---
title: "Franchise Registration States Guide"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/2e8491e3-2368-4b7e-9db6-00d62244729f
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/what-are-franchise-registration-states-2717171
category: "Franchise Industry"
industry: "Franchise Industry"
topics: ["Regulation & legal"]
published: 2021-11-12T12:07:00.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T02:13:46.148Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/32b99f801fdd4bbde4432ee4b6efda843975.jpg
---

# Franchise Registration States Guide

**TL;DR:** The Federal Trade Commission regulates franchises in the U.S. and some states require franchise registration and disclosure documents. States such as California, Hawaii, and Illinois require a franchisee's Federal Disclosure Document to be registered before opening.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2021-11-12. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/what-are-franchise-registration-states-2717171).*

## Story

The Federal Trade Commission is in charge of setting regulations for franchises in the U.S., many of which were established when the Federal Franchise Rule was enacted in 1979.

Franchisees are protected under a Franchise Disclosure Document, but because this form isn’t federally required, some states have taken it upon themselves to ensure that franchisors and franchisees are following the rules set forth in the Federal Franchise Rule.

The states that require a franchisee’s Federal Disclosure Document to be registered with a state before opening are:

- California

- Hawaii

- Illinois

- Indiana

- Maryland

- Michigan

- Minnesota

- New York

- North Dakota

- Rhode Island

- Virginia

- Washington

- Wisconsin

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Franchise Industry (sector)
- new york (location)
- California (location)
- Virginia (location)
- michigan (location)
- Illinois (location)
- Maryland (location)
- indiana (location)
- Wisconsin (location)
- Minnesota (location)
- Federal Trade Commission (regulator)

---
Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/what-are-franchise-registration-states-2717171). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/2e8491e3-2368-4b7e-9db6-00d62244729f).