Wisconsin just became the latest state to introduce a historic 'right to repair' law

On February 20, 2025, Wisconsin became the last state to have introduced a right-to-repair law in the United States. The new bill would require manufacturers to make repair documentation, data, parts, and tools available to owners and independent mechanics at a fair price. This law is specifically targeted towards manufacturers of agricultural equipment such as tractors, to allow farmers to either repair their equipment themselves or hire the mechanic of their choice rather than being forced to depend on the manufacturer for repairs.

As mentioned, this bill isn’t the only one. Massachusetts, New York, Minnesota, Colorado, California, and Oregon have already passed right to repair laws in their state, with 20 other states considering and introducing right-to-repair bills. The remaining states have had bills introduced that were turned down. As with most legislation, it could take years for a bill to be formed into law through the proper channels.

Right to repair laws don’t just impact farmers or folks in rural areas, but city folks as well. While Wisconsin’s bill is focused on farmers, the grassroots movement has become a popular groundswell for people on the left and the right side of the political spectrum. Right to repair laws not only allow farmers to fix their own tractors, but allow consumers to have the ability to fix all sorts of products by requiring companies sell repair parts to the public, provide repair manuals, and ban software locks that restrict repair to only authorized repair technicians. This means a farmer can fix their John Deere tractor without needing to hire a company-certified technician, an electric car owner could take their ride to a third-party mechanic rather than a dealership, and iPhone users can change their own phone battery without going to an Apple Genius Bar.

Companies, especially those in big tech, have benefited from the lack of right-to-repair laws because once a consumer purchases their product they are still reliant on the company if their purchase needs to be repaired. This means the company can profit from not only the purchase but the repairs of it, too, at a price point they themselves set up without competition. This also encourages companies to create a less sturdy product to either profit from fixes or to upsell a newer model to a customer once their current product is broken.

This not only hurts consumers, but the environment as well. Since people are more likely to throw an item away instead of fixing it themselves, or are encouraged to throw it away when it is broken and purchase a new model, it has created mountains of e-waste and garbage in our landfills.

Right-to-repair laws could cut down on e-waste in our landfills.Photo credit: Canva

As this movement both saves money for regular consumers and improves the environment as a side benefit by endorsing sustainability, right to repair is seen as one of the few purely bipartisan causes in the current political climate. The previous federal administration supported the movement along with the previous Federal Trade Commission, which had gotten major companies such as Apple, Google, and John Deere to adjust their policies slightly.

If you are interested in this movement and are in a state that doesn’t have a right to repair law, you can search for a local group in your area or online at websites such as Repair.org to see where you can lend your support.