Big Changes Coming to Cord Controls on Window Coverings

Protecting children from cords on window treatments has been an important topic for many years and now there are some new rules that will take effect in 2024. 

Last year, Canada implemented some of the strictest cord safety laws to date around window coverings. And while some basic preliminary regulations have been in effect here in the U.S., many Americans wondered if or when we would see a similar update to the laws on blinds, shades, and drapery with free hanging cords. 

While a 2018 regulation by the WCMA (Window Covering Manufacturers Association) already made it so stock products, which are pre-packaged products sold in retail stores and online, were required to be cordless or have inaccessible cords or short cords, custom window coverings were still able to be manufactured with custom cord lengths. This is all changing this year, as new laws will prohibit the manufacturers from making free hanging cord lifts, regardless if it is a custom product or not. 

The WCMA and American National Standards Institute (ANSI) will require the majority of all window coverings sold in the United States to be cordless or to have inaccessible or short cords. The revised updated safety standard, ANSI/WCMA A100.1-2022, eliminates the use of free hanging operating cords, free hanging tilt cords and multiple cord connectors on all custom window covering products. 

What does this mean for you? 

The compliance date for window-covering products in the U.S. is June 1, 2024. This means that all products manufactured after this date must comply with the new standard.  Many companies will be implementing the policy starting May 1, 2024 ahead of the required start date. 

Many people are already buying and preferring cordless window coverings, and while they are much safer and provide a very clean look, you need to be able to physically reach the top of the shade or blind to pull it down so that is important to consider.

The primary benefit of eliminating cords is of course the safety aspects of such a setup. It is reported that around 9 children each year are injured in free hanging cords. But it does however mean you may have to rethink hard-to-reach windows. 

Window coverings that would typically be managed with a lift cord, like over a kitchen sink, desk, bed, or a high transom window, may now need to be motorized since a cordless option may be out of reach. This would add additional cost to the project but also quite a bit of convenience. 

Some products will be available with a continuous loop control that would be securely cleated to the window trim, but this control type is not available with all products. Manufacturers are still fine tuning the changes to their products that need to be made and we will try to keep you updated as more information comes out.

Please feel free to reach out to us to meet with one of our design consultants in the Kansas City area about what would work best for your situation. We are happy to set up a free consultation to discuss and show you all the options available.