State Fire Marshal: lithium battery working group: membership: funding.

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not specify which building safety agencies would be impacted, only that other impacted agencies may consider the recommendations.

Lithium Battery Safety Group

This law creates a group to study safety issues with lithium batteries and their chargers in homes and businesses, and suggests ways to make buildings safer.

What This Bill Does

• Creates a working group led by the State Fire Marshal to look at safety problems related to lithium batteries and their chargers near or inside houses and businesses.
• The group will find issues not covered in the current building rules and suggest solutions for better safety.
• Requires the group to finish its work and give results by January 1, 2028.
• Uses money from a special fund to pay for the working group's activities.

Who It Names or Affects

• The State Fire Marshal
• People who use lithium batteries in homes or businesses

Terms To Know

Lithium Battery Working Group

A team of experts chosen by the State Fire Marshal to study and solve safety issues with lithium batteries.

Building Standards Administration Special Revolving Fund

Money collected from fees that helps pay for building safety projects in California.

Limits and Unknowns

• The exact amount of money to be used from the fund is not specified.
• It does not say how many members will be on the working group or what their roles are.
• Does not provide details about who selects the members of the working group.

Official Summary Text

AB 1995, as introduced, Patel.
State Fire Marshal: lithium battery working group: membership: funding.
Existing law requires the State Fire Marshal, commencing January 1, 2026, to adopt regulations that promote the fire and electrical safety of electric bicycles, powered mobility devices, and storage batteries, as specified. Existing law defines storage batteries for these purposes to include lithium batteries, as provided.
This bill would require the Office of the State Fire Marshal to convene a lithium battery working group, composed of specified members selected by the State Fire Marshal, to identify those safety issues associated with lithium batteries and associated charging infrastructure installed or used near or within residential or commercial occupancies that have not already been addressed in the 2025 Edition of the California Building Standards Code, and to recommend potential solutions that will enhance building safety for the State
Fire Marshal and other impacted agencies to consider, as provided. The bill would require the working group to deliver the initial research, findings, and recommendations on or before January 1, 2028.
Existing law establishes the Building Standards Administration Special Revolving Fund in the State Treasury. Existing law provides that moneys in the fund, which include building permit applicant fees, shall be available, upon appropriation, to the Office of the State Fire Marshal, among other state entities, for expenditure in carrying out various provisions relating to building and housing standards, as provided.
This bill would make moneys in the Building Standards Administration Special Revolving Fund available, upon appropriation, to support the working group. The bill would also appropriate an unspecified amount from the fund for specified purposes related to addressing building safety concerns associated with lithium
batteries and associated charging infrastructure being installed or used near or within residential or commercial occupancies.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF