State Security Freezes:
Most states have laws regarding security freezes on your credit report, but not all. States with laws usually have with them requirements and set fees for a freeze, lifting a freeze temporarily, or removing the freeze. It is important to note, even if your state has no laws on this, the 3 major credit reporting bureaus (Equifax, Experian, Transunion) all have a voluntary program for security freezes. Below is a state by state guide on security freezes.
Note: This is believed to be up to date as of December 2009, but with the possibilities of court precedence or law makers changing the laws, we cannot and do not guarantee the information below. Use this info as a guide, and double check your state laws for the most up to date security freeze laws.
Alabama
Alabama is one of few (very few) states that has not (yet) passed a law requiring the availability of the security freeze. However, Equifax, Experian, and Transunion have all made the freeze available voluntarily. In order to freeze access to your credit report(s), you must request the security freeze from all the major credit bureaus.
Eligibility: Everyone
Fees: No fee for identity theft victims. Everyone else pays $10 to place a freeze, temporarily lift a freeze, or to remove the freeze.
Alaska
Eligibility: Everyone
Fees: Free for identity theft victims, provided you give a copy of a complaint to law enforcement. Everyone else pays a $5 fee to place the freeze and $2 to temporary lift a freeze. Freeze remains until consumer requests it lifted.
Arizona
Eligibility: Everyone
Fees: No fees for identity theft victims (must provide police report). Everyone else pays a $5 fee to place the freeze, lift it temporarily, or remove it. There is also a $5 PIN replacement fee.
Arkansas
Eligibility: Everyone (under voluntary program with the credit bureaus)
Fees: $10 to place the freeze, lift it temporarily, or to remove the freeze.
California
Eligibility: Everyone
Fees: No fees for identity theft victims. Anyone 65 years of age or older pays $5 and everyone else pays $10 to place a freeze, temporarily lift it, or remove the freeze. Note: There is a $12 fee to temporarily lift the freeze for a specific creditor.
Colorado
Eligibility: Everyone
Fees: No fees for first time freeze; $10 to lift the freeze temporarily, or to remove the freeze, second freeze is $10. Note: There is a $12 fee to temporarily lift the freeze for a specific creditor.
Connecticut
Eligibility: Everyone
Fees: $10 to place the freeze, lift it temporarily, or remove the freeze. Note: There is a $12 fee to lift it temporarily for a specific creditor.
Delaware
Eligibility: Everyone
Fees: No fee for ID theft victims. Everyone else pays $20 to place the freeze, but no fees to lift it temporarily, or to remove the freeze.
District of Columbia (Washington D.C.)
Eligibility: Everyone
Fees: No fees for ID theft victims. Everyone else pays $10 to place the freeze, but no fees to lift it temporarily, or to remove the freeze.
Florida
Eligibility: Everyone
Fees: No fees for ID theft victims or anyone 65 years or older. Everyone else pays $10 to place the freeze, lift it temporarily, or to remove the freeze.
Georgia
Eligibility: Everyone Fees: No fees for ID theft victims (must provide police report), or anyone 65 years or older. Everyone else pays a $3 fee to place the freeze, lift it temporarily, or to remove the freeze.
Hawaii
Eligibility: Everyone
Fees: No fees for ID theft victims. Everyone else pays $5 to place the freeze, lift it temporarily, or to remove the freeze. Freeze remains until consumer requests it lifted.
Idaho
Eligibility: Everyone
Fees: No fees for ID theft victims (must provide police report). Everyone else pays a $6 fee to place the freeze, lift it temporarily, or to remove the freeze. There is also a $10 PIN replacement fee.
Illinois
Eligibility: Everyone
Fees: No fees for ID theft victims (must provide police report) and anyone 65 years or older. Everyone else pays a $10 fee to place the freeze, lift it temporarily, or to remove the freeze. Freeze remains until consumer requests it lifted.
Indiana
Eligibility: Everyone
Fees: No fee to place the freeze, lift it temporarily, or to remove the freeze. Freeze remains until consumer requests it lifted.
Iowa
Eligibility: Everyone
Fees: No fee for ID theft victims. Everyone else pays $10 to place the freeze, $12 to temporarily lift the freeze, or $10 to remove the freeze. Freeze remains until consumer requests it lifted.
Kansas
Eligibility: ID theft victims only. Security Freeze is still offered to everyone through the major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, Transunion).
Fees: No fees for ID theft victims. Everyone else pays $10 to place a freeze, temporarily lift, or to remove the freeze. Freeze remains until consumer requests it lifted.
