SACRAMENTO – On Monday, legislation co-authored by Assemblyman Gallagher (R-Yuba City) was approved by the Assembly Natural Resources committee with unanimous support. Assembly Bill 1078 provides additional flexibility to victims of disaster by expanding a law that provides relief from costly solar panel requirements.
“Solar panels add $10,000 to $30,000 to the cost of a home, at a time when building costs are already extremely high. AB 1078 will provide additional financial relief for individuals and families that have lost their home due to a disaster,” said Gallagher.
Previous legislation allowed victims of pre-2020 fires to rebuild using the photovoltaic requirements that were in effect at the time of the build, rather than the requirements in effect at the time of the rebuild. The law applied to any rebuilds done before January 1, 2023. AB 1078 extends this relief to any pre-2021 fires and provides an additional year for rebuilding, until January 1, 2024.
This would give Camp Fire victims additional time to rebuild without being subject the solar panel requirement while also extending relief to victims of some of the largest fires in state history including the August Complex, SCU Lightning Complex, LNU Lightning Complex as well as the Glass, Zogg, and Creek fires.