When people sign the LA Fitness membership agreement in under a minute, they don’t really read it properly; I’ve seen this behavior in myself and my friends. We just agree to the terms and conditions without reading because they’re too long.
However, I did read the LA Fitness agreement, which wasn’t complicated at all, but it has a few terms that produce every billing complaint members face, which I’m going to discuss.
Does LA Fitness Require a Contract?
LA Fitness memberships in 2026 are month-to-month with no minimum commitment period or penalty for leaving. Once you cancel correctly, billing will stop; that’s it.
Initial-term agreements
This is a different type of agreement, usually 12 months, tied to promotional rates that run lower than standard monthly pricing.
If you sign one of these, it’ll lock you in at the reduced rate but also lock you in for the duration, and if you want an early exit, you’ll need to either wait out the term or qualify for a documented exception.
Personal Training Agreement
Those agreements run 6 or 12 months under a separate contract with separate billing and separate cancellation terms.
If you cancel your gym membership, your personal trainer agreement still won’t end; I’ve covered more about that in the LA Fitness Personal Training Cost Article.
| Contract type | Commitment | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Month to month | None | Most common type in 2026 |
| Initial term (12 months) | 12 months | Comes with a lower monthly rate |
| Paid in full | None (already paid) | Upfront savings, no recurring billing |
You will pay 3 Membership Fees
Normally, people don’t give attention to these three other charges in the LA Fitness membership agreement:
Initiation fee:
You’ll have to pay that amount during the sign-up process, and it starts at $0 during the promotional period and will cost $99 if you don’t join during the promotional period, which is January and summer, and it is a non-refundable fee that you have to pay.
However, you can negotiate this, and most of the time they also waive the fee, even if it’s not January or summer.
You can check my guide about LA Fitness Membership Deals and Discounts if you want to get it waived.
Prepaid last month:
Some LA Fitness locations collect the first and the last month’s fee during the enrollment process rather than just the first month.
The last month remains in your account and covers your final billing cycle, even when you cancel.
And we cannot say it’s a gym fee in a traditional sense, but it just makes the first payment quite larger than the monthly rate.
However, it happens in many locations, but not in all.
Annual fee:
The annual fee costs around $59 to $69, and the exact amount depends on the gym too.
There is no exact uniform national rate, but this is average, and in most locations, you will have to pay that annual fee within the next two weeks once you join the gym.
Cancellation: Notice Periods That Apply
You cannot simply cancel the LA Fitness membership; you’ll have to give notice.
For example, if you have a month-to-month membership, you will have to give the cancellation form 5 business days before your billing should stop.
And if you are canceling the yearly membership or long-term contract, then you will have to give notice at least 30 days before.
Weekends and holidays are not counted as business days; you can check more about your billing inside your account at lafitness.com.
As an initial-term member still in your commitment period, you’ll work differently.
Cancellation takes effect at the end of the term, not the next billing cycle, so unless you qualify for an early exit exception, you’re in until the term completes.
If you want the full guide about canceling your LA Fitness membership, see my guide on that.
How You Can Get an Early Exit:
There are three situations that allow you early termination of an initial-term agreement without paying out the remaining months, and all three require written documentation submitted to the club or mailed to Member Services.
- Documented medical condition preventing gym use (doctor’s note required)
- Relocation more than 25 miles from any LA Fitness location (proof of new address required)
- Death of the account holder
All three require written notice and supporting documentation submitted to your home club or mailed to LA Fitness Member Services; processing can take 7 to 10 business days.
Besides this, California, New York, Massachusetts, and several other states have health club laws that give members a cooling-off period after signing, usually 3 to 5 business days; during that time, you can cancel for a full refund regardless of what the agreement says.
Terms in the Agreement That Work in Your Favor
Rate increase notice:
LA Fitness must notify you 30 to 60 days in advance before raising monthly dues. And this notice gives month-to-month members the right to cancel before the new rate takes effect.