Kentucky
Eligibility: Everyone
Fees: No fees for ID theft victims who provide a police report. All others pay $10 to place the freeze, lift it temporarily, or to remove the freeze. Freeze is automatically lifted 7 years from the date it was placed and there is a $10 fee to have PIN replaced.
Louisiana
Eligibility: Everyone
Fees: No fees for ID theft victims or anyone 62 years or older. Everyone else pays $10 to place the freeze, or $8 to lift it temporarily. There is no fee to remove the freeze. Freeze remains until consumer requests it lifted.
Maine
Eligibility: Everyone
Fees: No fees for ID theft victims (must provide a police report). Everyone else pays up to $10 to place the freeze, lift it temporarily, or to remove the freeze. There is a $10 PIN replacement fee, and a $12 fee to lift the freeze temporarily for a specific creditor. The freeze remains until the consumer requests it lifted.
Maryland
Eligibility: Everyone
Fees: No fees for ID theft victims (must provide report of alleged ID fraud or with an ID theft passport). Everyone else pays $5 to place the freeze, lift it temporarily, or to remove the freeze. Freeze remains until consumer requests it lifted.
Massachusetts
Eligibility: Everyone.
Fees: No fee for ID theft victims or the victim's spouse. Everyone else pays $5 to place the freeze, lift it temporarily, or remove the freeze. Freeze remains until consumer requests it lifted.
Michigan
Michigan is another one of the few states that has not (yet) passed a law which requires the availability of a security freeze. You can use the Freeze option offered by the major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, Transunion).
Eligibility: Everyone
Fees: No fee for ID theft victims. Everyone else pays $10 to place the freeze, temporarily lift, or to remove the freeze.
Minnesota
Eligibility: Everyone
Fees: No fees for ID theft victims (must provide a police report). Everyone else pays $5 to place the freeze, lift it temporarily, or remove the freeze. Freeze remains until consumer requests it lifted.
Mississippi
Eligibility: ID theft victims (must provide a police report, investigation report or complaint filed with a law enforcement agency). Everyone else would need to go through the voluntarily program offered by the major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, Transunion).
Fees: $10 to place a freeze for ID theft victims. Everyone else pays $10 to place a freeze, temporarily lift, or remove the freeze Freeze remains until consumer requests it lifted.
Missouri
Missouri is another of the few states that has not (yet) passed a law which requires the availability of a security freeze. You can use the voluntarily freeze program offered by the major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, Transunion).
Eligibility: Everyone
Fees: No fee for ID theft victims. Everyone else pays $10 to place the freeze, temporarily lift, or remove the freeze.
Montana
Eligibility: Everyone
Fees: No fees for ID theft victims. Everyone else pays $3 to place the freeze or to lift it temporarily. There is a $5 fee to have PIN replaced. There is no fee to remove the freeze.
Nebraska
Eligibility: Everyone
Fees: No fees for ID theft victims and/or anyone 19 years old or younger. Everyone else pays $3 to place a freeze; there is no fee for lifting the freeze temporarily or for removing the freeze. Freeze remains until consumer requests it lifted.
Nevada
Eligibility: Everyone
Fees: No fees for ID theft victims (must provide a police report). Everyone else pays $15 to place the freeze, $18 to lift it temporarily or to remove the freeze. There is a $20 fee to lift it temporarily for a specific creditor. Freeze remains until consumer requests it lifted.
New Hampshire
Eligibility: Everyone
Fees: No fees for ID theft victims (must provide a police report, investigation report or a complaint to a law enforcement agency). Everyone else pays $10 to place the freeze, lift it temporarily, or to remove the freeze.
New Jersey
Eligibility: Everyone
Fees: There's no fee to place the first security freeze; $5 fee to lift the freeze temporarily, remove the freeze, or to have PIN replaced. Freeze remains until consumer requests it lifted. You are also permitted to make requests directly to the credit reporting bureaus through secured electronic mail.
New Mexico
Eligibility: Everyone
Fees: No fees for ID theft victims (must provide a copy of police report or investigation report). Also, there is no fee for anyone 65 years of age or older. Everyone else pays $10 to place a freeze, a $5 fee to lift it temporarily or to remove the freeze. Freeze remains until consumer requests it lifted.
New York
Eligibility: Everyone.
Fees: No fees for ID theft victims. Everyone else can place the freeze for free the first time, there is a $5 fee to lift it temporarily or to remove the freeze. After the first freeze or for a re-issued freeze (if first freeze was lifted/removed), you pay a $5 fee for the freeze. Freeze remains until consumer requests it lifted.
