Texas Senate bill by Sen. Schwertner restricts municipal regulation of residential energy backup systems

Passed bill authored by State Sen. Charles Schwertner aims to restrict municipalities from regulating the installation or inspection of residential energy backup systems, focusing on limiting local authority over such systems, according to the Texas Legislature website.

In the Senate, nine Democrats and 20 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, while two Democrats opposed it.

Meanwhile, in the House, 53 Democrats and 84 Republicans voted in favor, while five Democrats and one Republican voted against it.

Charles Schwertner introduced the bill in the Texas Senate on Wednesday, Feb. 12, during the 89th regular legislative session.

Schwertner graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a BS.

Schwertner, a Republican, was elected to the Texas State Senate in 2013 to represent the state’s 5th Senate district, replacing previous state senator Steve Ogden.

According to the Texas Legislature, the bill’s official text was summarized as follows: ‘Relating to the authority of a municipality to regulate the installation or inspection of a residential energy backup system’.

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill amends the Local Government Code to restrict municipalities in Texas from regulating the installation or inspection of residential energy backup systems capable of providing up to 50 kilowatts of electricity or storing up to 100 kilowatt hours. Specifically, it prohibits municipalities from adopting or enforcing amendments to the National Electrical Code or any ordinance, rule, or measure that would impose such regulations on these systems. The changes apply only to installations or inspections initiated on or after September 1, 2025, the bill’s effective date.

The bill received its final legislative approval on Wednesday, May 21, and was filed without the Governor’s signature on Friday, June 20.

Bills in Texas go through a multi-step legislative process, including committee review, debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching a final decision. Each session, there are typically thousands of bills introduced, but only a portion successfully navigate the process to become law.

You can read more about the bills and other measures here.