AN ACT ESTABLISHING A MAXIMUM RESTOCKING FEE FOR RETURNED CONSUMER GOODS.
This bill limits restocking fees for returned consumer goods to a maximum of 5% of the original purchase price. It applies to businesses (including for-profit and non-profit entities) selling goods for personal, family, or household use within Connecticut, prohibiting them from charging more than this cap when accepting returns for regular inventory. Violations will be treated as unfair trade practices under Connecticut’s existing Unfair Trade Practices Act (CUTPA), allowing the Department of Consumer Protection to enforce the rule. The law takes effect on January 1, 2026.
Bill status
in committee
1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2025
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 21, 2025
Last action Mar 27, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons
What changed between versions
Committee Bill
→
GL Joint Favorable Substitute
·
3 edits
MINOR
The bill was revised to change the effective date from October 1, 2025 to January 1, 2026, and simplified the restocking fee rule by removing the comparison to actual return costs and setting a flat 5% cap instead. A technical correction was made in the enforcement language to clarify that violations of the fee rule specifically trigger unfair trade practice penalties.
Scope change
The bill's scope remains the same, applying to all businesses returning consumer goods, but the fee threshold calculation was simplified.
TIMELINE
The effective date was moved from October 1, 2025 to January 1, 2026.
REQUIREMENT
The restocking fee cap was changed from the lesser of actual return costs or 5% of purchase price to a flat 5% of purchase price.
TECHNICAL
The enforcement language was corrected to specify that violations of subsection (b) regarding fees trigger unfair trade practice penalties.
Floor votes
How they voted
No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
12
Key actions
2
Committee
4
Mar 12, 2025
Lower · Passed
Joint Favorable Substitute
lower
Feb 13, 2025
Committee
REF. TO JOINT COMM. ON General Law
lower
Feb 11, 2025
Lower · Passed
DRAFTED BY COMMITTEE
lower
Jan 21, 2025
Committee
REF. TO JOINT COMM. ON General Law
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Joe Zullo
RRepublican
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