North Carolina
Eligibility: Everyone
Fees: There are no fees for anyone who requests a freeze electronically. You may be charged a fee of up to $3 to place a freeze, lift it temporarily or to remove a freeze by telephone or by mail. There are no fees for: anyone over 62 or for ID theft victims or ID theft victims’ spouses (must provide a copy of a police report or police case number documenting the investigation report or a complaint to a law enforcement agency). There are no fees to temporary lift the freeze or to remove the freeze if the requests are made electronically.
North Dakota
Eligibility: Everyone
Fees: No fees for ID theft victims (must provide a valid copy of a police report or police case number documenting the investigation report or a complaint to law enforcement agency). Everyone else pays $5 to place the freeze or to lift the freeze. There is no fee for removing the freeze.
Ohio
Eligibility: Everyone
Fees: No fee for ID theft victims. Everyone else pays $5 to place the freeze, temporarily lift, or to remove the freeze. Freeze remains until consumer requests it lifted.
Oklahoma
Eligibility: Everyone
Fees: No fees for ID theft victims (must provide investigation report) or for anyone 65 years and older. Everyone else pays $10 to place the freeze, lift it temporarily, or remove the freeze. Freeze remains until consumer lifts the freeze.
Oregon
Eligibility: Everyone
Fees: No fee for ID theft victims. Everyone else pays $10 to place the freeze, lift it temporarily, or remove the freeze. The freeze remains until consumer requests it lifted.
Pennsylvania
Eligibility: Everyone
Fees: No fees for ID theft victims or anyone 65 years and older. Everyone else pays $10 to place the freeze or to lift it temporarily. There is no fee to remove the freeze. Note: Freeze automatically expires 7 years from the date it was placed.
Rhode Island
Eligibility: Everyone
Fees: No fees for ID theft victims or anyone 65 years and older. Everyone else pays $10 to place the freeze, lift it temporarily, or remove the freeze. Freeze remains until consumer requests it lifted.
South Carolina
Eligibility: Everyone
Fees: There are no fees. Freeze remains until consumer requests it lifted.
South Dakota
Eligibility: ID theft victims (must provide a valid police report). Everyone else must use the voluntarily program offered by the credit reporting bureaus (Equifax, Experian, Transunion). This program is voluntarily to all consumers nation wide.
Fees: No fees by law for ID theft victims. Everyone else pays $10 to place, temporarily lift, or remove the freeze. Note: Only freezes you credit report (not score) and freeze expires automatically 7 years from date it was placed.
Tennessee
Eligibility: Everyone
Fees: No fees for ID theft victims. Everyone else pays $7.50 to place the freeze, no fee to lift it temporarily, and a $5 fee to remove the freeze. Freeze remains until consumer requests it lifted.
Texas
Eligibility: Everyone
Fees: No fees for ID theft victims. Everyone else pays $10 to place the freeze, lift it temporarily, or to remove the freeze. There is a $12 fee to lift the freeze temporarily for a specific creditor. Freeze remains until consumer requests it lifted.
Utah
Eligibility: Everyone
Fees: According to Utah’s law: credit bureaus are able to charge “reasonable fees,” there is nothing specific on what is or isn't “reasonable.” Freeze remains until consumer requests it lifted. Note: You can temporarily lift or “thaw” the freeze through electronic requests within 15 minutes.
Vermont
Eligibility: Everyone
Fees: No fees for ID theft victims. Everyone else pays $10 to place the freeze, $5 to lift it temporarily or to remove the freeze. Freeze remains until consumer requests it lifted.
Virginia
Eligibility: Everyone
Fees: No fees for ID theft victims (must provide a police report). Everyone else pays a $10 fee to place the freeze, lift it temporarily, or to remove the freeze. Freeze remains until consumer requests it lifted.
Washington
Eligibility: Everyone
Fees: No fees for ID theft victims or anyone 65 years and older. Everyone else pays $10 to place the freeze, lift it temporarily, or remove the freeze.
West Virginia
Eligibility: Everyone
Fees: No fees for ID theft victims. Everyone else pays $5 to place the freeze, lift it temporarily, or to remove the freeze. Freeze remains until consumer requests it lifted.
Wisconsin
Eligibility: Everyone
Fees: According to Wisconsin law: no fee for an "individual who submits evidence satisfactory to the credit reporting agencies that the individual made a report to a law enforcement agency.” Everyone else pays $10 to place the freeze, temporarily lift, or to remove the freeze. Freeze remains until consumer requests it lifted.
Wyoming
Eligibility: Everyone
Fees: No fees for ID theft victims. Everyone else pays $10 to place the freeze, lift it temporarily, or to remove the freeze. Freeze remains until consumer requests it lifted. Note: electronic and telephone methods to lift - imposes the 15 minute lift time frame.Alabama