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Cancelling a gym membership in Louisiana: your rights

Checked October 11, 2026against 12 sources listed below

In short

  • The law says you can cancel a new gym contract by sending notice before midnight of the third business day after you sign. The required contract notice says it must be hand delivered or sent by registered mail to the address in the contract.
  • If you cancel within those three days, the law says the gym must return your payments within 15 days, though it may charge a reasonable fee for days you actually used it.
  • You may also be able to cancel if the gym goes out of business, moves your location more than ten driving miles without offering an equal one nearby within 30 days, or does not keep the bond the law requires.
  • Louisiana's gym law does not give a right to cancel because you move, become disabled or die. Gym contracts can't run longer than 36 months.
  • Starting January 1, 2027, a new Louisiana law requires larger businesses (50 or more employees or $5 million or more in revenue) to offer an easy way to cancel subscriptions, such as online, by email or by phone.
  • Outside these situations, your contract's own cancellation terms generally apply.

Physical Fitness Services Act

La. R.S. 51:1575 to 51:1582

Change your mind after signing
Every prepaid or credit contract for physical fitness services lasting more than one month must contain a 'Customer's Right to Cancel' notice. Under it, the customer may cancel by sending notice to the center before midnight of the third business day after signing. The notice 'must be hand delivered to the center or sent registered mail' to the address printed in the contract. Within fifteen days of receiving the notice, the center must return any payments made and any note the customer signed in connection with the contract. If the customer used the facilities or services, the center may charge a reasonable fee based on days of actual use (R.S. 51:1577(A)(7)(a)). The right of cancellation affects only the financial obligations under the contract and the customer's right to use the center (R.S. 51:1577(A)(7)(b)). A contract may substitute more liberal cancellation rights (R.S. 51:1577(B)).
How notice can be given
3-day cancellation: notice hand delivered to the center or sent by registered mail to the address in the contract (R.S. 51:1577(A)(7)(a)). The statute names registered mail, not certified mail. A contract may allow more liberal methods (R.S. 51:1577(B)). The statute does not say a mailed notice is effective on mailing, and the 15-day return period runs from the center's receipt. The statute does not specify a notice method for the other cancellation grounds in R.S. 51:1577(A)(6) or R.S. 51:1582(H).
Limits on contracts
No contract for physical fitness services may 'Have a duration of longer than thirty-six months or be measured by the life of the buyer or the life of the center' (R.S. 51:1578(1)). A contract also may not waive the Act's required provisions, or provide that the member's rights or defenses end when the contract is assigned (R.S. 51:1578(2)–(3)). Contracts must be in writing, with a copy given at signing. They must show the street address of the center and any outlet the member may use, and disclose any finance charge (R.S. 51:1577(A)(1)–(3)). Contract provisions that do not comply with R.S. 51:1577 and 51:1578 are unenforceable against the member (R.S. 51:1579). The Act has no automatic-renewal provision.
Other rules
Scope: 'physical fitness services' means facilities or services for developing physical fitness through exercise or weight control. This includes health or exercise centers, clubs, studios, health spas, weight-control centers, figure salons, tanning centers, and athletic or sport clubs. Physical-therapy-only businesses and physicians' medical services are excluded (R.S. 51:1576(A)). A 'center' is a person or organization that offers these services 'for profit' (R.S. 51:1576(C)), so nonprofit facilities appear to fall outside the Act. The contract requirements apply to 'prepaid or credit' contracts of over one month's duration (R.S. 51:1577(A)). Other grounds on which the contract 'shall be canceled at the customer's option': (a) the center goes out of business; (b) the center moves any outlet more than ten driving miles from the location designated in the contract and does not provide, within thirty days, an outlet of equal quality within ten driving miles at no extra cost; (c) construction or improvement of an outlet is not completed within one year of signing (with an exception for delays not the center's fault); or (d) the pre-opening list of equipment and services is materially changed (R.S. 51:1577(A)(6)). Centers selling prepaid or credit contracts of more than one month must keep a $25,000 surety bond (or certificate of deposit or letter of credit) with the state treasurer for the benefit of damaged customers. Centers in operation on September 10, 1982 are exempt unless more than 50% of the ownership changes. 'If a center does not maintain the bond or certificate of deposit required by this Section, any customer may cancel his contract for that reason' (R.S. 51:1582(A), (B), (H), (I)). Money paid before an outlet opens must be held in escrow. After a cancellation notice, or if the center fails to open on the stated date, escrowed money must be refunded within ten days. A center that never opens must refund the entire contract price (R.S. 51:1582(J), (K)). Louisiana's separate dance studio law (R.S. 51:1551–51:1566) does provide death and disability relief, but it covers dance instruction contracts, not gyms. The Physical Fitness Services Act has no right to cancel because the member moves, becomes disabled or dies. Outside the situations above, ordinary cancellation is governed by the contract.

