Governor Walz signs ‘Right to Repair’ into law as part of Commerce Omnibus Bill

The “Right to Repair” became state law Wednesday when Governor Walz signed the Commerce Omnibus Bill.

The legislation, titled the “Digital Fair Repair Act,” means manufacturers are obligated to make parts, tools and repair information available to consumers.

There are several exclusions, including motor vehicles, off-road vehicles, medical devices, farm and construction equipment and specialized devices used for cybersecurity and critical infrastructure.

All electronics are included in the “Digital Fair Repair Act” except for video game consoles.

The bill states manufacturers that sell digital electronic equipment in Minnesota must “make available to any independent repair provider or to the owner of digital electronic equipment manufactured by or on behalf of, or sold by, the original equipment manufacturer, on fair and reasonable terms, documentation, parts, and tools, inclusive of any updates to information or embedded software, for diagnostic, maintenance, or repair purposes.”

However, the law does not require a manufacturer to make a part, tool or documentation available if it is “no longer available to the original equipment manufacturer.”

The bill also states that manufacturers are not required to divulge trade secrets or intellectual property.

The law is set to go into effect on July 1, 2024. It is set to apply to products produced after July 1, 2021.

Similar laws have been passed in Colorado, New York and Massachusetts.