Is plug-in solar legal in Connecticut?
Connecticut legalised plug-in solar on 1 October 2026. Public Act 26-127 created a category it calls a "portable solar generation device", and a device that fits the definition can be plugged into an ordinary 120-volt outlet without an interconnection agreement, without your utility's approval, and without any fee.
Fitting the definition is the whole question, and it has nine parts. The size cap is 1,200 watts. The certification named is UL 1741 — not UL 3700, which is the standard most plug-in solar kits advertise. And the act requires the device to carry a warning that any electricity you generate but do not use will be billed to you as if you had consumed it.
Where Connecticut stands
Connecticut has a plug-in solar law on the books.
Status: Enacted · Last checked September 27, 2026
The rules in Connecticut
| System size limit | 1,200 W — but the law does not say whether that is measured as AC inverter output or DC panel rating The act never says where this 1,200 W is measured, and that is the statute being silent rather than us being unsure: "output" appears exactly once in its forty pages, here, while "nameplate capacity rating" appears five times in other sections. A kit whose panels exceed 1,200 W but whose inverter does not — the common case — has no answer under the text, so our check returns "unknown" instead of picking a side. |
|---|---|
| How the limit is measured | The law does not say |
| Certification required | NRTL listing required Connecticut names a specific standard: UL 1741, the inverter standard. That is not UL 3700, the plug-in photovoltaic system standard that Vermont, New Jersey and Maine name and that many plug-in kits advertise on the box. A listing to one does not imply the other, so "certified by a testing laboratory" is not enough on its own to answer this question. |
| Batteries | Not addressed |
Before you buy
- Check the size limit: 1,200 W — but the law does not say whether that is measured as AC inverter output or DC panel rating.
- Check what certification the state asks for: NRTL listing required.
- Ask your utility whether it wants notice or approval: Not required.
- If you rent or live under an HOA, check those rules separately — the state rule does not override a lease.
- Follow the manufacturer's installation manual. We do not publish installation steps.
Legislation we are tracking
No reviewed bills on file for Connecticut right now. Bills appear here once a human has confirmed they are about plug-in solar.
Sources and verification
Statute / bill text: Conn. Public Act No. 26-127, Sec. 9 (H.B. 5340, 2026 Feb. Sess.)
Other primary sources:
- Public Act 26-127 — full text on the CGA search host (the copy we read)
- Public Act 26-127 — the canonical cga.ct.gov address (no response from two networks on 2026-09-25, -26 or -27)
- CGA — HB 5340 bill status (same host; also not responding)
Last checked: September 27, 2026 by Claude Code — every field re-read against the Public Act text, 2026-09-27
This is not legal advice. Rules change, and utilities apply them differently. Confirm the current requirements with your utility and the state authority before installing anything.