Window Warranties Explained: What "Lifetime" Really Means

Nearly every window sold in California comes with a warranty described as "lifetime." The phrase tells you very little. Two lifetime warranties can differ on who is covered, which parts, for how long, whether labor is included, and whether any of it survives the sale of the house. This page, part of our California window guide, goes through the clauses that matter, with examples from documents currently published by four manufacturers.

We are contractors, not lawyers. This is a reading guide, and the document that comes with your windows is what governs.

Two warranties, two different promises

Every installed window has two separate warranties.

• The manufacturer's product warranty covers defects in materials and manufacturing: the frame, the sealed glass unit, hardware, finishes.
• The installer's workmanship warranty covers the installation: flashing, sealing, shimming, operation, and the finish work around the opening.

The two do not overlap much. Every manufacturer document we read excludes problems caused by installation. So a window that leaks at the perimeter is an installer question, and a pane that fogs between the glass is a manufacturer question. Most trouble in the first few years is installation-related, which is why the workmanship warranty deserves as much attention as the brand's.

"Full" versus "limited"

Federal law requires a written warranty on a consumer product to be titled either full or limited. According to the Federal Trade Commission, a warranty is full only if it meets all five of these standards:

1. It does not limit the duration of implied warranties.
2. Warranty service is provided to anyone who owns the product during the warranty period.
3. Service is free of charge.
4. If the product cannot be repaired after a reasonable number of tries, the consumer may choose a replacement or a full refund.
5. The consumer is not required to perform any duty, such as returning a registration card, as a precondition for service.

If any one is not true, the warranty is limited. That is why almost every window warranty carries the word "limited" in its title, including the ones with "lifetime" beside it. The FTC also says warranties must be available for you to read before you buy. Ask for the document, not the brochure.

What "lifetime" is measured by

The FTC's guidance is that a seller using "lifetime" should say which life is meant: the product's, the original owner's ownership, or something else. In window warranties it almost always means for as long as the original purchaser owns and lives in the home.

Examples from current documents:

• Milgard (replacement products made after 1 January 2026): frame and panel material are covered for as long as the owner of the dwelling "owns and occupies the dwelling as their personal residence." All other owners, including rental owners, HOAs and later buyers, get 10 years.
• Pella vinyl: non-glass components are covered "for as long as Buyer owns and occupies the home," and that coverage "may not be assigned or transferred."
• Anlin (Double Lifetime, products sold after 1 July 2024): covers the individual who owns and occupies the home when the products are installed and the immediate subsequent owner who also occupies it.
• Andersen does not use lifetime at all on its 400, 200 and 100 Series: glass is 20 years and non-glass parts are 10 years from the date of purchase.

The clauses that decide what you get

1. Owner occupancy

If the home is a rental, a second home held in an entity, or owned by an association, lifetime terms usually do not apply. Milgard and Pella both move non-owner-occupied properties to 10-year terms. Landlords and property managers should read this clause first.

2. Transferability

What happens when you sell? Three patterns appear:

• Fixed terms that transfer in full. Andersen's Owner-to-Owner warranties pass to later owners for the remainder of the term.
• Lifetime for the first owner, a shorter term for the next. Milgard's standard warranty is transferable, but coverage for later owners is capped at 10 years from manufacture. Pella's vinyl lifetime coverage converts to a transferable 10-year term if the home is sold within 10 years.
• Transfer once, on conditions. Anlin's Double Lifetime coverage passes to one subsequent owner-occupant only if Anlin is notified within 90 days of the transfer.

Some coverage does not transfer at all. Milgard's optional Full Lifetime Warranty Upgrade cannot be assigned; on a sale it lapses to the standard terms for other owners.

3. Which parts, for how long

A lifetime headline often applies to the frame only. Look for separate terms on:

• The insulated glass unit seal (fogging between the panes): 20 years in Milgard's standard warranty, Pella's vinyl warranty and Andersen's; lifetime as defined in Anlin's Double Lifetime; 10 years in Anlin's newer 100-line warranty.
• Hardware: 10 years in Milgard's standard document; inside Andersen's 10-year non-glass term.
• Weatherstripping and screens: one year each in Milgard's standard document.
• Blinds between the glass, laminated glass, pet doors: typically shorter terms of their own.

4. Prorating and remedies

Some warranties in the wider market are prorated, meaning the manufacturer pays a shrinking share as the product ages. The four documents reviewed here are not written that way; they provide repair or replacement parts within the stated period. But read the remedy clause. It typically gives the manufacturer the choice of repair, replacement part or refund of the product's purchase price, says replacement parts may not match the original in appearance, and says a repair does not restart the warranty clock.

5. Labor

This is the clause most often overlooked, and the differences are large.

• Andersen (400, 200, 100 Series): replacement parts are provided to the dealer and labor is not included, unless Andersen elects a factory-authorized repair.
• Pella vinyl and wood: the cost of labor is included only within two years of the date of sale.
• Milgard standard: skilled labor is provided for claims within 10 years of the manufacture date if the home is in Milgard's service territory. After that, or outside the territory, the owner pays for labor. The owner must also provide access, including lift equipment for windows that cannot be reached with a 15-foot extension ladder.
• Anlin Double Lifetime: parts, freight and labor are included.

A glass unit that is free while the labor to install it is not can still be a real bill, especially on upper floors.

6. Glass breakage

Accidental breakage (a baseball, a ladder, a bird) is not a defect, and most warranties exclude it. Milgard's standard warranty excludes breakage other than stress cracks in the first year, Andersen excludes broken glass, and Pella excludes accidental glass breakage. Where breakage is covered, it is a named feature: Anlin's Double Lifetime includes complimentary accidental glass breakage replacement for the covered owner-occupant, excluding laminated glass, and Milgard's optional Full Lifetime upgrade includes non-specialty glass breakage. Breakage from earthquakes, fire, building settlement or vandalism is excluded even there.

7. Seal failure and gas fill

Seal failure is covered for the stated glass term. What is often not warranted is the insulating gas itself. Milgard's document says it does not warrant specific gas retention or fill levels. A unit can lose some argon over time without fogging, and that is not a claim. See why windows fog between the panes for how to tell a failed seal from ordinary condensation.

8. Finish and dark colors

Color finishes carry shorter terms than frames. Milgard warrants painted, powder-coat and capstock finishes for 10 years. Anlin's booklet lists capstock frames at 15 years and its exterior color coating at 12. Andersen's 100 Series warrants its exterior color for 10 years, including against fade beyond a measured threshold. Gradual fading and chalking are generally treated as normal weathering and excluded. If you are choosing a dark frame for a hot, sunny elevation, this is the clause to read; our sibling guide on dark window frames and heat explains why.

9. Coastal and environmental exclusions

California has a great deal of coast, and warranties treat it specially.

• Anlin excludes corrosion from a salt-air environment and loss of hardware function in buildings within two miles of the ocean or a body of salt water.
• Pella's wood warranty defines seacoast as within two miles of a coastal seashore and limits exterior paint coverage there to its separate seacoast terms.
• Milgard excludes corrosion and "otherwise abnormal environments," apart from one year on stainless steel hardware.
• Andersen excludes damage from chemicals or airborne pollutants "such as salt."

Our sibling guide on coastal windows covers what to choose and how to maintain it.

10. Maintenance and modification

Warranties assume reasonable care and exclude what you add afterward. Common items across the four documents: after-market films and tints, field-applied paint or stain, alarm sensors and other attachments, harsh cleaners, pressure washing and razor blades. Milgard's document says operable panels should be opened and closed monthly, and that the caulking between the window and the wall is a maintenance item belonging to the owner. Andersen and Pella condition coverage of wood on keeping exposed wood sealed. Before adding film, read window film versus window replacement; for the routine, see our sibling window maintenance guide.

11. Condensation

Moisture on the room side of the glass is excluded by Milgard, Andersen and Pella alike. It is a humidity issue in the house, not a product defect. See how to fight condensation on the inside of windows.

