In short
- The law says you can cancel (rescind) a new fitness center contract by emailing or mailing a written notice to the address in your contract before midnight of the third business day after signing. The email timestamp or the postmark shows you sent it on time.
- If you rescind in time, the law says you get back every payment you made, minus the reasonable value of services you actually used. The gym cannot charge you for preparing the paperwork.
- If the gym changes your primary gym location (the one named in your contract) to a facility more than five driving miles from the original one, Utah law generally requires it to offer you the choice to cancel, with some exceptions.
- Utah's fitness center law does not give a right to cancel because you move, become disabled or die. Check your contract for those situations.
- Contracts can't run longer than 36 months. An automatic renewal clause is only effective if the gym notified you 30 to 60 days before the renewal date.
- Outside these situations, your contract's own cancellation terms generally apply.
Fitness Center Services Protection Act (formerly the Health Spa Services Protection Act)
- Change your mind after signing
- A consumer may rescind a fitness center contract 'by emailing or mailing written notice of the consumer's intent to rescind' to the email address or mailing address the fitness center gives in the contract. The notice must be sent before midnight of the third business day after the contract is signed, 'as recorded by timestamp or postmark'. If the consumer's primary location was not yet fully operational when the contract was signed, the deadline is the third business day after that location becomes fully operational and available (§ 13-23-103(1)). The consumer is entitled to a refund of every payment made, less the reasonable value of fitness center services actually received. Contract preparation and processing may not be deducted (§ 13-23-103(2)–(3)). The rescission 'is effective upon the fitness center's receipt' of the written notice (§ 13-23-103(5)). The contract must state these rescission rights and give an email address and a mailing address for rescission notices (§ 13-23-102(6)).
- How notice can be given
- For the 3-business-day rescission: written notice sent by email or mail to the email or mailing address in the contract. Timeliness is measured by the email timestamp or the postmark (§ 13-23-103(1)), and the rescission takes effect when the fitness center receives it (§ 13-23-103(5)). The Act sets no notice method for other cancellations, such as the option to cancel when the club moves your primary location more than five driving miles. Those follow the contract.
- Limits on contracts
- Contracts must be in writing and are the entire agreement. The consumer must get a fully completed copy at signing and on request, showing the date, the club's name and address, the consumer's details and the consumer's primary location (§ 13-23-102(1)–(2)). A contract 'may not have a term in excess of 36 months' (§ 13-23-102(3)(a)(i)). A contract may include an automatic renewal provision. It 'is effective if notice of the automatic renewal provision is provided to the consumer no sooner than 60 days before, and no later than 30 days before, the day on which the contract automatically renews' (§ 13-23-102(3)(b)). Lifetime memberships may not be offered, except those sold before May 1, 1995 (§ 13-23-102(3)(c)). The contract or an attachment must state the club's rules, including cancellation and refund policies (§ 13-23-102(4)).
- Other rules
- Scope: a 'fitness center' is a business that provides access to a facility, for a fee, for physical fitness or well-being through exercise, weight control or athletics. There are many exclusions, including: physicians' medical facilities; hospitals and care facilities; schools and universities; government facilities; businesses primarily teaching martial arts or self-defense; businesses primarily teaching a specific skill (e.g., gymnastics, tennis, rock climbing, winter sports); yoga or Pilates studios; employer facilities run on a nonprofit basis; country clubs; 'a nonprofit religious, ethnic, or community organization'; virtual-only services; credit-only aggregators; hotel guest facilities; and residential complex facilities where at least 80% of users are residents (§ 13-23-101(4)(b)). Club relocation: for contracts made on or after May 4, 2022, a club may not move a member's primary location, or assign the contract to another club, within five driving miles unless a 12-point bold disclaimer on the first page allows it (§ 13-23-102(7)). Before moving a member's primary location more than five driving miles, or assigning the contract to a club farther than five driving miles away, the club must offer the member the option to cancel. For assignments it must also get the member's approval. There are exceptions where the member has used the other facility more often in the prior 60 days (§ 13-23-102(8)–(9)). Each fitness center facility must register yearly with the Utah Division of Consumer Protection. It must also keep a surety bond or certificate of deposit ($5,000–$75,000 depending on contract count) for consumers harmed by violations or by the club going out of business (§ 13-23-104). Clubs that sell only single classes, small packages, month-to-month memberships collecting no more than two months in advance, or equal-installment contracts with a required closure clause are exempt from the bond requirement (§ 13-23-105). The club must give the Division 45 days' notice before permanently closing or relocating a facility (§ 13-23-104(12)). The Division may impose fines of up to $2,500 per violation, and willful violations are crimes (§ 13-23-106). The Act sets no deadline for paying the rescission refund. It does not give a right to cancel for a member's move, disability or death. Outside the 3-day rescission and the club-relocation option, ordinary cancellation is governed by the contract.
