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SB 1327

Weights and measures: electric vehicle supply equipment: state authority.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Eloise Reyes

SB 1327 creates a CEC-led framework to ensure EV charging equipment is accurate and protected from fraud, replacing some traditional weights-and-measures processes.

May 14 hearing: Held in committee and under submission.
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Bill Summary · SB 1327

SB 1327 (Reyes)
Session: 2025–2026 (California)
Topic: Weights and measures; electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE); state regulatory authority

Summary purpose
- Establish a regulatory framework to protect consumers from inaccurate or fraudulent electric vehicle charging equipment (EVSE) and to streamline enforcement across state agencies.
- Align weights and measures oversight with transportation electrification by giving the state authority to regulate EVSE accuracy and testing, while phasing out certain existing exemptions as new regulations are adopted.

Main provisions and changes
- California Public Utilities Code / State Aeronautics Act
- Known as the State Aeronautics Act, SB 1327 would require the California Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (CEC) to adopt safety and accuracy regulations for EVSE by July 1, 2027.
- Regulations must protect consumers from inaccurate EVSE, establish tolerances, testing standards, and enforcement mechanisms.

  • Exemption from standard weights and measures approvals for EVSE

    • Once the CEC adopts the EVSE regulations, existing processes for approving weights and measures devices used for commercial purposes would not apply to EVSE devices (i.e., EVSE would be exempt from the usual department-of-training-type-approval process under Business and Professions Code sections 12500.5 and related provisions).

  • Local county sealers and existing testing provisions

    • Current law allows county sealers to test and verify EV chargers operated by public agencies within their jurisdiction, with certain performance and penalty provisions, and a 2028 sunset for some EVSE retesting rules.
    • SB 1327 would make the prior arrangement with county sealers inoperative on dates tied to the new CEC regulations (whichever occurs first: regulatory adoption or Jan 1 of the following year after regulation adoption). It would repeal specific older retesting/placement requirements on those dates.

  • Local publicly owned electric utilities (LPOUs)

    • The bill creates a framework that, for LPOUs, allows continued compliance through designated testing practices aligned with NIST Handbook 44 standards and ISO 17025 accreditation, including periodic field inspections (every six months), recordkeeping, and conspicuous identification on EVSE indicating ownership and service contact.
    • If a county sealer finds noncompliance by an LPOU, the utility must respond within 30 days and may be subject to oversight at its next publicly noticed meeting if no response is provided.

  • EVSE definitions and sunset

    • Defines EVSE as devices used to charge a battery in an electric vehicle, including the measuring instrument associated with the charging process.
    • Certain EVSE-related provisions (e.g., exemptions from standard weights-and-measures approvals) are temporary and tied to the CEC’s regulatory timeline (regulations due by July 1, 2027) and a sunset as these regulations take effect.

  • Enforcement and penalties

    • The new EVSE regulations would establish an enforcement process with tiered corrective actions.
    • Penalties: up to $2,500 for an initial violation; subsequent violations may incur continued penalties and potentially suspension or removal of EVSE from service.

  • Effective dates and operative timelines

    • operative date for exemptions and certain provisions begins when CEC regulations are adopted.
    • Some provisions (e.g., earlier EVSE testing requirements) are repealed or become inoperative on dates tied to CEC regulatory adoption or January 1 of the following year, whichever occurs sooner.

Who would be affected
- Electric vehicle charging equipment manufacturers, installers, and operators
- Local publicly owned electric utilities (LPOUs)
- County sealers and county authorities responsible for testing and enforcement of EVSE
- Consumers who use EV charging services
- State agencies: primarily the CEC and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (through existing enforcement channels, with changes to roles)

Key dates and timeline
- Regulations: No later than July 1, 2027, to protect consumers from inaccurate EVSE.
- operative/exemption dates: Exemptions from standard weights and measures approvals would begin when the CEC adopts the EVSE regulations; related older provisions to the sunset and repeal dates would follow a sequence tied to the regulation adoption and January 1 of the following year.

Impact considerations
- Aims to standardize testing, improve measurement accuracy for EV charging, and provide a clear enforcement framework.
- Shifts some oversight away from traditional weights and measures processes to a dedicated regulatory regime under the CEC, with mechanisms for industry testing before sale and post-sale compliance checks.
- May affect how municipalities and counties administer testing and penalties for EVSE outside of LPOUs’ existing practices.

Note: This summary focuses on the substantive elements and potential impacts as described in the bill text and amendments. For exact statutory language and enforcement details, refer to SB 1327’s official bill text and any author amendments.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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