Members who receive a price increase notice and do nothing accept the new rate on the stated date, with no option to stay at the old price.
Club closure transfer:
If your home club closes permanently, you’re entitled to transfer to the nearest comparable club or cancel without penalty.
Grandfathered rate risk:
Members on older below-market rates who cancel and later rejoin lose that pricing permanently.
The old rate is gone regardless of how long you were a member.
If you’re holding a rate from an older agreement, I would recommend you freeze instead of canceling and preserve it. See this LA Fitness membership freeze guide.
Add-On Agreements & Cancellation Billing Problem
Personal training, Kids Klub premium tiers, Studio Group Training (HIIT by LAF), Pilates by LAF, and The Glute Room each require a separate signed agreement with separate billing and separate cancellation terms.
So even when you cancel your gym membership, it doesn’t cancel these agreements.
Members who cancel the gym but forget an active personal training or any other agreement sometimes pay $200 to $300 per month in charges for sessions they can no longer use.
However, each add-on requires its own cancellation request, which is handled through the relevant program director at the club, not through the standard membership cancellation process.
How to Find Your Membership Agreement
Three ways to access your specific contract, all of them free and available to any active member:
- Online: Log into your account at lafitness.com, go to the Membership section, and download your agreement. This is the fastest route and shows your exact signed terms.
- At your home club: Ask the front desk for a printed copy; it’ll only take about five minutes.
- Member Services: Call (949) 255-7200 or email contact@fitnessintl.com to request a copy; it’s a slower process but still works if online access isn’t available.
Your key tag barcode and the barcode in the LA Fitness app both link to your account, which ties to your specific agreement, billing structure, access tier, and any add-on contracts.
If a staff member at the front desk needs to pull up your agreement, that barcode is what identifies the account.
LA Fitness Agreement FTC Lawsuit
In August 2025, the FTC filed a lawsuit against Fitness International LLC, LA Fitness’s parent company. It alleged the company deliberately structures its cancellation process to make it difficult and has collected fees members didn’t intend to pay.
The lawsuit is active in federal court as of 2026 and is part of why an online cancellation option was added to the member portal.
A separate Department of Justice lawsuit filed in October 2024 targets LA Fitness under the Americans with Disabilities Act over facility accessibility.
I know that case is unrelated to billing but part of a broader pattern of regulatory scrutiny around the company.
FAQs about the LA Fitness Agreement
Does LA Fitness require a contract?
You don’t need a contract for month-to-month membership.
Some promotional plans include a 12-month initial term in exchange for a lower monthly rate.
Personal training agreements run 6 or 12 months, which are separate from the gym membership.
Where can I find my LA Fitness membership agreement PDF?
Log in to your account at lafitness.com, navigate to the Membership section, and download your agreement.
Your home club can also print a copy on request.
Member Services at (949) 255-7200 can email one if neither option works.
Can LA Fitness raise my monthly dues without warning?
No, they’ll give you a written notice 30 to 60 days before they increase the rates.
Month-to-month members can cancel before the new rate begins without penalty, but initial-term members mid-contract are protected from increases until the term ends.
What happens to my add-ons if I cancel my gym membership?
They keep billing. Personal training, Kids Klub, and specialty studio programs are on separate agreements that need separate cancellation requests.
Is it hard to cancel an LA Fitness membership?
Not really, but some members found it hard. Month-to-month agreements can be cancelled online, in person, or by certified mail with proper notice.
Initial-term agreements require either completing the term or meeting a documented exception.
The FTC is also suing LA Fitness specifically over how difficult the cancellation process has been for members.
I’m Abraham, a researcher and writer. I’ve been going to the gym since 2019, and I started GymMembershipPricing after struggling to find reliable information about gym memberships, pricing, fees, amenities, cancellation policies, hidden charges, and more. I research and verify this information to help others find a suitable gym, understand what to expect, avoid unexpected costs, and make informed decisions before joining.
