Legal Changes This Week: September 21 to 27, 2026

Legal Changes This Week: September 21 to 27, 2026

This is the first issue of our weekly legal-changes digest. It lists the laws signed, vetoed, blocked or reinterpreted by courts during the week of September 21 to 27, 2026, plus the California bills the Governor acted on Sunday, September 20, with a link to the official record for each one.

For every change, we also checked our own guides for sentences the change made wrong and fixed them in English and Spanish. Those updates are listed at the end, so you can see exactly which pages moved.

Information last verified on September 28, 2026. Signing dates and chapter numbers come from each legislature's official bill history; court rulings come from the courts' own opinion files.

California

In the second year of a session, the Governor has until September 30 to sign or veto bills the Legislature passed before September 1 that were still on the Governor's desk on September 1; a bill not returned by then becomes law without a signature (California Constitution, article IV, section 10), so this is the busiest signing stretch of the year. A statute without an urgency clause takes effect on January 1 after a 90-day period from enactment (article IV, section 8), so the bills below start on January 1, 2027 unless their own text sets a later date.

Braun's Law, SB 907 (signed September 25, 2026, Chapter 443). When a DUI charge is pleaded down to a different or lesser offense, the court must still give the murder advisement that warns a driver a future fatal DUI can be charged as murder. The bill also raises hit and run penalties for drivers with qualifying prior convictions. Source: SB 907 bill history. Our coverage: Braun's Law and the other DUI bills.

AB 1546, DUI with prior convictions (signed September 25, 2026, Chapter 444). A DUI within 10 years of two prior DUI convictions becomes chargeable as either a misdemeanor or a felony, and a DUI within 10 years of four or more priors becomes a felony. Source: AB 1546 bill history.

AB 1685 and AB 1687 (Irene's Law), signed September 25, 2026, Chapters 445 and 446. AB 1685 assigns DMV violation points to a gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated conviction. AB 1687 creates a 72-month license suspension for a DUI causing injury within 10 years of four or more qualifying prior convictions; a restricted license becomes available after 12 months, and one of its conditions is a 72-month ignition interlock. Both are written to become operative January 1, 2031. Sources: AB 1685, AB 1687.

AB 1753, firearms and ammunition under protective orders (signed September 26, 2026, Chapter 458). Officers at a domestic violence scene, or enforcing a domestic violence or gun violence restraining order, must also take temporary custody of ammunition in plain sight or found in a lawful search, and courts can order a search of the state's firearm records before hearings on more types of restraining orders. Several provisions start later, on January 1, 2028. Source: AB 1753 bill history. Our coverage: the AB 1753 explainer.

AB 1657, emergency restraining orders without advance notice (signed September 20, 2026, Chapter 368). Courts may not require a person seeking an emergency (ex parte) domestic violence restraining order to notify the other party first, may not require an explanation for not giving notice, and may not keep any rule, form or practice to the contrary. Existing law already barred denying such an order solely because notice was not given; the bill extends that to denying it in whole or in part. Source: AB 1657 bill history. Our coverage: the AB 1657 explainer.

AB 2042, debt buyer default judgments (signed September 20, 2026, Chapter 379). The bill clarifies that a person sued by a debt buyer who did not receive actual notice of the lawsuit in time to defend can move to set aside a default or default judgment even when service was lawfully made, within the existing deadlines. It also clarifies that a burden-shifting rule for challenging service, already set to start January 1, 2027, applies to service attempted or completed on or after that date. Source: AB 2042 bill history. Our coverage: the AB 2042 explainer.

SB 1264, probate notice to child support services (signed September 20, 2026, Chapter 427). The estate's notice to the Department of Child Support Services now turns on actual knowledge of a support obligation and also covers an heir or beneficiary who owes support. It applies to estates where letters are first issued on or after January 1, 2027. Source: SB 1264 bill history. Our coverage: the SB 1264 explainer.

SB 691, body camera footage of patient care (signed September 20, 2026, Chapter 416). Every agency with a body-worn camera policy must add a process that lets emergency service personnel ask for patient care footage to be redacted before public release, by July 1, 2027. Source: SB 691 bill history. Our coverage: the SB 691 explainer.

AB 1930, notice to the Attorney General before producing certain health records (signed September 26, 2026, Chapter 468). A person or entity located or doing business in California that receives a subpoena or similar request tied to an investigation about abortion or gender-affirming care must notify the Attorney General at least seven business days before producing records, unless federal law requires a shorter response time, subject to listed exceptions. Source: AB 1930 bill history. Our coverage: the AB 1930 explainer.

SB 1114, confidentiality of sexual orientation and gender identity data (signed September 26, 2026, Chapter 471). Sexual orientation, gender identity and intersex status information collected by specified state entities becomes confidential and, subject to specified exceptions, exempt from disclosure under the California Public Records Act, unless it is deidentified or disclosed in line with the Information Practices Act. Source: SB 1114 bill history.

Vetoed: AB 2439 and SB 1238 (September 20, 2026). The Governor vetoed a bill on HOA assessment notices and the use of public streets (AB 2439) and a bill that would have given HOA managing agents a duty of care to the association (SB 1238). Neither changes the Davis-Stirling Act. Sources: AB 2439, SB 1238. Our coverage: the HOA veto explainer.

Florida

Kou v. Florida Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee (Fifth District Court of Appeal, September 25, 2026). The court reversed a contempt order and held that a trial court may not use its contempt power to force payment of a money judgment for fees and costs under Florida's anti-SLAPP statute. The opinion is not final until any rehearing motion is resolved. Source: the opinion. Our coverage: the Kou explainer.

