Balcony Solar in North Carolina
North Carolina's HB 1129 ('Balcony Solar') would allow small portable solar energy devices. Its text names UL certification and the NC Electrical Code. In the House Rules Committee.
Reviewed August 6, 2026 against primary sources. Laws change — the sources below let you re-check.
Would North Carolina's bill require UL 3700?
No — the bill does not name UL 3700.
The bill text (read in full) names UL certification plus the North Carolina Electrical Code; it does not name UL 3700.
Why this matters: “certified by UL” names an organization; “certified to UL 3700” names a plug-in-PV standard. They are not the same claim. Full explainer →
What's still unsettled
- In the House Rules Committee (April 2026); not yet law.
- A reported Senate companion 'SB 957' could not be verified.
Before you buy in North Carolina
This bill is not law yet — until it passes and takes effect, North Carolina's existing utility and electrical rules apply. Even once it passes, the gear has to actually be certified to what the law asks, and today no plug-in kit sold in the US carries UL 3700 yet. What "UL 3700 certified" really means →