The 50-State Gift Card Law Database
Every US state and the District of Columbia, written in plain English for small business operators. Expiration rules, dormancy fees, cash redemption thresholds, escheatment, and compliance checklists — all in one place, all referenced to the underlying statutes.
- All 51 jurisdictions with structured, comparable data
- 15 states prohibit expiration on most gift certificates
- 12 states require cash redemption of small balances
- Built-in compliance checklists for every state
The federal floor: the Credit CARD Act of 2009
Before any state law applies, the federal Credit CARD Act sets the floor for gift cards and most gift certificates sold in the United States.
5-year minimum expiration
Gift certificates and most general-use and store gift cards must remain valid for at least five years from issuance or last load. State law may extend this.
Dormancy fee limits
Dormancy, inactivity, and service fees can be charged only after 12 months of inactivity, with disclosure, and no more than one fee per month.
Disclosure requirements
Under federal Regulation E (12 CFR 1005.20), expiration, fees, and toll-free issuer contact must be clearly and conspicuously disclosed on the certificate.
State laws build on top of this federal floor. Some states prohibit expiration entirely, some ban service fees, and some require cash refunds for small remaining balances.
Three levels of state consumer protection
We classify every jurisdiction by the strength of its consumer protections above the federal floor. Use this to quickly scan whether your state is in the strict, moderate, or federal-baseline category.
Strict consumer protection
Expiration prohibited or heavily restricted; service fees prohibited; cash redemption typically required for small balances.
Moderate consumer protection
State adds protections above the federal CARD Act floor — typically restricted fees, longer minimum validity, or specific disclosure rules.
Federal baseline
State largely defaults to the federal CARD Act minimum: 5-year minimum expiration and federal fee restrictions.
Every state, organized by region
Click any state to read the full law summary, compliance checklist, and recommended software for that state.
Northeast (11)
Connecticut
- Expiration: No expiration permitted
- Cash redemption: Under $3 — cash redemption required on request
Delaware
- Expiration: 5 years minimum (federal CARD Act floor)
- Cash redemption: Not required by state statute
Maine
- Expiration: No expiration permitted on most gift certificates
- Cash redemption: Under $5 — cash redemption required on request
Maryland
- Expiration: 4 years minimum (federal 5 years applies as floor)
- Cash redemption: Not required by state statute
Massachusetts
- Expiration: 7 years minimum (one of the strictest in the US)
- Cash redemption: Under $5 (after 90% redeemed) — cash refund required
New Hampshire
- Expiration: No expiration permitted on most gift certificates
- Cash redemption: Under $5 — cash redemption required on request
New Jersey
- Expiration: No expiration permitted on most gift certificates
- Cash redemption: Not required by state statute (some local interpretations vary)
New York
- Expiration: Must remain valid for at least 9 years from issuance
- Cash redemption: Under $5 — cash refund required upon request
Pennsylvania
- Expiration: 5 years minimum (federal CARD Act floor)
- Cash redemption: Not required by state statute
Rhode Island
- Expiration: No expiration permitted on most gift certificates
- Cash redemption: Under $1 — cash refund required on request
Vermont
- Expiration: No expiration permitted on most gift cards
- Cash redemption: Under $1 — cash redemption required on request
South (14)
Alabama
- Expiration: 5 years minimum (federal CARD Act floor)
- Cash redemption: Not required by state statute
Arkansas
- Expiration: 5 years minimum (federal CARD Act floor)
- Cash redemption: Not required by state statute
Florida
- Expiration: No expiration permitted (with narrow exceptions)
- Cash redemption: Not required by state statute
Georgia
- Expiration: 5 years minimum (federal CARD Act floor)
- Cash redemption: Not required by state statute
Kentucky
- Expiration: 5 years minimum (federal CARD Act floor)
- Cash redemption: Not required by state statute
Louisiana
- Expiration: 5 years minimum
- Cash redemption: Not required by state statute
Mississippi
- Expiration: 5 years minimum (federal CARD Act floor)
- Cash redemption: Not required by state statute
North Carolina
- Expiration: 5 years minimum (federal CARD Act floor)
- Cash redemption: Not required by state statute
Oklahoma
- Expiration: 5 years minimum (federal CARD Act floor)
- Cash redemption: Not required by state statute
South Carolina
- Expiration: 5 years minimum (federal CARD Act floor)
- Cash redemption: Not required by state statute
Tennessee
- Expiration: 5 years minimum (federal CARD Act floor)
- Cash redemption: Not required by state statute
Texas
- Expiration: 5 years minimum (federal CARD Act floor; state minimum was 1 year)
- Cash redemption: Not required by state statute
Virginia
