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AB-434 • 2026

Battery energy storage facilities.

Battery energy storage facilities.

Energy
Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
DeMaio
Last action
Official status
Assembly - Died - Utilities and Energy
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official text states 'no reimbursement is required... for a specified reason' but does not list what that specific reason is.

Battery Energy Storage Facility Safety Rules

This law stops public agencies from approving new battery energy storage facilities until January 1, 2028, and requires the State Fire Marshal to create fire safety rules before construction can resume.

What This Bill Does

  • Excludes battery energy storage facilities from a state certification process that usually replaces local permits for large energy systems.
  • Prohibits public agencies from authorizing the construction of new battery energy storage facilities until January 1, 2028.
  • Requires the State Fire Marshal to adopt fire safety guidelines and minimum standards by January 1, 2028.
  • Mandates that any facility approved on or after January 1, 2028 must meet these new state rules or stricter local ones.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Public agencies responsible for authorizing construction projects
  • The State Fire Marshal
  • Companies proposing to build battery energy storage facilities

Terms To Know

Battery energy storage facility
A site that uses batteries as a medium to store electricity.
State-mandated local program
New duties required by state law for local agencies, which usually triggers a requirement for state funding reimbursement unless the bill says otherwise.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The exact details of the fire safety guidelines are unknown until the State Fire Marshal creates them.
  • The specific reason why no financial reimbursement is provided to local agencies is not detailed in this summary, only that it is specified by the act.

Bill History

  1. California Legislative Information

    Assembly - Died - Utilities and Energy

Official Summary Text

Battery energy storage facilities.