# California Expands Battery Stewardship Law

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed SB 501 on September 20, 2026, extending the state’s battery stewardship law to medium-format batteries, including many batteries used in e-bikes, generators, lawn equipment, and uninterruptible power supplies. The expansion takes effect January 1, 2027, while CalRecycle’s implementing regulations remain pending final approval. The signal identifies no specific solicitation or contract award, but the change is relevant to companies supplying covered batteries and organizations operating stewardship, collection, or recycling programs.

- Producers and program operators should assess whether their products and programs are covered, update stewardship plans, and plan for format-specific collection and recycling requirements before the law takes effect in 84 days.
- Companies providing battery collection, logistics, or recycling services may find changing program needs as producers prepare to handle the newly covered battery formats.
- Procurement teams sourcing these batteries or related stewardship services should account for the expanded California coverage in supplier and service planning; the signal does not identify a particular procurement opportunity.

**Jurisdictions:** sled
**Industries:** Environment
**Topics:** Regulatory Compliance
**Published:** October 08, 2026

### Government Entities
- California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle)
- California State Legislature

### Sources
- [California Expands Battery Stewardship Law to Cover E-Bike and Other Medium-Format Batteries | Nilan Johnson Lewis PA - JDSupra](https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/california-expands-battery-stewardship-1727524) - JDSupra