FEES/LICENSES/PERMITS: Limits the amount of convenience fees charged for use of credit and debit cards for certain transactions

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Robby Carter

Caps credit/debit card surcharges at 2% or $20 (whichever is less) and requires clear notice to buyers at entry, checkout, receipt, or online before checkout.

Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Commerce.

Purpose and Intent

HB 659 would limit the amount of fees or surcharges that sellers or lessors may impose on buyers or lessees who choose to pay with a credit or debit card in sales or lease transactions within Louisiana. The bill seeks to ensure card users are not charged excessive convenience fees and to mandate clear notice of any such charges.

Key Provisions

Maximum surcharge cap: A seller or lessor may not impose a credit/debit card fee or surcharge greater than:

2% of the total transaction amount, or
$20, whichever is less.
This applies to buyers or lessees paying by credit or debit card in state sales or lease transactions.

Notice requirements:

If a seller or lessor imposes a fee or surcharge under the bill, they must provide notice:
At the point of entry (likely entrance to the establishment),
At the point of sale (checkout area),
On the receipt, if one is provided.
For purely online transactions, the notice must be displayed before checkout.

Exemption: The state of Louisiana and its political subdivisions are exempt from the bill’s provisions.

Legal addition: The bill adds a new statute, designated as R.S. 9:3518.5.

Affected Parties

Businesses involved in sales or lease transactions where customers may elect to pay with a credit or debit card. This includes both physical and online sales environments.

Consumers/buyers who pay with credit or debit cards, as the bill limits the permissible surcharges they may encounter.

State and political subdivisions are explicitly exempt from the restrictions.

Procedural and Timeline Aspects

Introduced as HB 659 during the 2026 Regular Session.

Amendment: House Committee on Commerce proposed amendments to the original bill (notably a minor editorial change to language regarding compliance). The core substance remains a cap on surcharges and notice requirements.

Effective date: The provided text does not specify an effective date; typical practice would be upon enactment or a later effective date established in the final statute.

Practical Impact

Consumers paying with credit/debit cards in Louisiana would face maximum card-fee surcharges capped at 2% or $20, whichever is lower.

Businesses would need to adjust any existing card surcharge practices to comply with the cap and ensure the required notices are provided at relevant points in the transaction process.

Online purchasers would benefit from seeing surcharges clearly before completing checkout.

The exemption for state and local governments means those entities could potentially set their own card-fee policies.

If you’d like, I can compare this bill to existing Louisiana law on surcharges or provide a quick impact assessment for small businesses.

Bill