. A business that makes an automatic renewal or continuous service offer online must provide a toll-free telephone number, an email address, a postal address (if the seller bills the consumer directly), or another cost-effective, timely and easy-to-use way to cancel. A consumer who accepts an automatic renewal or continuous service offer online 'must be allowed to terminate the automatic renewal or continuous service exclusively online'. This may be done through a termination email that the business formats and provides, or through a link or other online service (815 ILCS 601/10(b-5); the source note lists P.A. 102-517, eff. 1-1-2022). For contracts with a specified term of 12 months or more that automatically renew for a specified term of more than one month, the business must give written notice 30 to 60 days before the cancellation deadline. That notice must include a way to cancel 'offered in a manner in which the consumer commonly interacts with the business' (Sec. 10(b)). There is no general rule that a consumer may always cancel by the same method used to sign up. 2026 bills that would have added 'same medium' and one-step online cancellation (SB3228, SB3380, HB4468) were re-referred to Assignments or Rules and were not enacted, according to archived ILGA bill-status pages.

The Act applies to gyms: the Physical Fitness Services Act itself says every auto-renewing fitness contract must comply with it (815 ILCS 645/6(c)). Other requirements: clear and conspicuous disclosure of the automatic renewal terms, consent before charging, and an acknowledgment showing how to cancel (Sec. 10(a)). For a free trial or promotional period of 15 days or longer, the consumer must be notified at least 3 days before the cancellation deadline (Sec. 10(a-5)). Exemptions include business-to-business contracts, banks and credit unions, certain utility providers, insurance-regulated parties, and contracts extended because the consumer started a change in the original terms (Sec. 20). A violation is an unlawful practice under the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act (Sec. 15). A business that shows written compliance procedures, an error and a full refund or credit has a defense (Sec. 10(c)).

Good to know

Illinois is one of the few states that names certified or registered mail as a statutory way to deliver a gym cancellation notice. Since 1-1-2025, contracts must also accept online notice (if the contract was made online) or email notice (if the contract lists an email address) for the statutory cancellation rights. These statutory delivery rules cover the cooling-off, relocation, and death or disability cancellations in Section 6(a). Ordinary mid-term cancellation for other reasons is governed by the contract and, for auto-renewing contracts, by the Automatic Contract Renewal Act. Governmental and not-for-profit gyms are exempt from the Physical Fitness Services Act.

Putting it in writing

Whatever the law says, a written notice you can prove is the safest way to cancel. A letter sent by USPS Certified Mail with a return receipt shows when your notice was mailed and delivered, and who signed for it.

Sources

This page explains the law in plain words. It is not legal advice and may not cover every case; laws change, so check the official text or ask a lawyer about your situation. CancelSent is not a law firm and does not give legal advice. We prepare, print and mail the letter you sign, as your mailing service. Whether and when a gym cancels depends on your agreement and the law where you live.