Automatic renewal and online cancellation

La. R.S. 51:3301 to 51:3305 (Click-to-Cancel Act), enacted by Act No. 830 of the 2026 Regular Session (HB 750), effective January 1, 2027

Not yet in effect: the Act takes effect January 1, 2027. From that date, a covered business must provide 'a cost-effective, timely, and easy-to-use mechanism' to cancel an automatic renewal contract or trial offer. The mechanism must not be 'unreasonably burdensome or designed to deter cancellation', and 'The mechanism shall provide for cancellation online, or by email, telephone, or another commonly used communication method' (R.S. 51:3303(A)(7)). The Act does not require cancellation by the same method used to sign up, and it does not require an online option specifically. Before January 1, 2027, no general Louisiana consumer automatic-renewal statute was identified. The Act's official digest describes it as new law and refers only to existing home service contract provisions (R.S. 51:3144–3145).

Covers automatic renewal and continuous or recurring subscriptions for merchandise (including services) bought for personal, family or household purposes (R.S. 51:3302). There is no gym exemption. However, R.S. 51:3305 says the Act 'shall not apply to a person with fewer than fifty employees or with an annual gross revenue of less than five million dollars', counting subsidiaries, parents and affiliates. Many independent gyms may therefore be exempt, while larger chains are likely covered. Other exemptions include banks and other financial institutions, insurers, FCC-regulated services, rental-purchase agreements, certain professional or trade association dues and business subscriptions, and contracts entered into before January 1, 2011 (R.S. 51:3303(E)). Requirements: clear disclosure of the offer terms before purchase, affirmative consent before charging, a retainable acknowledgment with cancellation instructions, and notice of material changes. Notice at least three days before renewal is required where the renewal term is 12 months or longer, there is a material change such as a price increase, or a trial converts to paid (R.S. 51:3303). The attorney general may impose civil penalties of up to $500 per violation, after a 30-day cure period for non-willful violations (R.S. 51:3303(D), 51:3304).

Good to know

Louisiana's gym statute is the Physical Fitness Services Act (R.S. 51:1575–1582), unchanged since 1993. It gives a 3-business-day cancellation right, with notice hand delivered or sent by registered mail, and the center must return payments within 15 days less a reasonable per-day fee for any use. Contracts may not exceed 36 months. A customer may cancel if the center goes out of business, moves the outlet more than ten driving miles without a nearby equal substitute, fails to finish construction within a year, materially changes promised services, or lacks the required bond. The Act gives no right to cancel for moving, disability or death. The required contract notice names registered mail rather than certified mail, so a member sending a 3-day cancellation should follow the method in their contract or use registered mail or hand delivery. Louisiana's new Click-to-Cancel Act (effective January 1, 2027) will add easy-cancellation rules for subscriptions at larger businesses only.

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

  1. La. R.S. 51:1577 - Requirements for contracts for physical fitness services (official, 2026-10-11)
  2. La. R.S. 51:1577(A)(7)(a) - refund on 3-day cancellation (official, 2026-10-11)
  3. La. R.S. 51:1577(A)(6)(b) - outlet relocation (official, 2026-10-11)
  4. La. R.S. 51:1576 - Definitions (official, 2026-10-11)
  5. La. R.S. 51:1578 - Prohibited clauses in contracts (official, 2026-10-11)
  6. La. R.S. 51:1579 - Non-complying provisions unenforceable (official, 2026-10-11)
  7. La. R.S. 51:1582 - Financial responsibility (official, 2026-10-11)
  8. Act No. 830 (HB 750), 2026 Regular Session - Click-to-Cancel Act, R.S. 51:3303(A)(7) (official, 2026-10-11)
  9. Act No. 830 (HB 750), R.S. 51:3305 and effective date (official, 2026-10-11)
  10. Louisiana Legislature, HB750 (2026 RS) bill history (official, 2026-10-11)
  11. Résumé Digest, Act 830 (HB 750), 2026 Regular Session (official, 2026-10-11)
  12. Kelley Drye Ad Law Access, 'Summer 2026 Autorenewal Roundup: NYC and Louisiana Enact New Regulatory Requirements' (July 14, 2026) (secondary, 2026-10-11)

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.