Automatic renewal and online cancellation
No. The Act does not require online cancellation or cancellation by the same method used to sign up. It requires a notice disclosing the renewal date, the total renewal cost and 'options for cancellation of the contract', sent at least 30 but not more than 60 days before renewal (§ 13-70-201(1)). Free-trial offers require a notice at least three days before the trial ends (§ 13-70-201(2)). No 2025 or 2026 amendment adding an online-cancellation duty was found. The current official text of § 13-70-201 is the version effective January 1, 2025.
An 'automatic renewal provision' under this Act is one that renews 'at the end of a definite, paid term for a subsequent, paid term that is longer than 45 days' (§ 13-70-101(1)). A monthly gym renewal therefore appears to fall outside this Act, but annual or multi-month renewals would be covered. Gyms are not among the exemptions (insurers, service contracts, financial institutions, utilities, FCC/FERC-regulated services, rental and property-management agreements) (§ 13-70-201(3)). An automatic renewal provision that violates the notice rule 'is void' (§ 13-70-201(4)). The Division of Consumer Protection enforces the Act (§ 13-70-301). Separately, the Fitness Center Services Protection Act makes a fitness center contract's automatic renewal provision effective only if notice is given 30 to 60 days before the renewal (§ 13-23-102(3)(b)). Utah's older 'Service Contracts Act' renewal rules (§§ 15-10-101 to 15-10-301) apply only to service, maintenance or repair contracts connected to real property, so they do not cover gym memberships.
Good to know
As of May 6, 2026, Utah's gym law is the Fitness Center Services Protection Act, renamed and renumbered from the Health Spa Services Protection Act by S.B. 38 (2026). It covers commercial gyms but excludes yoga and Pilates studios, martial-arts schools, skill-based facilities (climbing, gymnastics, tennis), nonprofit community organizations and several others. Members get a 3-business-day rescission by email or mail, with timeliness proven by timestamp or postmark. Utah gives no statutory right to cancel for moving, disability or death. The main other statutory exit is the option to cancel when the club moves your primary location more than five driving miles (with exceptions). Contracts are capped at 36 months, and an automatic renewal is effective only if notice is given 30–60 days beforehand.
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
- Utah Code Title 13, Chapter 23, Fitness Center Services Protection Act (Effective 5/6/2026) - § 13-23-103 Rescission (official, 2026-10-11)
- Utah Code § 13-23-103(1)(b)(i) - deadline (official, 2026-10-11)
- Utah Code § 13-23-103(2) and (5) - refund and effectiveness (official, 2026-10-11)
- Utah Code § 13-23-102(3) - term limit and automatic renewal (official, 2026-10-11)
- Utah Code § 13-23-102(9)(a) - club changes primary location (official, 2026-10-11)
- Utah Code § 13-23-101(4)(b) - exclusions (official, 2026-10-11)
- S.B. 38, Consumer Protection Modifications, 2026 General Session (Enrolled) (official, 2026-10-11)
- Utah Code Title 13, Chapter 70, Automatic Renewal Contracts Act - § 13-70-101(1) (official, 2026-10-11)
- Utah Code § 13-70-201 (effective 1/1/2025) (official, 2026-10-11)
- Utah Code Title 15, Chapter 10, Service Contracts Act - § 15-10-102(5) (official, 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.