Overview

• On August 13, a federal judge declined to block SB 253 and SB 261; business groups appealed, with a Ninth Circuit stay hearing set for September 15, 2025, while the laws remain in effect.
• CARB plans to release draft regulations on October 14, 2025, open a 45‑day comment period, and seek board adoption on December 11–12, 2025.
• Under SB 261, companies must post climate‑risk reports on their websites by January 1, 2026, with CARB’s public docket opening December 1, 2025 for report links.
• For SB 253, CARB proposed a June 30, 2026 initial deadline for Scope 1 and 2 reporting for fiscal 2025 emissions, with draft templates expected by the end of September 2025.
• CARB outlined a revenue definition and a streamlined “doing business in California” test, will publish preliminary in‑scope entity lists, proposed exemptions such as nonprofits and telework‑only presence, and estimated annual fees of about $3,106 for SB 253 and $1,403 for SB 261.