State Guides

Title brands, lemon laws, dealer rules and fraud penalties change at the state line, and a car titled in one state can carry a brand that means something different in the next. Each guide here covers one state: how its titles are branded, what its lemon law and used-car rules require of sellers, where to look up a title, and where to file a complaint. Click a state on the map or pick it from the list. States without a guide yet are marked coming soon; the list grows with every guide we publish.
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Used car laws by state: the live guides compared

One row per published guide, four questions every buyer asks. The state name opens the guide, where each answer carries its statute or agency source.

StateLemon law for used carsAs-is salesRight to cancelOdometer tampering penalty
FloridaOnly a used car that changes hands within 24 months of first delivery (Chapter 681, § 681.102)Allowed with the FTC Buyers Guide; the disclaimer must be written, conspicuous and in plain language (§ 501.976(6))None. FLHSMV: “There is no cooling off period under Florida law.”Third-degree felony, up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine (§ 319.35)
TexasNo refund or replacement for a used car; repairs under a running manufacturer’s warranty through a warranty performance complaint (Occupations Code § 2301.204)Allowed; “as is” excludes implied warranties but does not waive a Deceptive Trade Practices Act claim (Business and Commerce Code §§ 2.316, 17.42)None, apart from two narrow cases: a sale solicited and signed away from the dealer’s premises, and an installment contract cancelled before the car or the contract copy is deliveredState offense, up to two years in county jail and a $1,000 fine; a repeat conviction up to $2,000 (Transportation Code § 727.002)
CaliforniaNo refund or replacement unless a manufacturer’s new car warranty was issued with the sale (Rodriguez v. FCA US, 2024); a dealer’s own written warranty brings an implied warranty of 30 days to three months (Civil Code § 1795.5)Allowed with a written notice attached to the car (Civil Code § 1792.4); never for a car sold as certified; a buy here pay here dealer must give a 30-day or 1,000-mile warranty (§ 1795.51)Yes, at a dealer: three days to cancel a used car priced at $50,000 or less and driven 400 miles or fewer, for a restocking fee (Civil Code § 1784.43); none in a private saleMisdemeanor, up to six months in county jail and a $1,000 fine (Vehicle Code §§ 28051, 42002)
New YorkYes: a dealer’s used car sold for $1,500 or more with 100,000 miles or fewer carries a written warranty of 90, 60 or 30 days by mileage, and a refund if a covered defect survives three repairs or 15 days off the road (General Business Law § 198-b); the new car lemon law follows the car to a later owner within 18,000 miles or two years of first delivery (§ 198-a)Not at a dealer: the dealer certifies in writing that the car is fit for the road at delivery, and the Attorney General says the certification cannot be waived (Vehicle and Traffic Law § 417); a waiver of the lemon law warranty is void (§ 198-b(d)); a private seller gives neitherNone under state law; inside New York City a dealer must offer a two-business-day contract cancellation option, during which it may keep the car (Administrative Code § 20-268.2)Misdemeanor, with fines of up to $500 per false mileage statement and $1,500 if knowing (General Business Law § 392-e)

Method: each cell summarizes the key facts table of that state’s guide; the guide has the full wording and the citations. In every state the federal civil remedy for odometer fraud applies on top of the state penalty: three times the damages or $10,000, whichever is greater (49 U.S.C. § 32710). Table last checked October 18, 2026; a row is added when a guide is published and reviewed when that guide is re-checked.

For every state, including the ones without a guide yet, our dealer license lookup and title check by state page gives the official dealer lookup, the state’s title check, whether titles are electronic and where a private sale is signed.