A product is CEC compliant when it meets the minimum energy or water efficiency standards set by the California Energy Commission under Title 20 of the California Code of Regulations, has been tested and certified by its manufacturer, and appears in the CEC’s Modernized Appliance Efficiency Database System (MAEDbS) as an approved model. Without that listing, the product cannot legally be sold or offered for sale to a California end user, and penalties for violations reach $2,500 per unit.
Which Products Have to Comply
Title 20 covers a long list of household, commercial, and industrial products. On the household side: refrigerators, freezers, clothes washers, dishwashers, and water heaters. Plumbing fixtures are included too, and California’s flow limits are tighter than the federal baseline. Showerheads, for example, are capped at 1.8 gallons per minute in California versus 2.5 GPM under federal rules.1Legal Information Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 20 Section 1601 – Scope
Lighting is a major category as well. LED lamps, small-diameter directional lamps, luminaires, and fluorescent lamp ballasts each have their own efficiency requirements. Commercial and industrial coverage extends to electric motors, distribution transformers, computers, computer monitors, televisions, pool pumps, and commercial ice makers, among others.1Legal Information Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 20 Section 1601 – Scope
Two narrow exemptions exist: products sold wholesale in California for final retail sale outside the state, and products designed and sold exclusively for recreational vehicles or other mobile equipment. Everything else sold to a California end user is in scope.1Legal Information Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 20 Section 1601 – Scope
Online and Out-of-State Sellers Are Not Exempt
One of the most misunderstood parts of the rule is its geographic reach. The statute defines “sold or offered for sale in the state” to include any sale for end use in California, regardless of where the seller is located. Internet sales, phone orders, and mail-order transactions are all covered.2California Legislative Information. California Public Resources Code Division 15 Chapter 5 A retailer in another state shipping an appliance to a California address still needs that product to be CEC compliant and listed in MAEDbS.
Title 20 Is Not Title 24
Two different CEC frameworks get confused often enough to be worth separating. Title 20 sets efficiency standards for individual products; it governs how an appliance is manufactured, distributed, and sold. Title 24 is a building standards code that governs how buildings themselves are designed and constructed, including energy conservation and mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems inside those structures.3California Energy Commission. 2025 Building Energy Efficiency Standards for Residential and Nonresidential Buildings
The distinction matters most for contractors and builders. A lighting product that satisfies Title 20 can legally be sold in California, yet still fail Title 24’s installation requirements for new construction or a major retrofit. Title 24 generally sets a higher bar. For lighting, Title 24 requires a color rendering index above 90 and a rated life of at least 15,000 hours, while Title 20 accepts a CRI of 82 and a rated life of 10,000 hours. Meeting one does not mean meeting the other.
How a Product Gets Certified
Certification under Section 1606 of Title 20 is a defined process, not an informal claim.
Testing
The manufacturer first has the product tested according to the specific test methods laid out in the regulations. The filing later submitted to the CEC must identify which test method was used and provide the name and address of the laboratory that performed the testing.4Legal Information Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 20 Section 1606 – Filing by Manufacturers
Filing With MAEDbS
Manufacturers then submit a statement electronically through MAEDbS. Each statement includes the manufacturer’s contact information, detailed performance data from testing, and a declaration signed under penalty of perjury that the information is true, complete, and accurate and that the product complies with all applicable efficiency standards.4Legal Information Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 20 Section 1606 – Filing by Manufacturers The perjury declaration carries real legal exposure if the data turns out to be inaccurate.
If the submitted data shows the product meets applicable standards, the model is listed in MAEDbS as approved.5California Energy Commission. Appliance Efficiency Program – Outreach and Education That listing is what makes a product legally sellable in California. Retailers, contractors, and consumers can search MAEDbS on the CEC’s website to verify whether a specific model is compliant before buying it or specifying it for a project.
Marking and Labeling on the Product
Every regulated product must be permanently and legibly marked with the manufacturer’s name or brand, the model number, and the date of manufacture (at least the year and month). That information has to appear in a conspicuous, accessible location on the unit. Plumbing fixtures and fittings get a modest accommodation: the information can appear on the packaging instead of on the unit.6New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. California Code of Regulations Title 20 Section 1607 – Marking of Appliances
The familiar yellow EnergyGuide label is a separate federal requirement administered by the Federal Trade Commission, not the CEC. Title 20 cross-references that federal rule and requires FTC-mandated labeling on federally regulated consumer products sold in California, including refrigerators, water heaters, dishwashers, clothes washers, and room air conditioners.6New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. California Code of Regulations Title 20 Section 1607 – Marking of Appliances In practice, that means you’ll see both the federal EnergyGuide label on the unit and CEC compliance reflected through the MAEDbS listing, but they come from different regulatory systems.
What Happens If a Product Is Not Compliant
If the Executive Director determines that a product requiring certification is being sold in California without a MAEDbS listing, the CEC can require the manufacturer to test units at its own expense, issue a Notice of Violation, seek settlement for prior non-compliant sales, and initiate administrative proceedings or judicial action.7Legal Information Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 20 Section 1608 – Compliance, Enforcement, and Proceedings
The CEC can also request test reports at any time from manufacturers whose products are already listed. If a manufacturer fails to provide the report within five days, the product can be removed from the database, which effectively makes it illegal to sell in California. If the report shows the product does not actually meet its certified performance levels, the CEC will either correct the listing or remove the model.7Legal Information Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 20 Section 1608 – Compliance, Enforcement, and Proceedings
Penalties reach $2,500 per non-compliant unit sold or offered for sale. For any business moving volume, especially online sellers who assume California’s rules stop at the state line, that number adds up quickly.