12. Registration, start dates and deadlines

• Registration. Not required by Milgard for coverage; Andersen says it expedites service. Do it anyway.
• When the clock starts. Milgard's terms run from the date of manufacture, Andersen's from the date of purchase from the dealer, Pella's from the date of sale, Anlin's from delivery to the original purchaser. Windows that sat in a warehouse have already used some of a manufacture-date warranty.
• Claim deadlines. Milgard and Anlin's newer document ask for a claim within 30 days of discovering the condition.
• Dispute terms. Andersen's and Pella's documents include arbitration or class-action waivers with opt-out windows: one year from purchase for Andersen, 90 days for Pella. Milgard's limits claims to individual actions.

13. Upgrades chosen at the time of order

Some coverage exists only if it was ordered. Milgard's Full Lifetime Warranty Upgrade, listed for its V400 Tuscany, V300 Trinsic and C700 series, must be purchased at the time of the original sale and appear on Milgard's order documents. If you are being told a product "comes with" a particular warranty, ask to see it named on the quote.

Four real documents at a glance

These are summaries of documents that run to several pages each and are revised from time to time. The version that applies to you is the one in effect for your product and purchase date. Brand-by-brand comparisons are in our sibling guides: Milgard versus Andersen, Milgard versus Pella and Anlin versus Milgard.

The installer's workmanship warranty

This one is written by the contractor, so it varies more than any manufacturer's. Ask for it in writing before you sign and look for:

• Length, and what starts the clock.
• What it covers: water intrusion at the opening, air leakage, operation, sealant, interior and exterior finish work.
• Who does the labor on a manufacturer claim, and whether the contractor charges for it once the manufacturer's labor coverage has ended.
• Whether it transfers to a buyer.
• What voids it.

Independently of any written warranty, California regulates the contractor. Complaints to the Contractors State License Board about a licensee's work must generally be filed within four years of the act or omission, or within 10 years for latent structural defects. Where a contractor has issued an express written warranty, the statute lets the board bring a disciplinary action for breach of it up to 18 months after the warranty expires. The board's process disciplines licenses; it is not a route to compensation, which is a matter for negotiation or the courts.

A warranty is only as good as the company behind it. Check the license history when you check the license; licensing and insurance requirements for exterior contractors explains what the record shows. And compare warranties as part of the quote, as described in how to compare window replacement quotes.

Questions to ask before you buy

1. May I have the full warranty document for this exact product line?
2. Whose lifetime, and which parts does that word apply to?
3. How long is the insulated glass seal covered?
4. Is labor included for product claims, for how long, and who performs it?
5. Is accidental glass breakage covered, and is that standard or an upgrade?
6. What transfers to a buyer, and what do I have to do to transfer it?
7. Are there coastal, rental or finish limitations that apply to my house?
8. What is your workmanship warranty, in writing?

When something does go wrong, our sibling guide on how to make a window warranty claim covers the steps.

Sources

• Federal Trade Commission: Businessperson's Guide to Federal Warranty Law
• Milgard: warranties effective 1 January 2026
• Milgard replacement product lifetime limited warranty
• Milgard full lifetime warranty upgrade
• Milgard: frequently asked questions (registration)
• Anlin: warranty information
• Anlin limited double lifetime warranty booklet (products sold after 1 July 2024)
• Anlin 100 line lifetime limited warranty (effective 1 September 2026)
• Andersen Windows: warranty and registration
• Andersen 400 Series / 200 Series limited warranty (rev. September 2023)
• Andersen 100 Series limited warranty (rev. May 2019)
• Pella vinyl window and patio door limited warranty (2023 to current)
• Pella wood window and door limited warranty (2020 to current)
• California Business and Professions Code section 7091 (time limits for complaints against contractors)
• Contractors State License Board: filing a complaint

Working with Heritage Exteriors

We give you the manufacturer's warranty document for the exact line we are quoting, and our own workmanship warranty in writing, before you sign, and we will go through either one with you clause by clause. If an upgrade such as glass breakage coverage is available on a product, we show it as a separate line so you can decide. Licensed in California, CSLB #1055919. Call (916) 546-2991.