Short answer
On Jan 1, 2027, plug-in solar laws take effect in California, New Hampshire and Virginia, and Colorado's landlord and HOA rules start. Next after that: New Jersey, on Mar 1, 2027. Until then, your utility's normal rules for connecting solar apply in California, New Hampshire and Virginia.
State by state
What each law sets, from the statute or enacted bill. "Tell the utility" is whether the law asks you to notify your utility, and when. Each state's page has the rest: certification, landlords and HOAs, export credit and the source.
Plug-in solar laws and rules starting on Jan 1, 2027
| State | What changes | Size cap | Tell the utility | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | Law takes effect on Jan 1, 2027 | 1,200 W | Utility may ask | leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, checked |
| New Hampshire | Law takes effect on Jan 1, 2027 | 1,200 W | Utility may ask | gc.nh.gov, checked |
| Virginia | Law takes effect on Jan 1, 2027 | 1,200 W | Before installing, on a state form | law.lis.virginia.gov, checked |
| Colorado | Landlord and HOA rules (C.R.S. § 40-2-140(7)) start on Jan 1, 2027; the law has been in force since Aug 12, 2026 | 1,920 W | Utility may ask | leg.colorado.gov, checked |
| New Jersey | Next after that: law takes effect on Mar 1, 2027 | 1,200 W | No notice in the law | pub.njleg.gov, checked |
California: registering with your utility
“An electrical corporation or a local publicly owned electric utility may require a customer using a portable solar generation device to notify the electrical corporation or local publicly owned electric utility, using a simple online registration form, of the address, make, model, and size of the portable solar generation device. The notification shall not require approval of the customer’s use of the portable solar generation device by the electrical corporation or local publicly owned electric utility.” (§ 8531(c))
Source: SB 868 (Chapter 985, Statutes of 2026), chaptered text, leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, read . Which utilities this covers, and what each large one had published when we looked: California's plug-in solar law, from Jan 1, 2027.
Renting or in an HOA?
Of these, the laws in Virginia and Colorado set rules for landlords or HOAs; the others are silent on them, so your lease and HOA rules decide. Landlord and HOA rules in every state's law, and a letter to your landlord matched to your state's notice rules.
Sources
Each line is read from that state's statute or enacted bill, with the date we last checked it. The table switches by itself on Jan 1, 2027 and on each later date.
- California: leginfo.legislature.ca.gov · checked
- New Hampshire: gc.nh.gov · checked
- Virginia: law.lis.virginia.gov · checked
- Colorado: leg.colorado.gov · checked
- New Jersey: pub.njleg.gov · checked
General information, not legal advice.