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AB 2188 —4- 1 (c) To reach the state's Million Solar Roofs goal, hundreds of 2 thousands of additional rooftop solar energy systems will need to 3 be deployed in the coming years. 4 (d) Various studies, including one by the Lawrence Berkeley 5 National Laboratory, show that, despite the 1978 California Solar 6 Rights Act, declaring that the "implementation of consistent 7 statewide standards to achieve the timely and cost-effective 8 installation of solar energy systems is not a municipal affair... but 9 is instead a matter of statewide concern," the permitting process 10 governing the installation of rooftop solar energy systems varies I I widely across jurisdictions and, contrary to the intent of the law, 12 is both an "obstacle" to the state's clean energy and greenhouse 13 reduction goals and a "burdensome cost" to homeowners, 14 businesses, schools, and public agencies. 15 (e) The United States Department of Energy,through its SunShot 16 Initiative, has distributed millions of dollars in grants to local and 17 state governments,including California jurisdictions,and nonprofit 18 organizations to reduce the costs of distributed solar through 19 streamlined and standardized permitting. 20 (f) A modernized and standardized permitting process for 21 installations of small-scale solar distributed generation technology 22 on residential rooftops will increase the deployment of solar 23 distributed generation, help to expand access to lower income 24 households, provide solar customers greater installation ease, 25 improve the state's ability to reach its clean energy goals, and 26 generate much needed jobs in the state,all while maintaining safety 27 standards. 28 SEC. 2. Section 714 of the Civil Code is amended to read: 29 714. (a) Any covenant, restriction, or condition contained in 30 any deed, contract, security instrument, or other instrument 31 affecting the transfer or sale of, or any interest in, real property, 32 and any provision of a governing document,as defined in Section 33 4150 or 6552,that effectively prohibits or restricts the installation 34 or use of a solar energy system is void and unenforceable. 35 (b) This section does not apply to provisions that impose 36 reasonable restrictions on solar energy systems. However, it is the 37 policy of the state to promote and encourage the use of solar energy 38 systems and to remove obstacles thereto.Accordingly, reasonable 39 restrictions on a solar energy system are those restrictions that do 40 not significantly increase the cost of the system or significantly 94