How To Restrict Woocommerce To Certain States

How to Restrict WooCommerce to Certain States: A Beginner’s Guide

Want to sell your amazing products only to customers in specific states? Maybe you have logistical limitations, legal restrictions, or simply want to focus your marketing efforts. WooCommerce makes it relatively easy to restrict your store’s availability to certain states. This guide breaks down the how-to for even the most WooCommerce-newbie.

Imagine this: you sell delicious, handcrafted artisanal cheeses. However, due to strict regulations and the perishable nature of your product, you can only ship within California, Oregon, and Washington. Without restricting your WooCommerce store, you risk orders from across the country that you can’t fulfill, leading to unhappy customers and potential headaches. That’s where state restrictions come in handy!

Let’s dive into the process.

Why Restrict WooCommerce by State?

Before we get technical, let’s solidify why you might want to restrict WooCommerce by state. Several reasons exist:

• Legal Compliance: Certain products might be illegal or require specific permits in certain states. CBD products, alcohol, or firearms are good examples. Ensuring compliance is paramount to avoid legal issues.
• Shipping Limitations: Perishable goods, oversized items, or products requiring special handling might limit your shipping capabilities to specific regions. Think of a local florist only delivering within a 50-mile radius.
• Targeted Marketing: Focusing your marketing efforts on a smaller, more receptive audience can be more efficient and cost-effective. Targeting “ski gear” ads to states with snowy mountains just makes sense.
• Inventory Management: If your inventory is limited or geographically tied, restricting sales can prevent overselling and backorders from distant locations. A small-batch brewery, for example, might only be able to serve their local market initially.
• Licensing and Permits: Certain products, like insurance policies, can only be sold in states where you hold a specific license.

Restricting States Using WooCommerce Settings (Simplest Method)

The most straightforward method involves using WooCommerce’s built-in settings. This is suitable for simple scenarios.

1. Log in to your WordPress Admin Dashboard.

2. Navigate to WooCommerce > Settings.

3. Click on the General tab.

4. Look for the “Selling location(s)” setting.

5. From the dropdown, select “Sell to specific countries / regions”.

6. A new field will appear below titled “Specific countries”.

7. Type the name of the United States (or the appropriate country) in the box and select it. The country name should then appear listed below the box.

8. Right below that is a new field with text: “Specific states“.

9. Enter your allowed states. Separate each state by a comma.

Example: `California, Oregon, Washington`

10. Scroll down and click the “Save changes” button.

This will restrict orders to only be accepted from the states you specified in your WooCommerce settings. WooCommerce will display an error message if a customer selects a shipping or billing address outside these states.

Restricting States Using Code (More Control & Customization)

For more complex scenarios or if you want to customize the error messages and user experience, you can use code snippets. This method requires adding code to your theme’s `functions.php` file (or ideally, a custom plugin) – always back up your website before modifying code!

Here’s how to restrict shipping and billing states using code:

 <?php /** 
Restrict shipping states in WooCommerce.
 
* @param array $states Array of available states.
 
@return array Modified array of states.
 Explore this article on How To Print Shipping Labels From Woocommerce */ function restrict_shipping_states( $states ) { $allowed_states = array( 'CA', 'OR', 'WA' ); // Array of allowed state codes 

if ( isset( $states[‘US’] ) ) { // Check if the US is the country

foreach ( $states[‘US’] as $state_code => $state_name ) {

if ( ! in_array( $state_code, $allowed_states ) ) {

unset( $states[‘US’][ $state_code ] );

}

}

}

return $states;

}

add_filter( ‘woocommerce_states’, ‘restrict_shipping_states’ );

/

* Custom error message if shipping to restricted state.

*

* @param array $fields Array of fields to validate.

* @param array $errors Array of errors.

*/

function custom_checkout_field_validation( $fields, $errors ) {

$allowed_states = array( ‘CA’, ‘OR’, ‘WA’ );

$shipping_state = isset($_POST[‘shipping_state’]) ? $_POST[‘shipping_state’] : ”;

$billing_state = isset($_POST[‘billing_state’]) ? $_POST[‘billing_state’] : ”;

if( !in_array($shipping_state, $allowed_states) && isset($_POST[‘ship_to_different_address’]) && $_POST[‘ship_to_different_address’] ) {

$errors->add( ‘shipping’, ‘Sorry, we currently only ship to California, Oregon, and Washington.’ );

}

if( !in_array($billing_state, $allowed_states)) {

$errors->add( ‘billing’, ‘Sorry, we currently only accept orders from California, Oregon, and Washington.’ );

}

}

add_action( ‘woocommerce_checkout_process’, ‘custom_checkout_field_validation’ );

?>

Explanation:

1. `restrict_shipping_states` function: This function filters the `woocommerce_states` hook, which provides a list of available states.

• We define an array `$allowed_states` containing the state codes we want to allow (CA, OR, WA).
• If the country is the United States (‘US’), we loop through the available states.
• If a state code is NOT in the `$allowed_states` array, we remove it from the list.

2. `custom_checkout_field_validation` function: This function adds custom validation rules to the checkout process.

• We define the same `$allowed_states` array.
• We get the shipping and billing states from the submitted `$_POST` data.
• If the shipping state is not allowed, we add a custom error message. This message will be displayed on the checkout page, informing the customer why they can’t proceed. We also check that `ship_to_different_address` checkbox is selected and not empty.
• If the billing state is not Discover insights on Woocommerce How To Change Email Color allowed, we add a custom error message.

Important: Replace `’CA’, ‘OR’, ‘WA’` with the actual state codes you want to allow. State codes are usually two-letter abbreviations (e.g., CA for California, NY for New York).

Using Plugins for State Restrictions (The Easiest Way)

If you’re not comfortable editing code, several plugins are Learn more about How To Add A Link To Every Woocommerce Product Page designed to restrict WooCommerce by state (and much more!). Popular options include:

• Advanced Coupons: While primarily for coupons, some versions offer advanced targeting features that can include location-based restrictions.
• WooCommerce Country Based Restrictions: Allows you to restrict products, categories, or even the entire store based on the customer’s country/state.

These plugins typically offer a user-friendly interface to configure restrictions without touching any code. Install the plugin, activate it, and follow its documentation to set up the state restrictions.

Testing Your Restrictions

After implementing any of these methods, thoroughly test your WooCommerce store. Here’s what to check:

• Checkout Page: Try entering shipping and billing addresses in both allowed and restricted states. Verify that the correct error messages are displayed.
• Shipping Calculations: Ensure that shipping costs are only calculated for allowed states.
• Payment Gateways: Confirm that payment gateways are properly configured for the allowed regions.