The bill creates a new chapter in Title 19 RCW called the "right to repair act" that imposes new manufacturer obligations and related repair-provider rules. Beginning January 1, 2026, original manufacturers must make available, on fair and reasonable terms, parts, tools, and documentation needed to diagnose, maintain, or repair covered digital electronic products that were first manufactured and first sold or used in Washington on or after July 1, 2021. For products first manufactured and first sold or used in Washington after January 1, 2025, manufacturers may not use parts pairing to block installation or enablement of otherwise functional replacement parts, reduce product functionality or performance, or cause misleading alerts about unidentified parts. The bill defines terms and what counts as fair and reasonable terms for parts, tools, and documentation, protects trade secrets subject to a federal trade secret definition, and exempts many categories of products from the obligations (including medical devices as defined by the federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, motor vehicles and related equipment, certain power generation and storage equipment, many types of off‑road and industrial equipment, video game consoles, certain set‑top boxes/modems/routers, and specified low earth orbit broadband equipment manufactured before 2044). Independent repair providers must disclose if they use replacement parts from suppliers other than the original manufacturer; the act recommends steps customers should take to safeguard data before repair; and it limits manufacturer liability for damage caused by independent repair providers except for design or manufacturing defects, and specifies manufacturers do not warrant services provided by independent repair providers. Enforcement is framed as a consumer protection matter: violations are regarded as unfair or deceptive acts under chapter 19.86 RCW and enforcement is limited to the Washington Attorney General. The extracted materials do not include the new chapter number or full text of the required customer notice, complete definitions cross-referenced in earlier sections, or any additional enforcement, penalty, or dispute resolution procedures beyond what is summarized above.

If passed, this law would make it easier and cheaper for Washington owners and independent repair shops to fix many consumer electronics by requiring manufacturers to sell parts, tools, and repair documentation on fair terms starting January 1, 2026 for products first made and used in Washington on or after July 1, 2021, and by banning software “parts pairing” that blocks or cripples replacement parts for devices made and sold after January 1, 2025. Independent shops would gain access to supplies and information they often could not get before, likely increasing their repair options and business, while owners would likely see lower repair costs and more choices. Manufacturers will face new costs and administrative work to provide parts, tools, and documentation, and may lose some control over repairs; they retain trade secret protections and are not generally liable for damage caused by independent repairs. Several important limits and obligations affect how big the change is: many categories are explicitly exempt (medical devices, most motor vehicles, certain utility, industrial and energy equipment, video game consoles, some set‑top boxes and low earth orbit broadband gear before 2044), repairers must give customers a privacy notice and disclose use of non‑manufacturer parts, and enforcement is limited to the Attorney General under the consumer protection act. The bill text here omits the exact customer notice language, detailed enforcement or penalties, and the full list of definitions and exemptions, so the ultimate reach and how disputes will be handled remain uncertain.