Today I introduced AB 178 which will exempt any residential home repair, restoration or replacement of a residential building destroyed or damaged as a result of a disaster in an area where a state of emergency has been proclaimed by the Governor, from the costly new residential home solar mandate.
 
This mandate can add upwards of $15,000.00 to the cost of building a home. Losing a home in a catastrophic fire is a very traumatic event but worrying about how you’re going to be able to afford to comply with this new mandate is even worse. There are thousands of people who have lost a home and are now facing the sad reality that costs have risen due to these mandates and they may not have enough money to cover it.  This is a small exemption that will have nothing to do with structural safety, but will allow people to be able to rebuild their home without this additional costly mandate.
 
"We need to do everything possible to help cities devastated by natural disasters rebuild.  This is especially true for areas like Paradise, where the median household income is well below the statewide average and many people live paycheck to paycheck.  AB 178 will provide much needed relief from the solar mandate, which would significantly increase the cost of rebuilding during a time when the housing crisis is already driving up building costs,” co-author Assemblyman  James Gallagher (R-Yuba City). 
 
AB 178 is a common sense approach that will give these victims of catastrophic events some much needed regulatory relief without any risk to structural safety.

- Brian