SB 969: Required Battery Backup in California

On September 21, 2018, California Governor Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 969 into law. This legislation requires newly sold or installed garage door openers in residential applications to have battery backup.

• This law goes into effect on July 1, 2019. This law applies to new garage door and garage door opener installations. Homeowners will need to install a battery backup opener when a new door is installed or when they replace their existing opener.
• Existing openers currently in use will not need to be replaced with battery backup openers unless it or the door is being replaced.
• On or after July 1, 2019, no person, corporation, or entity shall manufacture for sale in the state, sell, offer for sale at retail or wholesale, or install in this state a residential automatic garage door opener that does not have a battery backup function that is designed to operate when activated because of an electrical outage. Failure to follow this will result in a civil penalty of $1,000 per opener installed and operational.

Note: As of July 1, 2019, only DC openers will be sold in the state of California.

See also:

• California SB 969 FAQs
• List of Battery Backup Garage Door Openers, please see the model chart Battery Backup Garage Door Opener Model Chart
• For more information, see the product bulletin LiftMaster California SB-969 Product Bulletin