Everyday agents · Contracts · United States (federal)
Does my contract to sell goods need to be in writing?
- What applies?
- Under UCC Article 2, adopted by the states, a contract for the sale of goods for $500 or more is generally not enforceable without a writing signed by the party against whom enforcement is sought.
- What must I do?
- Put sales of $500 or more in a signed writing. State the quantity, since the contract is not enforceable beyond the quantity shown. Keep signed copies and order confirmations. Act on breaches within the limitation period.
- What happens if I do nothing?
- The other party can deny the contract and a court may refuse to enforce it, and claims lost to the limitation period cannot be revived.
- Who regulates this?
- No agency; enforced by state courts under each state's version of the UCC
- What is the deadline?
- An action for breach must be started within 4 years after it accrues; the parties may shorten this to not less than 1 year.
Sources
Read 2026-10-14 · ID agent:us:everyday:sale-of-goods-contracts · sha256 9f3be68a8e9287b87409162f7fad30bda823ac73f66b3768890e80e14884455c
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- question:us:everyday:sale-of-goods-contracts#1 (question)
- question:us:everyday:sale-of-goods-contracts#2 (question)
- question:us:everyday:sale-of-goods-contracts#3 (question)
Why some answers have no figure
- Contract law has no supervisory agency: disputes are decided by state courts under the state's enacted version of UCC Article 2.
Read next
Court decisions
not_in_register: no court decision in the register applies this rule yet. The answer rests on the cited provisions.
Machine readable: JSON. Not legal advice. Source: NovaCopilot.