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When Does an FDD Expire and Require Renewal?

Under the federal franchise laws, at the national level, a franchisor's FDD will automatically expire and require renewal within 120 days of the franchisor's fiscal year end. If your fiscal year is the same as a calendar year this means that your FDD will expire and require renewal on April 30th of each year. At the state level, within the franchise registration states, FDD expiration and renewal dates vary depending on prior year registration and state specific requirements.

Below is a state-by-state overview of FDD expiration dates and when your FDD must be renewed:

State Registration or Filing State State Expiration Dates
California Registration Annual registration required. Expires 110 days after your fiscal year end.
Connecticut Registration / Exemption If you have a federally registered trademark, then one-time exemption filing that does not expire. If you do not have a federally registered trademark then you must register annually. Registration expires 1 year from registration effective date.
Florida Filing Annual filing required. Expires 1 year from filing effective date.
Hawaii Registration Annual registration required. Expires 90 days after your fiscal year end.
Illinois Registration Annual registration required. Expires 120 days after your fiscal year end.
Indiana Registration Annual registration required. Expires 1 year from registration effective date.
Kentucky Filing One time filing only; no expiration.
Maine Filing / Exemption If you have a federally registered trademark, then no filing required. If you do not have a federally registered trademark then filing required. Filing expires 1 year from filing effective date.
Maryland Registration Annual registration required. Expires 1 year from registration effective date.
Michigan Registration Annual notice filing required. Expires 1 year from notice filing date.
Minnesota Registration Annual registration required. Expires 120 days after your fiscal year end.
Nebraska Filing One time filing; no expiration.
New York Registration Annual registration required. Expires 120 days after your fiscal year end.
North Dakota Registration Annual registration required. Expires 120 days after your fiscal year end.
Rhode Island Registration Annual registration required. Expires 1 year from registration date; must submit renewal 30 days prior to expiration.
South Carolina Filing / Exemption One time filing if you have a registered trademark.
South Dakota Filing Annual filing required. Expires 1 year from filing effective date.
Texas Filing One time filing; no expiration.
Utah Filing Annual Filing is required. Expires 1 year from filing effective date.
Virginia Registration Annual registration required. Expires 1 year from registration effective date.
Washington Registration Annual registration required. Expires 1 year from registration effective date.
Wisconsin Registration Annual registration required. Expires 1 year from registration effective date.

Resolving Conflicts Between Federal and State FDD Expiration, Renewal and Update Requirements

The federal franchise rule applies nationally to each and every state, including the franchise registration states. No matter the state, your FDD will expire and must be updated within the 120 day fiscal year end period, including within franchise registration states where your state specific annual registration may, depending on when you filed for registration, extend beyond the 120 day fiscal year end period. Federal law pre-empts state law and this means that even if your state specific FDD registration is effective beyond the 120 day fiscal year end period, you must nevertheless update your FDD and file for renewal within the registration states.

Example: If, for example, your franchise company operates on a fiscal calendar year basis and your most recent Virginia state registration occurred on October 1st. Under the federal 120-day rule, your FDD will expire on April 30th. Even though under Virginia law your registration lasts for one year and will remain effective until October 1st, as of April 30th your FDD will have expired and you must stop selling franchises in Virginia on April 30th. In this example, prior to April 30th the appropriate course of action is to file for FDD registration renewal with Virginia. At the time of making this filing you could request that Virginia change the effective date of your registrations so that it is in sync with the federal 120-day requirement.

Other FDD Update Requirements

In addition to the annual FDD update and renewal requirements, if there is a material change in the information reported or disclosed in your FDD, you must update your FDD. Once updated, you will be required to update your state registrations through a post-effective amendment process. If a change relates to facts or information that would influence the decision-making process of a reasonable franchisee then you should consider such change as material and as one that triggers an FDD update. Changes in information related to your Item 19 Financial Performance Representations must be made immediately.

Need help renewing your FDD this year? Contact us to learn about how we can help.

Learn more about State Franchise Laws and Registration Requirements.

Learn more about registering your FDD by calling (800) 976-4904 or click the button below.

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