What is California Garage Door Opener Law
SB-969 is a California law that mandates all garage door openers sold or installed in residential applications in California on or after July 1st, 2019, to include a battery backup. Beginning July 1, 2019, every automated garage door opener that is made and ready for consumption, sale, supply, or installation in a house must include an opener battery backup mechanism that is designed to work during an electricity outage. A breach of such requirements would be punishable by a $1,000 fine under this measure. Violence will make it illegal to install a new garage door opener with reversible battery backup, in such a way that it is connected to an existing opener that does not fulfill these standards. Garage door openers that are currently in use do not need to be replaced with battery backup openers until your garage doors are changed again. Garage door battery backups, on the other hand, can be added to existing garage door openers to ensure that they open in an emergency.
Why Did California Pass Garage Door Backup Battery Law?
The law was introduced in the aftermath of the deadly October 2019 wildfires, which caused massive electricity outages and left many evacuees unable to escape the flames by opening their garage doors.
2017 Northern California Wildfires
In 2017, northern California had its most catastrophic wildfire season on record, with extensive electric power outages making evacuation difficult or impossible for individuals to find the way out. Garage door openers were disrupted by the loss of electricity, and deaths were ascribed to the nearby residents getting trapped and dying because of their inability to open their garage doors manually. During the power outage, at least 5 individuals perished because they were unable to open their garage doors. As a result, their automobiles were stranded in the garage with no way out. They were usually elderly, couldn’t open their garage door manually, or didn’t know how to unplug the opener. From a few to millions of acres were burned due to wildfire.
State Senate Action
Senate Bill 969 has a personal experience with the senator named “Dodd”, during the California wildfires he experienced the vulnerability of the garage door when he was forced to flee his own house. Due to an electricity outage, the opener wouldn’t operate while vacating his home. Senator recognizes that this is not always possible for those with particular physical problems or physiological states. Senator Dodd proposed Senate Bill 969 as a bill that would mandate every new garage door and garage door opener in California to be manufactured with a battery backup to reduce casualties in similar scenarios and to increase safety for all homeowners. Senate Bill 969, rather inevitably, passed the Assembly by a vote of 53 to 6. on September 1, 2018, this SB 969 bill was signed into law by Governor Brown.
Penalties For Not Following The California SB 969 Law
Existing law mandates that any automated garage door opener made for garage door installation in a household, purchasing, supplying, or selling meet certain safety criteria, including the presence of an automatic reverse safety system. A breach of such requirements would result in a $1,000 civil penalty under the law. Any offenses will result in a civil penalty of $500 per installed and working opener. A seller who fails to comply with the notification requirements for automatic garage door openers faces a civil penalty of $500. To mitigate the expenses of court proceedings, civil fines will be charged against the local agency commencing the procedures implemented. The civilian will be fined and payable to the injured consumer if the consumer or she begins the proceedings.
How is SB 969 California Garage Door Opener Law Will Helpful?
The new requirements in this law apply to the California Health and Safety Code, and property owners should pay close attention to its positive effects. If the power lines are down due to a storm, you may have to close or open your garage. As an alternative to manually opening your hefty overhead door, backup batteries for your garage door openers will provide you with peace of mind. Why should you have a battery backup if many garage doors don’t? let’s have a look at some of the reasons:
- Power Outage: You can get into your garage if the power goes out.
- Bad Weather Conditions: Power lines are frequently downed during winter storms.
- Fire Damage: Even if the electricity is out, you may open the garage door if you have a fire in your house
Sac Valley Garage Doors & California Garage Door Law:
With power outages becoming more prevalent, consumers are becoming increasingly concerned about California SB 969, because of being unable to enter or exit their garage if their electric garage door opener fails. Sac Valley Garage Doors has a range of garage door openers with reserve battery backup, ensuring that you have reliable power when you need it most while adhering to the California SB 969 regulation. Sac Valley Garage Doors also guides its consumers about recent garage door repairs in California and improvements in backup battery technology, which have made these systems more efficient than ever before.
