Plug-in solar by state › Other states
Status checked Oct 12, 2026 against legislature pages and trackers · Last change: New Hampshire moved to signed, takes effect January 1, 2027 · Change log
Most states have no plug-in solar law yet. That doesn’t make it illegal. It means there’s no exemption, so a plug-in device is treated like any other generator: your utility’s interconnection rules apply, and connecting without approval can break your service agreement.
States with a law or a bill that passed
- Utah — in effect
- Vermont — in effect
- Maine — in effect
- Virginia — signed, takes effect january 1, 2027
- Maryland — in effect
- New Hampshire — signed, takes effect January 1, 2027
- Connecticut — in effect
- Colorado — in effect
- New Jersey — signed, takes effect march 1, 2027
- New York — passed, not yet law
- California — signed, takes effect january 1, 2027
Bills in other states, 2026
| State | Bill | Where it stands |
|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | H 5175 | In a conference committee since July 16, 2026, after the House and Senate passed different versions. |
| Michigan | HB 5764 | In the House Energy Committee since March 19, 2026. The session runs through December. |
| Pennsylvania | HB 1971 | In the House Energy Committee since October 2025. The session runs through November 30, 2026. |
| Ohio | HB 755 | Introduced March 2026. The session runs through December. |
| North Carolina | HB 1129 / SB 957 | In the House Rules Committee since April 30, 2026. |
| District of Columbia | B26-0602 | Introduced in the D.C. Council; listed as in progress by Bright Saver. |
| Rhode Island | H 7269 / S 2658 | Passed the House 70–0, then died in a Senate committee when the session ended. |
| Minnesota | SF 4504 | Passed the Senate; the plug-in section was dropped from the final deal. |
| Illinois | SB 3104 | Stalled in the Assignments Committee since May 22, 2026. |
| Hawaii | SB 2902 | Passed the Senate, died in a House committee. |
| Washington | HB 2296 / SB 6050 | HB 2296 was signed with the plug-in sections removed; SB 6050 didn’t pass. Expected back in 2027. |
| Idaho | HB 612 | Died in committee. |
| Indiana | SB 74 / HB 1084 | Died in committee. |
| Iowa | HF 2046 | Died in committee. |
| Missouri | HB 2528 / HB 2444 | Died in committee. |
| New Mexico | SB 157 | Postponed indefinitely. |
| South Carolina | H 4579 | Died in committee. |
| West Virginia | HB 5648 | Died in committee. |
| Wyoming | HB 146 | Died in committee. |
| Oregon | HB 4080 | Didn’t pass in the 2026 short session. |
| Arizona | SB 1606 | Didn’t pass in 2026; expected back in 2027. |
| Georgia | HB 1304 | Didn’t pass in 2026; expected back in 2027. |
| Oklahoma | HB 4060 | Didn’t pass in 2026; expected back in 2027. |
| Delaware | SB 270 | Didn’t pass in 2026; expected back in 2027. |
| Alaska | HB 257 | Didn’t pass in 2026; expected back in 2027. |
Designing where there’s no law
- Ask your utility first. Many have a simplified application for small systems. A plug-in system may still need an interconnection agreement and, in some places, a production meter.
- A system that never connects to the house wiring, such as panels charging a portable power station that runs loads directly, isn’t interconnected and doesn’t need utility approval. The Designer handles power stations too.
- Design to the strictest common rules so you’re ready when a law passes: inverter AC output at or under 1,200 W, UL 3700 or NRTL listing as a complete system, anti-islanding, an outdoor GFCI receptacle on a dedicated circuit.
The engineering behind it
Why the circuit matters as much as the law, in four short points.
Circuit current, continuous output, outdoor outlets, AC vs panel watts
Why the circuit matters. A plug-in inverter pushes current into a branch circuit from the outlet end. The breaker in your panel only sees the current coming from the panel, not what the inverter adds. With other loads on the same circuit, part of the wire can carry the breaker’s full rating plus the inverter’s output without anything tripping. At 1,200 W the inverter adds 10 A at 120 V. That’s why we recommend a dedicated circuit for any plug-in system, even where the law doesn’t require one.
Continuous output. Code treats inverter output as continuous and sizes the circuit at 125% of it (NEC 705.28): 1,200 W is 10 A, times 1.25 is 12.5 A, which fits a 15 A circuit. Anything over 1,440 W needs a 20 A circuit.
Outdoors. Outdoor receptacles need GFCI protection (NEC 210.8) and an in-use weatherproof cover (NEC 406.9).
AC, not panel watts. These laws limit what the inverter puts out, not what the panels are rated for. You can put more panel on a small inverter; it trims the brightest hours and fills out the rest of the day. The Designer models that trimming hour by hour.