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Cancelling a gym membership in Washington: your rights

Checked October 11, 2026against 18 sources listed below

In short

  • Washington law says you can cancel a new gym contract by delivering or mailing a written notice before midnight of the third business day after you sign (Saturdays count; Sundays and legal holidays do not), and the gym must return what you paid within 30 days.
  • If your contract runs longer than one year, the law lets you cancel for any reason by giving the gym 30 days' written notice.
  • The law also gives cancellation rights if you die or become totally disabled (the gym may require a physician's exam), if you move more than 25 miles away under the conditions the law sets, or if the gym closes permanently without a comparable location within 10 miles.
  • After a written cancellation, the law says the gym must refund the unused part of any prepaid dues within 30 days. Part of an initiation fee may not be refundable, depending on why you cancel and what you signed.
  • Gym contracts in Washington cannot require payments over more than 36 months, cannot be lifetime memberships, and cannot raise dues more than once a calendar year.
  • In situations the statute does not address, your contract's own cancellation terms generally apply. In an April 2020 statement during the COVID-19 stay-home order, Washington's Attorney General said gyms must let members cancel at any time, for any reason, in writing. That is the AG's position, not the text of the statute.

Health Studio Services

Rev. Code Wash. (RCW) ch. 19.142 (§§ 19.142.005–19.142.901)

Change your mind after signing
The contract must tell the buyer they may cancel without penalty by delivering or mailing a written notice to the health studio before midnight of the third business day after signing. The notice must say the buyer does not wish to be bound by the contract. If the buyer cancels within the three days, the studio must return all amounts paid within thirty days (RCW 19.142.040(9)). 'Business day' means any day except a Sunday or a legal holiday, so Saturdays count (RCW 19.142.010(1)). The Attorney General's consumer page says a mailed three-day notice must be postmarked by midnight of the third day.
If you move away
The contract must notify the buyer of a right to cancel if the buyer moves their permanent residence more than 25 miles from the health studio or from an affiliated studio offering the same or similar services and facilities at no additional expense to the buyer. The statute adds the condition 'and the buyer cancels after one year from signing the contract if the contract extends for more than one year'. The studio may require reasonable evidence of the move. If the buyer already lived more than 25 miles away when signing a contract requiring an initiation or membership fee, the buyer must move an additional five miles or more (RCW 19.142.040(7)(b)). On cancellation, the buyer gets back the unused part of any prepaid dues and owes no dues for use after the cancellation date. For an initiation or membership fee, the buyer gets a pro rata refund less a set amount of no more than half the fee, unless the buyer separately signed a capitalized 'NONREFUNDABLE AMOUNT' clause (RCW 19.142.050(1), (3)).
If you become disabled or ill
The contract must notify the buyer of a right to cancel if the buyer becomes totally disabled. The contract may require the disability to be confirmed by an examination by a physician agreeable to both the buyer and the health studio (RCW 19.142.040(7)(a)). The buyer gets back the unused part of any prepaid dues. For a one-time initiation fee, the buyer gets a pro rata refund less a set amount of no more than half the fee, if the contract states the nonrefundable percentage. The initiation fee is nonrefundable if the buyer cancels three or more years after signing (RCW 19.142.050(1)–(2)).
If the member dies
The contract must notify the buyer of a right to cancel if the buyer dies (RCW 19.142.040(7)(a)). The statute does not say who must give notice after a death. The same refund rules as for disability apply (RCW 19.142.050(2)).
How notice can be given
In writing. For the three-day right, the statutory notice says the buyer may cancel 'by delivering or mailing a written notice' to the address the studio lists in the contract. For cancellation 'for any reason' under a contract longer than one year, the statute requires 'thirty days' written notice' (RCW 19.142.040(7)(c)). Refund duties start 'after receipt of a written notice of cancellation' (RCW 19.142.050). The statute does not mention certified mail, email or online cancellation. The Attorney General recommends asking for a return receipt when mailing, or having an employee initial and date your copy if you hand-deliver it.
Limits on contracts
No contract may require payments or financing over more than 36 months from the contract date, and no contract term may be for the buyer's life, so lifetime memberships are not allowed (RCW 19.142.040(4)). Use fees or dues may not be raised more than once in any calendar year (RCW 19.142.040(5)). If the contract runs longer than one year, the buyer may cancel for any reason on 30 days' written notice (RCW 19.142.040(7)(c)). Services at a planned or unfinished facility must begin within 12 months of signing, with narrow exceptions (RCW 19.142.040(3)).
Other rules
Scope: 'health studio' covers businesses selling instruction, training, assistance or use of facilities to improve physical condition or appearance through exercise, body building, weight loss, figure development, martial arts or similar activities. Excluded are: public schools and approved private schools and colleges; licensed professionals acting within their license; tax-exempt nonprofits whose health-studio functions are only incidental to their overall purposes; diet-plan businesses where exercise is incidental; certain member-controlled nonprofit corporations under ch. 24.03A RCW; and preexisting facilities that mainly offer aerobic classes, charge an initiation fee under $50 and sell no memberships longer than one year (RCW 19.142.010(3)). Other cancellation rights: (1) the facility closes permanently and the seller does not offer a comparable facility it owns and operates within ten miles, with a pro rata initiation-fee refund; (2) a promised facility, construction or improvement is not finished by the date in the contract, with a full initiation-fee refund; (3) for pre-opening sales, cancellation within the first five business days after the facility opens, with a full initiation-fee refund (RCW 19.142.040(7)(d)–(f), 19.142.050(4)–(5)). Refund timing: within 30 days of receiving the written notice. The studio may require the buyer to return the membership card or other proof of membership (RCW 19.142.050). Pro rata refunds are calculated by weeks remaining, and a 36-month term is used if the contract states none. Pre-opening money must go into a trust account, or the studio must post a $150,000 surety bond (RCW 19.142.060–.070). A studio may not ask a buyer to waive the chapter. A contract that does not comply, or that contains a waiver, 'is void and unenforceable as contrary to public policy' (RCW 19.142.090). A violation is a per se violation of the Consumer Protection Act, ch. 19.86 RCW (RCW 19.142.100). The chapter does not apply to contracts entered into before July 26, 1987 (RCW 19.142.901). The section histories show no amendments since 2021 (2021 c 176 changed only a cross-reference in the definitions). The Legislature's final summaries for 2024, 2025 and 2026 list no bill changing ch. 19.142.

