Garage Door Battery Backups Required in California

When an emergency strikes, you need to be prepared to evacuate in a moment’s notice. There’s only one problem—your vehicle is blocked in by a garage door that won’t open without electrical power. What do you do?

This was the case with the wildfires that wreaked havoc across California during the wildfire season of 2017. As homeowners responded to evacuation protocols, they found themselves trapped with no vehicle to flee the area. 

As a result, they were unable to open their garage doors manually and had no battery backup system for their opener’s electronic operation. As a result, there were five deaths in California. Others barely escaped and lucked out when those passing by stopped and helped their neighbors manually lift their garage doors.

New California Law: Garage Doors Must Work in a Power Outage

What is Senate Bill 969?

As a way to minimize casualties in similar situations and maximize safety for all homeowners, Senate Bill 969 was proposed as a law that would require any new garage door and garage door opener to be installed in California with a battery backup.

Every garage door opener sold and installed after July 1, 2019, must include a battery backup. If a homeowner installs new, modern garage doors or replaces their existing doors, it must be hooked up to a battery backup (or left without a garage door opener). Anyone not following this new law can be subject to a civil penalty of $1,000.

What does Senate Bill 969 mean for homeowners in California?

With a sweeping victory, Senate Bill 969 passed the Senate 39-0, and the Assembly 64-7. By requiring garage door battery backups for the installation of both garage doors and garage door openers, the law protects homeowners from becoming trapped with their vehicles with no power to evacuate.

As a homeowner, this doesn’t mean you legally need to run out and install a battery backup as soon as tomorrow. Existing garage door openers do not have to be replaced with battery backup openers until the next time your garage doors are replaced. However, garage door battery backups can be installed to existing garage door openers to ensure it opens in an emergency situation.

Where can I find a trusted garage door company in San Diego?

With more than seven decades of experience installing, repairing, and maintaining residential garage doors and openers, Radford Garage Doors & Gates has the experience and know-how to install a battery backup in your existing garage door, or provide you with a brand new garage door that comes with the backup preinstalled, in a quick and efficient manner.

Furthermore, we offer a complete selection of garage door maintenance, installation, and repair services to homeowners throughout San Diego and the vicinity. Whether you’re looking to upgrade to custom aluminum glass, custom copper faux wood, or steel garage doors, or you’re looking to update your existing garage door with custom features, we can help. Reach out to us today!