Energy storage systems.

All mandatory NFPA 855 compliance requirements were removed. The bill no longer requires energy storage systems to be designed, constructed, installed, commissioned, operated, maintained, or decommissioned in accordance with NFPA 855, for either Energy Commission certifications or local jurisdiction approvals.

The immediate location restriction requiring that a state or local entity may only approve an energy storage system if it is in a dedicated-use noncombustible building or is an outdoor installation was removed. It is replaced with a provision requiring the State Fire Marshal to review and consider proposing such restrictions in a future building code update after July 1, 2026.

Section 18944.22 of the Health and Safety Code was removed entirely. This section had required the building commission and Office of the State Fire Marshal to adopt provisions at least as protective as NFPA 855 in the next California Building Standards Code update after July 1, 2026.

The inspection requirement was narrowed. The prior version allowed inspection by the local fire department or by a representative or designee of the State Fire Marshal. The enrolled version only requires inspection by the authority that has jurisdiction over fire suppression where the system is located.

The definition of NFPA 855 (including which edition applies and conflict resolution rules) was removed from both the Public Resources Code and the Public Utilities Code. The specific cross-references in location-related definitions were also simplified to reference the Building Standards Code generally rather than specific chapters and sections.

Throughout the bill, the phrase 'local fire department responsible for authority that has jurisdiction over fire suppression' was simplified to just 'authority that has jurisdiction over fire suppression,' removing the redundant 'local fire department responsible for' language.

The bill was reformatted from an official chaptered document (with state headers, page numbers, and print layout) into a web page presentation with navigation menus, search tools, version history dropdown, and share/track links.

A 'Digest Key' section was added to the web display explicitly listing Vote: MAJORITY, Appropriation: NO, Fiscal Committee: YES, and Local Program: YES, though this information was already contained in the digest text present in both versions.

Header changed from Senate Bill passage information to 'STATE OF CALIFORNIA AUTHENTICATED ELECTRONIC LEGAL MATERIAL' with Chapter 407 designation and Governor's approval date of October 6, 2025.

Page headers and footers changed from 'SB 283' format to 'Ch. 407' format throughout the document.

Line wrapping and paragraph formatting was adjusted throughout the legislative counsel's digest and bill body, but no words were added, removed, or altered in the substantive text of Sections 1 through 6.

The 600 kilowatthour storage capacity threshold was removed from Section 8503(b). Previously, only energy storage systems over 600 kilowatthours had to be located in a dedicated-use noncombustible building or remote outdoor installation. Now all energy storage systems must meet this location requirement regardless of size.

The term 'energy storage management system' was replaced with 'energy storage system' throughout the bill, including the Chapter 10 title in the Public Utilities Code. This broadens the terminology to align with standard industry usage and the definitions already in the Public Utilities Code.

Section 25545.15 of the Public Resources Code was removed entirely. Its content (requiring applicants to certify NFPA 855 design compliance and fire department consultation) is now covered by Section 25545.19, which applies to applications submitted in accordance with the chapter.

The exception allowing compliance with the California Building Standards Code instead of NFPA 855 when the most recently published edition was published less than one year before the application date has been removed from all sections. Applicants must now comply with NFPA 855 without this fallback option.

The location requirement changed from 'noncombustible, dedicated-use building or is a remote outdoor installation' to 'dedicated-use noncombustible building or is an outdoor installation.' The word 'remote' was removed from the outdoor installation option, meaning non-remote outdoor installations are now also permissible.

Section 18944.22 was clarified to state that the building commission and Office of the State Fire Marshal 'shall adopt' NFPA 855-equivalent provisions, removing the ambiguous 'review and consider' language that appeared in the prior version.

A new definition of 'local jurisdiction' (meaning a city, county, or city and county) was added to Section 8500 of the Public Utilities Code, and Section 8504 was updated to use this defined term instead of 'city or county.'

The conditional language 'if that act is approved by the voters at the November 5, 2024, statewide general election' was removed from the hydrogen facility funding source reference to Section 91530, reflecting that the election has already taken place.

Section 18944.22 changed from requiring the building commission to 'review and consider' NFPA 855 to requiring it to 'adopt provisions that are at least as protective as' NFPA 855, making compliance with the standard effectively mandatory rather than discretionary.

The inspection requirement in Sections 25545.16 and 8502 now requires that the inspector be provided a copy of the documentation of the initial fire official consultation submitted with the application, creating an audit trail linking pre-application consultation to post-installation inspection.

A new Section 25545.19 was added requiring applicants to document their fire department consultation with specific details: date, names and titles of participants, summary of matters discussed, and a description of how the application addresses those matters.

Section 25545 of the Public Resources Code is now amended (previously only new sections were added), incorporating definitions for 'facility' that include energy storage systems of 200 MWh or more, hydrogen production facilities receiving specific state or federal funding, and other renewable energy projects.

Assembly Members Davies and Petrie-Norris were added as coauthors, indicating broader legislative support for the bill in the Assembly.

