Governor Gavin Newsom Signs Nation's Strongest Digital and Agricultural Right-to-Repair Act

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 1488 into law on Monday, enacting the nation's most comprehensive digital and agricultural Right-to-Repair statute, requiring original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) of smartphones, consumer appliances, computers, and heavy agricultural tractors and combines to make diagnostic software tools, repair schematics, calibration firmware, and genuine replacement parts available to independent repair shops and consumers on fair and reasonable terms.

The legislation, authored by State Senator Susan Talamantes Eggman and supported by consumer advocacy groups, agricultural federations, and environmental organizations, closes software-locking loopholes that previously prevented family farmers and local mechanics from diagnosing and fixing their own equipment.

Ending Monopoly Repair Lock-Ins and Lowering Costs for Farmers and Consumers Farmers in California's $55 billion agricultural industry historically lost valuable harvest days when proprietary software error codes disabled tractors, requiring authorized dealership technicians to travel hours from regional centers at exorbitant service rates.

"If you buy a piece of equipment—whether it is a smartphone in your pocket or a half-million-dollar combine harvester in your field—you should have the right to fix it yourself or choose an independent repair shop," Governor Newsom said during a bill signing at an agricultural equipment co-op in Yolo County. "SB 1488 breaks manufacturer repair monopolies, lowers costs for our family farmers and working families, keeps repairable electronics out of landfills, and supports local independent repair businesses across California."

Key Provisions Under SB 1488 Under the enacted law:

• Mandatory Diagnostic Tool Access: Manufacturers must provide the same diagnostic software, firmware resets, and error-code lookup tools to independent mechanics as provided to authorized dealers.
• Fair Market Part Pricing: Prohibiting manufacturers from charging inflated markups on replacement parts or imposing digital locks that disable devices when third-party components are installed.
• 10-Year Parts Availability Mandate: Requiring manufacturers of appliances and machinery priced over $500 to maintain spare parts and repair manuals for at least ten years after product discontinuation.

Farm bureaus, independent repair coalitions, and electronics recyclers commended the landmark legislation, highlighting that open repair access strengthens agricultural supply chain resilience and reduces electronic waste.