SB 868: what happens between now and January

Stage one: the signature, by 30 September

The bill was enrolled on 28 August and the Governor has until the end of September.

The case for a signature is the vote count. It passed the Assembly 73–0 and the Senate concurred 36–4. There is no organised political constituency against this in the way there was against, say, rooftop solar reform — the opposition was utilities and trade unions, not voters.

The case against is that the Governor has taken utility campaign money, and that his appointees at the CPUC substantially reduced rooftop solar's economics through the net billing decision. A veto wouldn't be out of character with that record.

We don't know, and neither does anyone predicting confidently. What we'd note is that a veto ends it for this session — California hasn't overridden a governor's veto since 1979.

What it means for you: nothing you need to act on. If you're buying anyway, the signature doesn't change the equipment. If you're waiting for certainty, this is the date to watch.

Stage two: the certification scramble, October to December

Here's the practical bottleneck, and it's more interesting than the politics.

UL Solutions launched UL 3700 — the standard written specifically for plug-in photovoltaic equipment — in January 2026. When the Assembly's own committee looked at this in June, it found that no commercially available balcony solar system had achieved that certification, and observed that the requirement would effectively hold back adoption until manufacturers responded.

Since then, movement: Hoymiles announced the HiFlow Pro on 15 July 2026 as a UL 3700 compliant plug-in microinverter, and APsystems' EZ1-LV cleared the standard through CSA. But those are inverters. Complete systems — panel, inverter, mounting, cabling, certified as an assembly — are still catching up.

If the Governor signs, expect manufacturers who've been waiting to see whether California would pass anything to start spending on certification. That takes months.

What it means for you: the catalogue in September 2026 is thin, and the catalogue in September 2027 will not be. If you want choice, waiting is rational. If you want to buy now, buy a kit built on a microinverter that's already certified to UL 3700 rather than an unlisted complete system. Which ones those are.

Stage three: 1 January 2027

The rules take effect. From that date, if the device is compliant:

• No utility may require an interconnection application.
• No utility may charge you a fee for the device or for the electricity it produces.
• No utility may require its approval before you use it.
• A utility may ask you to register the device online — address, make, model, size — and that's the entire obligation.

What doesn't change on that date: your lease, your HOA's governing documents, your city's fire and egress rules, and the fact that exported power is worth nothing.

What it means for you: the utility stops being part of the conversation. Everyone else who could say no still can.

Stage four: the first year, and the 2030 problem

The August amendments added two sunsets. The interconnection exemption and the no-fee rules expire on 1 January 2030. Separately, and permanently, from that same date it becomes illegal to sell a non-compliant receptacle-connected photovoltaic device in California.

So the clean window is three years: January 2027 to January 2030. After that, unless the Legislature extends it, utilities could require interconnection again for new installations.

Whether it gets extended will depend on what those three years look like. A quiet three years with a lot of installations and no incidents makes extension easy. A single well-publicised fire makes it hard, regardless of cause.

What it means for you: nothing immediate. But it's a reason to buy certified equipment and install it sensibly that goes beyond your own safety — the category's future depends on its first three years being boring.

What we'd do right now

If your balcony faces south or west, with open sky: buy a modest kit built on a UL 3700 certified microinverter, and get the permission conversation started with your landlord or board. The equipment isn't going to get much cheaper, and the approvals take longer than the shopping.

If you're not sure your spot is any good: spend $285 on a starter kit and find out empirically. That's a cheaper answer than a year of wondering.

If your balcony faces north: this probably isn't for you, whatever the Governor decides. Here's why.