What SB 868 does
SB 868, the Plug-In Solar Act, creates a category California law does not currently have: a portable solar generation device. Up to 1,200 watts of aggregate AC output per home, plugged into an ordinary 120-volt outlet, with no interconnection application and no utility approval to wait for. The hardware has to be certified by UL or an equivalent lab, including its anti-backfeeding protection.
Devices like this are ordinary elsewhere. Germany has more than a million of them. In California today they are against the rules, which is what the bill would change. The plug-in solar page covers what the hardware is and what 1,200 watts realistically does, and the full write-up of the bill goes through the text.
How it got here
- May 19, 2026Passed the full Senate, 35 to 1.
- Aug 25, 2026Passed both houses and went to the Governor. Nearly every vote along the way was unanimous.
- Sept 30, 2026Signed by the Governor and chaptered as Chapter 985, Statutes of 2026.
- NowLaw, but not yet in effect. The old interconnection rules still apply.
- Jan 1, 2027Takes effect. Plug-in solar becomes legal from this date.
Why September 30, and not 30 days from the vote
The date comes from the state constitution rather than a rolling clock. Article IV, Section 10 says a bill passed before September 1 and in the Governor's possession on or after September 1 becomes a statute if it is not returned on or before September 30. SB 868 passed on August 25, so September 30 is the outside date regardless of when it was formally presented.
Signed is not the same as in effect
What happened on September 30
The Governor approved the bill and the Secretary of State chaptered it as Chapter 985 of the 2026 statutes. That is the end of the legislative process. Nothing further has to happen for it to become law.
Why you still cannot plug one in
SB 868 carries no urgency clause, so it follows the default rule: bills passed in the regular session take effect on January 1 of the following year. Until January 1, 2027 the existing utility interconnection requirements still apply to any device that feeds a household circuit.
What changes on January 1
Up to 1,200 watts AC per dwelling, the interconnection application stops applying, and the exemption runs through January 1, 2030. A utility may ask you to register the unit. Registration is not an approval, carries no fee, and cannot be used to stop an install.
What this means if you are waiting on one
Nothing is legally usable yet, and be skeptical of any retailer advertising a California plug-in system as available right now. Signed is not the same as in effect, and January 1 is not the same as tomorrow. A waitlist is reasonable. Money changing hands for something that cannot legally be used for another three months is a different thing.
If you rent, one caveat that most coverage skips: the bill takes your utility out of the decision, but it does not touch your lease or an HOA's rules on exterior modifications. The plain reading is that it gives no right to install over a landlord's objection.
We will send one email when there is something you can actually buy. The law is settled; the date is January 1, 2027. No payment, and nothing to buy before then.
Get told when it's legalGeneral information about pending legislation, not legal advice. Status is taken from the Legislature's own record of the bill. If you are reading this after September 30, 2026 and the page still says the bill is pending, treat the date above as the authoritative thing and check the official record.