The definition of 'energy storage management system' in Public Utilities Code Section 8500 was changed from referencing Section 2838.2 to a new standalone definition: a stationary electrical energy storage system capable of storing 10 megawatthours or more, significantly broadening which systems are covered.

The NFPA 855 definition in Section 25545 now includes 'any subsequent update to the 2023 edition, even if that subsequent update has not yet been incorporated into the California Building Standards Code,' meaning the bill automatically tracks future NFPA 855 revisions without waiting for formal adoption.

The location requirement for systems over 600 kilowatthours was broadened from 'remote outdoor installation' to 'outdoor installation,' with a new definition tying it to Section 1207.8 of the building code, potentially covering more installation types.

Multiple provisions (Sections 25545.16 and 8502) now apply only to applications submitted after January 1, 2026, creating a clear effective date for the new certification and approval requirements.

A new Section 8504 was added stating that the chapter does not prevent a city or county from adopting and enforcing laws consistent with or more protective than the chapter, preserving local authority to impose stricter standards.

Added a new legislative finding in Section 6 stating that 'ensuring the safety of battery energy storage systems is a matter of statewide concern,' which provides an additional constitutional justification for applying the bill to all cities including charter cities.

Changed the section references in the statewide concern preemption clause from 'Sections 1 to 4, 5, inclusive' to 'Sections 2 to 5, inclusive,' correctly excluding Section 1 (the short title) from the provisions that apply to charter cities.

Added the phrase 'except as specified' after the NFPA 855 design compliance requirement in the bill summary, acknowledging the built-in exceptions such as the one-year publication rule and voluntary adoption of newer editions.

Throughout the operative text, the term 'facility energy storage system' was changed to 'energy storage system,' simplifying the language without changing the substantive meaning.

Restructured Section 25545.15(a) by adding sub-paragraph numbering (a)(1) to align its structure with the parallel provisions in Sections 25545.16(a) and 8501(a).

New Section 18944.22 (Health and Safety Code) requires the California Building Standards Commission and Office of the State Fire Marshal to review and consider the most recently published edition of NFPA 855 for incorporation into the next update of the California Building Standards Code adopted after July 1, 2026.

Section 5 declares the bill addresses a matter of statewide concern rather than a municipal affair, making it applicable to all cities including charter cities.

New Section 25545.15 (Public Resources Code) requires applicants for state-certified energy storage systems (200 MWh or more) to certify that the facility was designed in accordance with NFPA 855 (2023 edition) and that at least 30 days before filing, the applicant met and conferred with the local fire department about design, fire safety concerns, and emergency response plans.

New Chapter 10 (Sections 8500-8502) of Division 4.1 of the Public Utilities Code imposes parallel NFPA 855 design certification and 30-day pre-application fire department consultation requirements on applications submitted to local jurisdictions for energy storage management systems.

New Section 25545.16 (Public Resources Code) prohibits the Energy Commission from certifying an energy storage system unless it will be constructed, operated, maintained, and decommissioned in accordance with NFPA 855, and unless a post-installation inspection by the local fire department or State Fire Marshal is completed before operations begin, at the applicant's expense.

New Section 8502 requires local jurisdictions to make NFPA 855 compliance and a post-installation fire inspection (at applicant's cost) conditions of approval for any energy storage management system.

State-mandated local program changed from 'no' to 'yes.' Fiscal committee changed from 'no' to 'yes.' Section 6 provides that no reimbursement is required because local agencies can levy service charges, fees, or assessments, but if the Commission on State Mandates identifies other mandated costs, reimbursement shall be made under Government Code Part 7.

The original nonsubstantive amendment to Section 761.3 (removing a stray 'a' in 'each a battery energy storage facility') is retained but renumbered as the final section of the expanded bill.

The entire amendment to Public Utilities Code Section 761.3, which required battery energy storage facilities to have emergency response plans and emergency action plans covering equipment malfunctions, safety procedures for surrounding residents, notification procedures with local emergency management agencies, and coordination requirements, has been removed from the bill.

New Section 8503 prohibits state or local entities from approving construction of an energy storage management system with over 600 kilowatthours of storage capacity unless it is located in a noncombustible (Type I) dedicated-use building or is a remote outdoor installation, as defined in the California Building Standards Code.

Multiple provisions now include a fallback: if the most recently published edition of NFPA 855 was published less than one year before the application date, the system must instead be designed in accordance with the California Building Standards Code (Title 24). This applies to both Energy Commission applications and local jurisdiction applications.

New voluntary early adoption provision allows a manufacturer or system owner to voluntarily design in accordance with a more recent edition of NFPA 855 before its operative date, provided compliance with all applicable listing and testing requirements is demonstrated.

New definitions added for 'dedicated-use building' (per Chapter 12 of Part 9 of Title 24), 'noncombustible building' (Type I building per Part 11 of Title 24), and 'remote outdoor installation' (per Chapter 12 of Part 9 of Title 24).

A short title section was added naming the act the 'Clean Energy Safety Act of 2025.'

The fiscal committee vote changed from 'no' to 'yes,' indicating the Senate Fiscal Committee now supports the bill. The state-mandated local program designation also changed from 'no' to 'yes.'