As of July 1, 2019, California Bill SB-969 requires all residential garage door operators sold, installed or replaced to be equipped with a battery backup. It also states that reconnections an existing garage door operator without a battery backup to a newly installed door is a violation.
The Californian wildfires of 2017 cut power to many homes, leaving people trapped in their garages. Some people were unable to manually lift their garage door and some lost their lives. SB-969 was enacted in response to the 2017 fires and loss of life.
