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Reference

Solar policy history by state: net metering, tax credits and solar sales laws, in order

Solar rules change one state and one utility at a time. This timeline lists the changes we track, oldest first, with the deadlines still ahead. Each row links to its source. Our guides carry the current rules; this page is the record of how each state got there.

Published October 15, 2026 · Updated October 15, 2026

Timeline

DateStateEventGuide
2017-08-19ArizonaAPS replaces net metering for new solar customers with an export rate (Rider RCP). Existing net-metered systems keep their terms for 20 years from interconnection, staying with the home if the buyer keeps the rate plan. [1] [2]Guide
2018ArizonaAPS export rate at $0.129 per kWh, the starting point for annual cuts. [3]Guide
2020-02-05IdahoCommission grandfathers Idaho Power net-metered systems by system site: one-to-one monthly netting until 2045-12-20, transferring to future owners. [4]Guide
2022FloridaBill to phase down net metering is vetoed; net metering continues. [6]Guide
2023CaliforniaNEM 3.0 net billing replaces NEM 2.0 for new customers. Legacy NEM 1.0 and 2.0 run 20 years from interconnection and stay with the system on a sale. [7]Guide
2023-03-23North CarolinaUtilities Commission approves Duke Energy net metering riders NM, NMB (Bridge) and RSC (Docket E-100, Sub 180). [9] [10]Guide
2023-09-30North CarolinaDuke Rider NM closes to new residential customers. [10]Guide
2025-06-04ColoradoSB25-299 residential solar consumer protection law signed; applies to agreements from 2026-07-01. [11]Guide
2025-07-04FederalPublic Law 119-21 signed: ends the homeowner solar credit after 2025 and sets deadlines for the business credit on leased and PPA systems. [12]Guide
2025-07CaliforniaAB 942 provision that would have moved home buyers off legacy NEM is removed in the Senate Energy Committee. [8]Guide
2025-09-01TexasSB 1036 takes effect: required contract terms and five-business-day right to cancel. [14]Guide
2025-10-01IdahoIdaho Power export credit cut takes effect under Order No. 36785, with the decrease capped at 40 percent; annual updates suspended until 2028. [5]Guide
2025-12-31FederalHomeowner solar credit (Section 25D) ends for expenditures after this date. [12]Guide
2026-01-01FederalSolar facilities beginning construction after 2025 lose the business credit if they include material assistance from a prohibited foreign entity. [13]Guide
2026-01-15VirginiaAttorney general sues Power Home Solar (Pink Energy) founders and lenders. [17]Guide
2026-03-05OregonHB 4029, Oregon's first solar consumer protection law, signed; effective 2026-06-05. [20]Guide
2026-04TexasAttorney general opens investigation into residential solar sales after more than 100 complaints. [21]Guide
2026-04-13VirginiaGovernor signs solar permitting, distributed generation and storage bills. [19]Guide
2026-04-30VirginiaState Corporation Commission keeps one-to-one kWh net metering for Dominion and rejects the proposed application fee; a $1 monthly charge will apply to non-low-income customers who connect new or modified systems from about May 2027 (SCC case PUR-2025-00079). [18]Guide
2026-06-01IllinoisPublic Act 104-0458 extends net metering eligibility to standalone storage and vehicle-to-grid systems up to 5,000 kW. [22]
2026-07-01TexasTDLR rules for residential solar retailers (16 TAC Chapter 71) take effect. [15]Guide
2026-07-04FederalLast day for leased and PPA solar to begin construction without the 2027-12-31 placed-in-service deadline. [13]Guide
2026-08-12ArizonaCorporation Commission approves a 10 percent cut to the APS and UNS export rate, the seventh in a row. [3]Guide
2026-08-21TexasTDLR suspends enforcement of its contract-disclosure and educational-materials rules until 2026-11-01. [16]Guide
2026-09-01ArizonaAPS export rate of $0.05554 per kWh takes effect for new applications. [1]Guide
2026-09-01TexasSolar retailer and salesperson registration with TDLR required; prohibited acts enforceable. [14]Guide
2026-10-01ArizonaTucson Electric Power export rate of $0.0462 per kWh takes effect for new interconnection requests through 2027-09-30. [TEP]Guide
2026-11-01TexasTDLR resumes enforcement of the state solar disclosure form and educational brochure rules. [16]Guide
2026-12-31North CarolinaLast day on Duke Rider NM for residential customers. [9]Guide
2027-01-01North CarolinaDuke Net Metering Bridge rider closed to new participants. [9]Guide
2027-09-01ArizonaNext APS export rate tranche; reductions are capped at 10 percent a year. [1]Guide
2027-12-31FederalLeased and PPA solar that began construction after 2026-07-04 must be placed in service to qualify for the business credit. [13]Guide
2028-04-01IdahoIdaho Power must file its next export credit update. [5]Guide
2045-12-20IdahoIdaho Power legacy one-to-one netting ends for grandfathered systems. [4]Guide

Rows dated in the future are scheduled, not certain. Utilities and commissions can change them.

Sold solar on terms that changed, or never existed? Tell us what happened. We pass requests to an independent consumer attorney at no charge to you; the attorney decides whether you have a case.

Sources

Updates to our guides

Related reading
Net metering by state, 2026: changes, deadlines, what transfers
Solar consumer protection laws by state, 2026