What does your state ask before you plug in?
Ten states have signed a plug-in solar law, and each asks for different things: a certified kit, a size cap, sometimes a note to the utility or the landlord first. Pick your state, your kit and your home, and get the steps in order, each with the law's own words.
- Your state
- Your kit
- Your home
Your plug-in solar checklist for California
State law: signed, and takes effect on Jan 1, 2027. Until then, your utility's normal rules apply. Checked Nov 12, 2026.
- Check first
Wait for Jan 1, 2027
California's law is signed but takes effect on Jan 1, 2027. Until then, your utility's normal rules apply. The steps below are what the law asks from that date.
- What the law says
800 W is within the 1,200 W cap
Compare the output on the kit's label with how the law measures it, below. If the law counts every kit on an address or meter, add them up.
Size cap in the law1,200 W: maximum aggregated AC output per dwelling
- State law asks
Check the label for the certification the law names
The law names outage protection. Look for the testing lab's listing mark on the kit, not just the seller's word.
Certification in the lawCertified as a plug-in photovoltaic system by UL or an equivalent NRTL, plus an NRTL-certified feature that isolates the device to prevent backfeeding during an outage; must meet the current NEC and California Electrical Code
How to check a certification → - What the law says
Your utility may ask you to report it
The law lets the utility ask for a notice or registration, but not for approval. Check your utility's website for a plug-in solar form.
Utility rules in the lawNo utility approval, fee, charge or extra equipment. The utility may require a simple online registration form (address, make, model, size). Registration can't require approval. These rules (§ 8531) are repealed on Jan 1, 2030.
- What the law says
Know what happens to power you don't use
Power only saves you money when your home uses it. Size the kit for what runs while the sun is up.
Export credit in the lawStatute is silent on export credit. Utilities can't charge a fee for electricity the device feeds into the building's wiring.
What your meter does with a kit → - What the law says
These rules end on Jan 1, 2030
The section that exempts plug-in devices from interconnection rules and bars utility approval, fees and extra equipment (§ 8531) is repealed on Jan 1, 2030 (§ 8531(e)). From that date, plug-in devices that don't meet § 8530(c)(4)–(6) can't be sold in California (§ 8532).
- Good practice
Check the circuit before you plug in
The breaker can't see the power a kit adds at the outlet. Keep heavy appliances off that circuit, or use one with nothing else on it.
Check your outlet →
Read the law itself: SB 868 (Chapter 985, Statutes of 2026), Electricity: portable solar generation devices (Public Utilities Code §§ 8530–8532). California law page. General information, not legal advice.
What each state's law asks, side by side
| State | In force | Size cap | Tell the utility | Renters | HOA | Meter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado | In force since Aug 12, 2026 | 1,920 W | Utility may ask | No unreasonable bans (from Jan 1, 2027) | Bans limited | · |
| Connecticut | In force since Oct 1, 2026 | 1,200 W | No notice in the law | Lease decides | Silent | Export may be billed as usage |
| Maine | In force since Jul 29, 2026 | 1,200 W | Within 30 days, above 420 W | Lease decides | Silent | · |
| Maryland | In force since Jul 1, 2026 | 1,200 W | Before installing | Lease decides | Silent | · |
| Utah | In force since May 7, 2025 | 1,200 W | No notice in the law | Lease decides | Silent | · |
| Vermont | In force since Jul 1, 2026 | 1,200 W | No notice in the law | 10 days' notice | Bans limited | Smart meter required |
| California | From Jan 1, 2027 | 1,200 W | Utility may ask | Lease decides | Silent | · |
| New Hampshire | From Jan 1, 2027 | 1,200 W | Utility may ask | Lease decides | Silent | · |
| New Jersey | From Mar 1, 2027 | 1,200 W | No notice in the law | 14 days' written notice (from Mar 1, 2027) | Bans limited | · |
| Virginia | From Jan 1, 2027 | 1,200 W | Before installing, on a state form | 7 days' notice (from Jan 1, 2027) | HOA rules still apply | · |
Short forms of each law's wording in our state table, read in the statutes (state table last checked ). The checklist quotes the full wording. "Utility may ask" means the law lets the utility ask for a notice or registration. "Lease decides" means the law sets no landlord rule. Other states: no plug-in solar law yet, or a bill that hasn't passed; pick one above for what that means.
Plug-in solar steps by state
Do I have to tell my utility about a plug-in solar kit?
In Maryland and Virginia (from Jan 1, 2027), state law asks for notice before installing. In Maine, above 420 W, within 30 days. In California (from Jan 1, 2027), Colorado and New Hampshire (from Jan 1, 2027), the utility may ask you to report or register it. Connecticut, New Jersey (from Mar 1, 2027), Utah and Vermont: no notice in the law.
Do I need my landlord's permission?
In New Jersey (14 days, from Mar 1, 2027), Vermont (10 days) and Virginia (7 days, from Jan 1, 2027), the law sets a notice process for tenants instead. Where the law says nothing about landlords, your lease decides. The checklist links to a letter matched to your state.
Can an HOA or condo association ban a balcony solar kit?
In Colorado, New Jersey (from Mar 1, 2027) and Vermont, the law limits bans, though associations can still set reasonable rules. In Virginia (from Jan 1, 2027), the law says it doesn't override HOA covenants or condo documents. Elsewhere the law is silent, so the association's rules decide.
What if my state has no plug-in solar law?
Then your utility's normal interconnection rules apply. Ask your utility what it requires before you connect anything, and if you rent, ask your landlord. Your state's page shows any bill that's moving.
Is anything I enter saved?
No. The checklist is built in your browser from our state table, and nothing you pick is stored. Our analytics counts only which state was chosen, never your kit, home or address.
How the checklist works
Each law step comes from our state table, which is filled only from statutes and official state pages and shows "Not verified yet" for anything we haven't read in the law. The checklist sorts that wording into steps: when to tell the utility, whether your kit is inside the size cap and any wattage clauses, what the certification wording names, what happens to power you send out, and, if you rent or have an HOA, what the law says about them. Every law step shows the law's own wording, so you can check our reading.
Steps marked "Good practice" aren't law: they come from our outlet check and certification guide. Laws change; a law that is signed but not in force yet shows its start date first. Nothing you pick is stored; our analytics counts only which state was chosen. General information, not legal advice.