The Overview

If you live near a landfill in California, a new state law requires owners to notify the state when an underground heat event occurs, and it lets the state require a corrective action plan. California's Landfill Safety Act, AB 28, became law when Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed it Sept. 20. Underground landfill fires had been spreading across California, with excessive heat linked to toxic gases and hazardous liquid waste, the Los Angeles Times reported in August 2026. ​

What the Law Does

The law amends the California Integrated Waste Management Act of 1989 to require landfill owners and operators to notify the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) when gas or waste temperatures persistently exceed 131 degrees Fahrenheit over a substantial area. CalRecycle can then require the operator to develop a corrective action plan, including a full cost estimate.

Operators that fail to comply face penalties of up to $100,000 per day, with fines deposited into a new Landfill Subsurface Fire Mitigation Community Fund. That fund pays counties where an event occurred to cover harm to affected residents. The law also authorizes a multiagency coordination group to investigate events, and requires local health departments to conduct community health needs assessments in affected areas, with operators reimbursing all reasonable expenses.

Legislative Status

Asm. Pilar Schiavo (D-CA-40) authored the bill, joined by 13 coauthors including Asm. Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-CA-4), Asm. Patrick Ahrens (D-CA-26), Asm. Steve Bennett (D-CA-38), Asm. Mia Bonta (D-CA-18), and Sen. Henry Stern (D-CA-27), among eight others.

The full Assembly passed it 56-9 on May 29, 2025, and Senate committees cleared it through the summer. The bill then sat on the Senate inactive file for about nine months. The Assembly concurred in Senate amendments on Aug. 31, 2026, by a vote of 61-13. The law took effect immediately upon the governor's signature.

The Rural County Representatives of California said it had "serious concerns" about the bill's monitoring and enforcement framework and took an "oppose unless amended" position.

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