ESG disclosure & reporting9 min read

California SB 253: binding now, on a date pending approval

SB 253 and SB 261 are usually named in the same breath, which is how a large number of companies came to believe that both had been suspended. Only one was. The Ninth Circuit enjoined SB 261 on 18 November 2025 and CARB is not enforcing it. SB 253 was not enjoined, and entities within its scope remain obligated.

That single distinction is worth more than anything else in this article. If your organization stood down a California reporting project in late 2025 on the strength of a headline about an injunction, the project you stood down may have been the one that was still live.

What is settled about SB 253

Two things, and it is worth being clear about how short the list is.