- Expiration: 5 years minimum (federal CARD Act floor)
- Cash redemption: Not required by state statute
West Virginia
- Expiration: 5 years minimum (federal CARD Act floor)
- Cash redemption: Not required by state statute
Midwest (12)
Illinois
- Expiration: No expiration in less than 5 years (state minimum aligned with federal)
- Cash redemption: Not required by state statute
Indiana
- Expiration: 5 years minimum (federal CARD Act floor)
- Cash redemption: Not required by state statute
Iowa
- Expiration: 5 years minimum (federal CARD Act floor)
- Cash redemption: Not required by state statute
Kansas
- Expiration: 5 years minimum (federal CARD Act floor)
- Cash redemption: Not required by state statute
Michigan
- Expiration: 5 years minimum
- Cash redemption: Not required by state statute
Minnesota
- Expiration: No expiration permitted on most gift certificates
- Cash redemption: Not required by state statute
Missouri
- Expiration: 5 years minimum (federal CARD Act floor)
- Cash redemption: Not required by state statute
Nebraska
- Expiration: 5 years minimum (federal CARD Act floor)
- Cash redemption: Not required by state statute
North Dakota
- Expiration: 5 years minimum (federal CARD Act floor)
- Cash redemption: Not required by state statute
Ohio
- Expiration: 5 years minimum (federal floor applies above state 2-year minimum)
- Cash redemption: Not required by state statute
South Dakota
- Expiration: 5 years minimum (federal CARD Act floor)
- Cash redemption: Not required by state statute
Wisconsin
- Expiration: 5 years minimum (federal CARD Act floor)
- Cash redemption: Not required by state statute
West (13)
Alaska
- Expiration: 5 years minimum (federal CARD Act floor)
- Cash redemption: Not required by state statute
Arizona
- Expiration: 5 years minimum (federal CARD Act floor)
- Cash redemption: Not required by state statute
California
- Expiration: No expiration permitted (with narrow exceptions)
- Cash redemption: Under $10 — cash redemption required on request
Colorado
- Expiration: No expiration permitted on most gift cards
- Cash redemption: Under $5 — cash redemption required on request
Hawaii
- Expiration: No expiration permitted on most gift certificates (with exceptions for promotional)
- Cash redemption: Not required by state statute
Idaho
- Expiration: 5 years minimum (federal CARD Act floor)
- Cash redemption: Not required by state statute
Montana
- Expiration: No expiration permitted on most gift certificates
- Cash redemption: Under $5 — cash redemption required on request
Nevada
- Expiration: 5 years minimum (federal CARD Act floor)
- Cash redemption: Not required by state statute
New Mexico
- Expiration: 5 years minimum (federal CARD Act floor)
- Cash redemption: Not required by state statute
Oregon
- Expiration: No expiration permitted on most gift certificates
- Cash redemption: Under $5 — cash refund required on request
Utah
- Expiration: 5 years minimum (federal CARD Act floor)
- Cash redemption: Not required by state statute
Washington
- Expiration: No expiration permitted on most gift certificates
- Cash redemption: Under $5 — cash redemption required on request
Wyoming
- Expiration: 5 years minimum (federal CARD Act floor)
- Cash redemption: Not required by state statute
Compare, analyze, and check compliance
Side-by-side comparison matrix
All 51 jurisdictions in one sortable, scannable table — expiration, fees, cash redemption, escheatment, and primary statute.
The 10 strictest states
The states with the strongest consumer protections — where you need to be most careful with expiration, fees, and cash redemption.
The 10 most business-friendly states
The states that closely follow the federal baseline — where operating a gift card program has the lightest compliance overhead.
Multi-state compliance checklist
A unified checklist for operators selling across multiple states — covers the strictest common rules so you stay compliant everywhere.
How we built this database
This database is a research-and-summary project intended for small business operators. It is not legal advice. Every state page references the primary statute. The data is current as of the lastUpdated date on each state page.
What we covered for every state
- Expiration: minimum validity period and whether expiration is prohibited
- Dormancy and service fees: whether allowed, when, and at what rate
- Cash redemption: whether small remaining balances must be paid in cash on request
- Disclosure requirements: what must appear on the certificate at issuance
- Escheatment: whether unredeemed balances must be remitted to the state
- Enforcement: which agencies handle violations and what penalties apply
- Compliance checklist: a state-specific operational checklist for SMB operators
- Recommended software: gift card platforms that handle this state's rules well
What we did not include
- Open-loop bank-issued gift card rules (separate federal framework)
- Money transmitter licensing for stored-value programs
- Tax treatment of gift card sales (consult your CPA)
- Industry-specific regulation (gaming, alcohol, marijuana, regulated services)
- Non-US jurisdictions