California Law Ensuring a ‘Right to Repair’ Electronics and Appliances Kicks in July 1

Apple's support for the Right to Repair Act was a turning point for the law's passage. Above, a MacBook Pro laptop at an Apple Store in Corte Madera, Calif., on June 27, 2019. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

A California law taking effect on July 1 will require electronic and appliance manufacturers to supply repair shops and state consumers with the means to diagnose and repair purchased equipment that exceeds a $50 price tag.

The bill, SB 244, was signed into law on Oct. 10, 2023, by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

SB 244 requires manufacturers of electronic or appliance products to provide documentation and “functional parts and tools” for three years following the most recent product model manufacture date in California.

For products with a wholesale price of $100 or more, the requirement must be in place for at least seven years, according to the bill.

The new law further authorizes city, county, and state authorities to impose penalties on anyone convicted of violating the legislation in Superior Court.

The legislation, also called the “Right to Repair Act,” was authored by California state Sen. Susan Talamantes Eggman, a Democrat representing Stockton. She said in a social media statement upon its signing that while the state could not “mandate” the quality of electronic or appliance products, SB 244 would ensure that California consumers could at least “fix your products if something goes wrong.”

SB 244 was co-sponsored by public interest group CALPIRG, environmental research and advocacy group Californians Against Waste, and online tech repair community iFixit.

Started in 2003, iFixit is a San Luis Obispo-based company that has long supported “right to repair” grassroots advocacy, according to Elizabeth Chamberlain, the firm’s director of sustainability.

“For independent repair shops, this law will mean that they can get the materials they need to stay competitive in the repair market,” she told The Epoch Times.

She highlighted one of the selling points of the bill for many small businesses: Consumers will no longer have to go directly to an authorized repair technician to fix their equipment. Instead, they can seek third-party or independent repair options.

CALPIRG State Director Jenn Engstrom said July 1 will represent “Repair Independence Day” for Californians who have been eagerly waiting for the law to kick in.

She said California has paved the way for 30 other states that have introduced similar legislation between 2012 and 2024, a milestone that the organization celebrated this spring in a statement as “good for the planet.”

On June 19, Ms. Engstrom also highlighted her belief that SB 244 will “keep our devices in use longer, saving money and reducing electronic waste” also called e-waste.

According to the United Nations Institute for Training and Research, e-waste is defined as any discarded product with a plug or a battery.

Based on the institute’s most recent e-waste monitor data, more than 62 million metric tons of electronic waste was produced globally in 2022. Per the institute’s March 2024 data, that number is expected to rise to 82 million metric tons by 2030.

Corporate support for SB 244 in California has come with time. Silicon Valley giant Apple Inc.’s support of the legislation in 2023 was a key turning point in Ms. Eggman’s push to pass the law last year. In 2020, Apple had lobbied against similar legislation, AB 1163, according to the Secretary of State’s lobbying activity records.

Ms. Eggman called the about-face from the company “historic” and described it as a “breakthrough” in August 2023, referencing a letter she received from Michael Foulkes, Apple’s director of state and local government affairs. In it, he explained the tech company’s change of heart.

“We support SB 244 because it includes requirements that protect individual users’ safety and security, as well as product manufacturers’ intellectual property,” he said.