Bill > AB1684

This bill, under the Davis-Stirling Common Interest Development Act, aims to prevent associations, which are governing bodies in common interest developments (like HOAs), from prohibiting or restricting members from installing, upgrading, replacing, or using cooling systems within their own properties, referred to as "separate interests." This means that any rules or guidelines within an association's governing documents, architectural guidelines, or policies that ban or limit cooling systems will be considered void and unenforceable. Similarly, any existing agreements, such as deeds, that restrict cooling systems will also be invalidated. The bill clarifies that a "cooling system" is broadly defined to include various devices that provide cooling benefits, as long as they meet health and safety standards. Associations are also prohibited from charging fees for cooling system installations, dictating specific systems or contractors, claiming rebates from member installations, or forcing members to remove existing cooling systems. However, these protections do not apply if the cooling system installation violates laws or requires a permit that has not been granted. If an association willfully violates these provisions, they can be liable to the member for actual damages and a civil penalty of up to $2,000.

Housing and Urban Affairs

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB1684