In a span of less than 24 hours across April 13 and 14, 2026, Maryland and Colorado became the fourth and fifth states to advance plug-in solar legislation to their respective governors’ desks.
The two states join Utah and Maine, where such legislation has been signed into law, and Virginia, in which plug-in solar rules are currently awaiting the governor’s signature.
The bills’ passage is the latest in what has been described as a movement to enact solar laws around the United States.
In total, 33 states plus the District of Columbia have seen bills introduced into legislative bodies. However, measures in at least 10 of those places have either failed or been held over until the next legislative session, and legislators in several other states have taken no action on the bills in recent weeks.
Maryland’s plug-in solar rules
In Maryland, portable solar language was included in HB 1532, known as the “Utility RELIEF (Reducing Energy Load Inflation for Everyday Families) Act.” The bill is a sweeping legislative package that includes provisions that allocate funding for energy bill relief, grid modernization, and renewable energy investment.
The bill allows residential electricity customers to use portable solar energy generating systems with a maximum output of 1,200 watts that is designed to feed power into a standard outlet and is certified by UL or an equivalent national testing lab, per utility meter. Devices with power output of 391 watts or less are exempt from the UL certification requirements.
The bill exempts these systems from utility fees and interconnection requirements, but requires customers who use the devices to notify the utility, provide information about their system, and, if required by the utility, to pay for the installation of an automatic locking disconnect switch.
Governor Wes Moore is expected to sign the bill, which was a major part of his legislative agenda for the session. If he does, the plug-in solar rules will take effect on October 1.
Colorado’s plug-in solar rules
Colorado’s HB 26-1007 contains provisions related to both plug-in solar and meter-collar adapters. The bill allows “portable-scale solar generation devices” with up to 1,920 watts of power output that connect directly into standard wall outlets, as long as they are labeled and listed by a national testing laboratory (eg. UL).
The 1,920-watt limit is the highest such limit among plug-in solar laws passed in the United States. Devices with power output of 391 watts or less are exempt from the listing requirements.
The bill also prohibits landlords from preventing the installation of a portable solar generation device, but requires tenants to notify the landlords, and allows landlords to set rules for preventing fire and electrical overload of the apartment’s circuits. HOAs are also prohibited from preventing the installation of portable solar devices, as long as the devices are properly attached and secured.
Colorado governor Jared Polis is expected to sign the bill. If he does, the rules will take effect on January 1, 2027.
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