A service contract or warranty runs for a stated term. The term is the span the paper says the seller or obligor will answer for covered breakdowns. When that span ends, the paper either stops, renews on its own, or waits for a new signature. Which of those happens is written in the contract, and state rules may add notice steps on top of it.
Find the end line
Look for the wording that sets the term: a start point, an end point, and whether the end is a fixed point in time, a usage limit, or both. Some papers count the start from the sale, others from enrollment or from the day the item was installed. Write down which start point your paper uses, because the end point depends on it.
Read the renewal and notice clauses together
Check whether the contract renews automatically, requires you to act, or offers a new term on new terms. If it renews on its own, find out who must give notice to stop it, in what form, to what address, and by what point in the term. The renewal clause, the notice clause, and the cancellation clause usually depend on each other, so read them as one set.
Keep the paper current
A change of owner, a move, or a replacement of the covered item can change the renewal position. Keep a written note of the term end, the notice form, the address on file, and the name of the party that must receive any notice. Check that the note matches the signed page.
What this guide does not cover
This guide has not read the rules of every state. Each state page on this site names the regulator, cites the statute or program that page has read, and says whether a roster exists. Read the page for your state, check the as-of line on any roster before you rely on it, and treat the contract itself as the controlling text for your own term.