Idaho

Taylor v. Davis (Idaho Supreme Court, September 25, 2026). The court held that statements imputing conduct incompatible with a person's lawful business, trade or profession can be defamation per se, vacated the judgment and sent the case back for a new trial. Source: the opinion. Our coverage: the Taylor v. Davis explainer.

Posey v. Bushnell (Idaho Supreme Court, September 22, 2026). The court affirmed a $1,176,000 defamation judgment and noted inaccurate quotations in the defendant's brief that suggested possible use of generative AI, without imposing sanctions. Source: the opinion. Our coverage: the Posey explainer.

Montana

Election deepfake law partly blocked (U.S. District Court for the District of Montana, order filed September 16, 2026, reported this week). A federal judge granted a preliminary injunction against enforcement of SB 25, Montana's election deepfake law (Mont. Code Ann. 13-35-801 to 13-35-804), but limited it to the two plaintiffs in the case. The law remains enforceable against everyone else while the case continues. Source: the order. Our coverage: the Montana injunction explainer.

International

Victoria, Australia: coercive control offence (Royal Assent September 22, 2026, Act No. 41 of 2026). The Justice Legislation Amendment (Family Violence, Coercive Control, Good Character, Risk Assessment and Other Matters) Act 2026 creates a coercive control offence in Victoria. It is law but not yet in force: the offence starts on a day to be proclaimed, and no later than March 1, 2028. Source: the Act's status page. Our coverage: coercive control laws in Australia.

Signed earlier in September

Because this is the first issue, it also lists a few September changes signed before this week that our readers keep asking about.

AB 2246, California repeals and replaces the Age-Appropriate Design Code (signed September 10, 2026, Chapter 187). The bill repeals the 2022 Age-Appropriate Design Code Act and enacts a new children's online privacy title in its place, without the old data protection impact assessment requirement. It has no urgency clause, so the old act, which a court has partly blocked, remains the law until January 1, 2027. Source: AB 2246 bill history. Our coverage: the AB 2246 explainer.

SB 867 and SB 1119, California companion chatbots (signed September 10, 2026, Chapters 189 and 190). SB 867 bars making or selling toys for children under 16 that include a companion chatbot, a ban that runs until January 1, 2031. SB 1119 requires companion chatbot operators to carry out child safety risk assessments beginning July 1, 2027 and to have a first independent child safety audit performed by January 1, 2029 (or before a chatbot is first made publicly available, if that is later); until January 1, 2032, operators with less than $500 million in gross revenue in the prior calendar year do not have to meet the audit requirement. It also deletes the existing duties that applied when an operator knows a user is a minor, effective January 1, 2027. Sources: SB 867, SB 1119. Our coverage: the SB 867 explainer.

AB 2195, California child support license relief (signed September 18, 2026, Chapter 291). Support obligors whose own income is at or below 70 percent of the county median for a one-person household stay off the suspension list for a noncommercial driver's license, and for any other license, including a commercial driver's license or a professional or business license, an obligor who proves income at or below that threshold to the local child support agency is entitled to relief from denial or suspension. It becomes operative on January 1, 2027 or when the Department of Child Support Services certifies its systems are ready, whichever is later. Source: AB 2195 bill history. Our coverage: the AB 2195 explainer.

Seattle Ordinance 127497, rental junk fees (passed by the City Council August 11, 2026, approved by the Mayor August 18, 2026). Seattle bans pet rent and other pet fees (a pet damage deposit is still allowed), fees to receive mail or packages, and other listed fees in rental housing, and requires landlords to disclose every fee and the total monthly cost, for rental agreements and renewals entered into after July 1, 2027. Source: the ordinance. Our coverage: the Seattle junk fee explainer.

Pages we updated for these changes

Each of these guides was corrected or updated this week, in English and in its Spanish version. Every change was checked against the official source by a separate reviewer before it went live, and each page's update history records what changed.

• California data privacy laws: noted that AB 2246 repeals and replaces the Age-Appropriate Design Code from January 1, 2027, while the current act stays in place until then.
• Children's online privacy by state: the same AB 2246 update in the California section, the status table and the FAQ.
• California DUI laws: added AB 1546's new repeat-offense rules from January 1, 2027, and Braun's Law.
• California child support laws: added AB 2195's license relief.
• California debt collection laws: added AB 2042's clarification on setting aside default judgments.
• California restraining order laws: added AB 1753's ammunition and firearm search rules, and corrected how the page described what AB 1657 changes.
• Washington landlord-tenant laws: added Seattle's rental fee ordinance.
• Idaho defamation laws: added Taylor v. Davis on defamation per se.
• Florida defamation laws: added the Kou decision on collecting anti-SLAPP fee awards.
• Montana deepfake laws: corrected when the federal challenge was filed and what the disputed mailers showed.
• Louisiana traffic camera tickets: a court hearing the page described as upcoming has passed; the page now says so, and that we have not yet confirmed its outcome.

Our newsroom also updated three guides earlier in the week for changes listed above: California AI laws (SB 867 and SB 1119), California police body camera laws (SB 691) and California restraining order laws (AB 1657).

Coming up next week

October 1 is a common effective date. Alabama, Connecticut and Maryland each have 2026 acts we cover that are scheduled to take effect on October 1, 2026, and several Canadian provinces raise their minimum wage the same day. The next issue will confirm which of those took effect on schedule and list the pages we updated for them.

In California, the Governor's window to act on this session's remaining bills closes at the end of September, so next week's issue will also carry the final signings and vetoes.