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"The warranty does not apply in Puerto Rico": selling that appliance is prohibited

Last reviewed: August 24, 2026 — VerifiedDACO

In short

Act 93-1971 forbids the sale in Puerto Rico of any household-use articles and appliances carrying warranty certificates that do not include Puerto Rico in that warranty’s coverage. The Secretary of Consumer Affairs is empowered to enforce the law and to approve, amend or revoke the rules, regulations, orders and determinations necessary for compliance. They are also empowered to impose fines, after notice and an administrative hearing, for any infraction of the law’s provisions, of the orders issued and of the regulations adopted under it; the fines imposed shall be no less than twenty-five (25) dollars and no more than one thousand (1,000) dollars. Within the ten (10) days following the issuance of any regulation, order or resolution, any directly affected person shall file a written request for reconsideration specifying their objections; and any person aggrieved by a determination may, within the ten (10) days following the date of notice, file a review petition before the Superior Court, San Juan division.

External link

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What is it?

It is the law that keeps an appliance whose warranty excludes the island from being sold here. Its rule is short and admits no nuance: it is forbidden to sell in Puerto Rico any household-use articles and appliances carrying warranty certificates that do not include Puerto Rico in that warranty’s coverage. The prohibition falls on the sale, not on the buyer: the one violating it is the business that puts a product with such a warranty on the market.

Who can do it?

Any consumer who buys a household-use article or appliance in Puerto Rico. The one bound is whoever sells it. The law does not distinguish by price, brand or type of establishment: it speaks of the sale in Puerto Rico of any household-use articles and appliances with warranty certificates that do not include the island.

Requirements

Documents you need

This list describes what is usually requested. It has not yet been confirmed with the official agency.

Cost

This procedure has no cost.

Step by step

  1. Step 1: Read the certificate before buying

    The prohibition is on the sale, so the useful moment is before paying: check whether the warranty certificate mentions Puerto Rico within its territorial coverage. If the document limits the warranty to the continental United States or excludes the island, that product should not be on sale here under this law.

  2. Step 2: Keep the certificate and the receipt

    The certificate is the evidence of the infraction and the receipt proves the purchase. It is worth remembering that the warranty and receipt preservation law requires both to be printed on durable materials preserving the information for more than a year or the warranty term, whichever is greater — we cover it in its own guide.

  3. Step 3: File the complaint with DACO

    The Secretary of Consumer Affairs is empowered to enforce this law and to approve, amend or revoke the rules, regulations, orders and determinations necessary for compliance. They may also impose fines, after notice and an administrative hearing, for any infraction of the law, of the orders issued and of the regulations adopted under it. The fines shall be no less than twenty-five (25) dollars and no more than one thousand (1,000) dollars.

  4. Step 4: Count the two ten-day windows

    The law sets two short clocks. First: within the ten (10) days following the issuance of any regulation, order or resolution, any directly affected person shall file a written request for reconsideration, specifying their objections to the determination or to any of its provisions. Second: any person aggrieved by a determination may, within the ten (10) days following the date of notice, file a review petition before the Superior Court, San Juan division.

Where to do it

The Department of Consumer Affairs enforces the law, regulates and imposes fines after an administrative hearing. Judicial review of a determination is filed before the Superior Court, San Juan division, within ten days of notice. If the problem is also that the product’s warranty is not being honored, that consumer claim likewise goes through DACO, and for motor vehicles there is a separate warranty law we cover elsewhere.

How long it takes

Check the current processing time with the official agency.

What to do if something goes wrong

A compilation note worth keeping in mind: the law empowers the Secretary under the powers conferred by Act No. 148 of June 27, 1968, and OGP notes that law was repealed and replaced by Act 5-1973, the current organic act of the Department of Consumer Affairs. We report the citation as it stands and flag the note. On reach: the prohibition is on selling household-use articles and appliances whose warranty excludes Puerto Rico; the law does not define those terms, set warranty periods, require repair on the island or establish an individual refund or replacement remedy — its mechanism is the administrative fine. For the consumer remedy over the product itself, the route is a claim before DACO under the applicable consumer legislation. What we did not read: any regulations the Secretary may have adopted under this law, or Act 5-1973’s fine schedule — which is why we cite only the $25 to $1,000 range this law sets.

Common mistakes

  • Accepting that "the warranty does not cover Puerto Rico": selling an appliance with that warranty here is prohibited.
  • Throwing away the warranty certificate: it is the central evidence of the infraction.
  • Letting the ten days pass to request reconsideration of a regulation, order or resolution affecting you.
  • Letting the ten days from notice pass to file review before the Superior Court, San Juan division.
  • Expecting this law to refund your money: its mechanism is the administrative fine; the remedy over the product is claimed separately at DACO.
  • Confusing it with the durable-receipts law: that one requires the paper to last, this one requires the warranty to include Puerto Rico.

Frequently asked questions

Is it legal to sell something here whose warranty excludes Puerto Rico?

No. It is forbidden to sell in Puerto Rico any household-use articles and appliances carrying warranty certificates that do not include Puerto Rico in that warranty’s coverage.

What is the fine?

The Secretary of Consumer Affairs may impose fines, after notice and an administrative hearing, of no less than twenty-five (25) dollars and no more than one thousand (1,000) dollars for infractions of the law, of the orders issued and of the regulations adopted under it.

How long do I have to challenge a determination?

Ten (10) days. For reconsideration: within the ten days following the issuance of the regulation, order or resolution, in writing and specifying your objections. For judicial review: within the ten days following the date of notice, before the Superior Court, San Juan division.

Does this law refund my money for the appliance?

Not by itself: its mechanism is the sales prohibition and the administrative fine. If what you want is the remedy over the product — repair, replacement or refund — that is a consumer claim also filed before DACO.

Official sources

These are the government pages this guide is based on.

Last verified

August 24, 2026

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