Good to know

Washington's statute is gym-specific and requires written notice. Certified mail with a return receipt is not required by the statute, but it fits the Attorney General's advice to get proof of receipt. The statute's any-reason exit (30 days' written notice) is written only for contracts longer than one year. In an April 17, 2020 open letter during the COVID-19 stay-home order, the Attorney General stated more broadly that 'Gyms and fitness centers must allow customers to cancel their memberships at any time, for any reason ... provided those requests are issued in writing'. That is the AG's stated position, not statutory text, and this research found no court decision adopting it. Many big-box gyms sell month-to-month memberships. The statute does not expressly address cancelling a month-to-month membership, so the contract's terms (and the AG's position) matter there. A financed initiation fee may still be owed after cancellation if the member signed a separate nonrefundable clause, as the AG's page notes.

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. RCW 19.142.040 – Contents of contract (Washington State Legislature) (official, 2026-10-11)
  2. RCW 19.142.040(9) – Buyer's right to cancel (three business days) (official, 2026-10-11)
  3. RCW 19.142.040(7)(a) – Death or total disability (official, 2026-10-11)
  4. RCW 19.142.040(7)(b) – Relocation (official, 2026-10-11)
  5. RCW 19.142.040(4)–(5) – Contract duration and dues increases (official, 2026-10-11)
  6. RCW 19.142.050 – Notice of cancellation—Refund (official, 2026-10-11)
  7. RCW 19.142.050(1) – Refund of prepaid dues (official, 2026-10-11)
  8. RCW 19.142.010 – Definitions (scope and exclusions) (official, 2026-10-11)
  9. RCW 19.142.090 – Waivers void; noncompliant contracts void and unenforceable (official, 2026-10-11)
  10. RCW 19.142.100 – Violations—Application of consumer protection act (official, 2026-10-11)
  11. RCW 19.142.070 – Surety bond in lieu of trust account (official, 2026-10-11)
  12. RCW 19.142.901 – Prospective application of chapter (official, 2026-10-11)
  13. Washington Attorney General – Health Clubs (consumer page) (official, 2026-10-11)
  14. Washington Attorney General – Health Clubs (tip on proof of delivery) (official, 2026-10-11)
  15. Washington Attorney General news release, Apr 17 2020 – AG Ferguson to gyms and fitness centers: Allow members to cancel memberships or face legal consequences (official, 2026-10-11)
  16. Washington Legislature – SB 5207 (2025-26) bill summary/status (not enacted) (official, 2026-10-11)
  17. Washington House Office of Program Research – 2026 Final Summary of Legislation (searched; no automatic-renewal, subscription or health-studio bill listed) (official, 2026-10-11)
  18. Washington House Office of Program Research – 2024 Final Summary of Legislation (only fitness-related entry: ESB 5592, defibrillators) (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.