California charges two separate recycling fees on batteries, and both show up as their own line on your receipt. The newer covered battery-embedded (CBE) waste recycling fee took effect January 1, 2026, and adds 1.5 percent of the retail price, capped at $15, to any product with a battery you can’t easily pop out. The older lead-acid battery fee adds a flat $2.00 to each car, boat, motorcycle, or heavy-equipment battery you buy. Together these are what people mean by the California battery tax, and the amount you pay depends entirely on which program the product falls under.
How Much the Embedded Battery Fee Costs
The CBE fee is 1.5 percent of the retail sales price for each qualifying product sold or leased in California, with a hard ceiling of $15 per product.1CalRecycle. CalRecycle Establishes Covered Battery-Embedded Waste Recycling Fee A $200 cordless vacuum triggers a $3.00 fee. A $1,500 laptop hits the $15 cap. Anything priced at $1,000 or more pays the maximum.
CalRecycle resets this rate every year. By October 1, the agency sets the fee that takes effect the following January 1, and the maximum adjusts based on the California Consumer Price Index.2California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. California Public Resources Code 42464 – Covered Electronic Waste Recycling Fee The 1.5 percent rate and $15 cap are the first-year numbers. They can change.
Which Products Trigger the Fee
The law applies to “covered battery-embedded products,” defined as any product containing a battery that is not designed to be easily removed by the user with commonly used household tools.3California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. California Public Resources Code 42463 – Definitions The test is practical: can a typical shopper swap the battery out with a screwdriver? If no, the product qualifies.
In day-to-day shopping, that means wireless earbuds, tablets, cordless power tools with sealed battery packs, robot vacuums, electric toothbrushes, smart watches, and Bluetooth speakers. If you’ve ever tried to replace the battery in one of these and found it glued or soldered in, that product now carries the fee.
Senate Bill 1215, signed in 2022, created this category by expanding the Electronic Waste Recycling Act of 2003 to cover battery-embedded products alongside the screens and monitors the original law already handled.4LegiScan. California SB1215 – Electronic Waste Recycling Act of 2003 Covered Battery-Embedded Products Fee collection began January 1, 2026.5CalRecycle. SB 1215 Covered Battery-Embedded Products
What’s Exempt From the CBE Fee
Several categories are carved out:
- Class II and Class III medical devices are fully exempt. Class I devices are exempt if they’re predominantly used in a healthcare setting or predominantly prescribed by a provider. The medical exemption is broader than implants alone — powered wheelchairs and CPAP machines qualify.6CalRecycle. Requirements for Manufacturers of Covered Battery-Embedded Products3California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. California Public Resources Code 42463 – Definitions
- Covered electronic devices with screens, since televisions, monitors, and screened laptops pay the original e-waste recycling fee instead and aren’t double-charged.
- Energy storage systems, meaning large-scale battery storage as defined in the Public Utilities Code.
- Electronic nicotine delivery systems, including e-cigarettes and vaping devices with embedded batteries.
The Lead-Acid Battery Fee
California runs a completely separate program for lead-acid batteries, the kind used in cars, boats, motorcycles, and heavy equipment. Retailers charge a $2.00 California battery fee on each lead-acid battery sold, and manufacturers or importers pay an additional $2.00 manufacturer battery fee per battery.7California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. Lead-Acid Battery Fees Guide Both fees doubled from $1.00 to $2.00 on April 1, 2022.
The program covers batteries primarily composed of lead and sulfuric acid, weighing over five kilograms (about 11 pounds), with a capacity of six or more volts. That fits nearly every standard car battery. Buying a replacement battery for your vehicle? Expect the $2.00 fee on your receipt, separate from any core charge the shop applies.
Screens Pay a Different Fee
Since 2005, California has charged an electronic waste recycling fee on devices with screens, set at a flat amount based on display size:
- Under 15 inches: $6
- 15 to under 35 inches: $8
- 35 inches or larger: $10
These apply to televisions, monitors, and laptop screens.2California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. California Public Resources Code 42464 – Covered Electronic Waste Recycling Fee A laptop charged under the screen-based schedule does not also pay the CBE fee; the two programs are mutually exclusive for any single product.
What You Should See on Your Receipt
California law requires retailers to separately state the covered electronic waste recycling fee or the CBE waste recycling fee on the receipt given to the consumer at the time of sale.2California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. California Public Resources Code 42464 – Covered Electronic Waste Recycling Fee It should appear as its own line, distinct from sales tax. Buying online from a retailer with California nexus? The fee should appear in your order summary before checkout.
Where the Money Goes
CBE fees flow into the Covered Battery-Embedded Waste Recycling Fee Subaccount, which CalRecycle uses to fund collection, transportation, and recycling of products with non-removable batteries.4LegiScan. California SB1215 – Electronic Waste Recycling Act of 2003 Covered Battery-Embedded Products The $3 or $15 you pay at checkout funds the infrastructure that keeps lithium-ion cells out of landfills, where they can cause fires and leach toxic metals.
California also requires retailers to accept used rechargeable batteries from consumers, though they are not required to take back single-use batteries. Household hazardous waste collection events and permanent drop-off sites run by local governments handle what retailers do not, and CalRecycle maintains a searchable directory of collection locations on its website.