California has officially adopted a major right-to-repair bill into law. SB 244, the Right to Repair Act, will require most electronics and appliance manufacturers to enable self-repair through extensive documentation and parts offerings. Senators Susan Eggman, Bill Dodd, and Nancy Skinner introduced SB 244 on Jan. 25 following a national movement to promote self-repair. The text went through a few amendments before passing the California Senate 38-0 in May, then the California State Assembly 50-0 in September. After that, the bill floated up to Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk. On Tuesday, Newsom signed SB 244 into law.
SB 244 was co-sponsored by iFixit, Californians Against Waste, and the California Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG). According to Sander Kushen, a CALPIRG spokesperson, California residents throw away up to 46,000 cell phones every day and 1.5 tons of e-waste every minute.
The hope is that SB 244 will prevent e-waste and protect California residents’ wallets by making self-repair and authorized third-party repair more accessible. Under the new law, most electronics and appliance manufacturers must make repair-related tools, parts, software, and documentation available to consumers for up to seven years, depending on the product’s sticker price. If a product costs between $50 and $100, the manufacturer has to make those resources publicly available for three years post-production; if the product costs more than $100, that timeline is bumped up to seven years. Manufacturers have roughly eight months to meet these mandates, with the law taking effect on July 1 of next year.
Not every type of electronic device is covered by SB 244. The law excludes video game consoles, alarm systems (including fire alarms), and equipment covered by Division 8, Chapter 28 of California’s Business and Professions Code. This last category includes “agricultural, construction, utility, industrial, mining, outdoor power, forestry, and lawn and garden equipment.” California legislators decided in 2005 that these implements would be regulated separately from other appliances due to their “vital” effect on the state’s economy.
The passage of SB 244 is seen as a massive win for right-to-repair activists, who have been fighting to make self-repair and third-party fixes easier for several years. Because of the volume of California’s population—and the fact that many major electronics companies are based there—it’s very likely that the law could have downstream effects for other states, even if they don’t see their own versions of the bill anytime soon.
