Mylar Balloons Will Be Illegal In CA Under New Law: What To Know

CALIFORNIA — It’s all fun and games until the power goes out. Mylar balloons, synonymous with festive birthdays and holidays for most of us, are a bane to California utility companies.

The electricity-conducting balloons will be banned under a state law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom. Assembly Bill 847 will, among other things, "require a person who sells, offers for sale, or manufactures for sale any foil balloon to ensure that those foil balloons are manufactured to meet certain requirements, including passing a standard test that is approved by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers."

Newsom's signing of the balloon bill in September means that a newer, safer breed of foil balloons could start hitting the market, but there's a yearslong process that awaits. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers must first develop and approve a standard for testing the balloons, which is set to go into effect when the institute finalizes the standard or on Jan. 1, 2027, whichever is later. Noncompliant balloons will then be phased out over four years.

The new law dictates all foil balloons sold in California will be required to be proven incapable of conducting electricity. Violators could face fines of up to $2,500 per day.

Why all the fuss over metallic balloons?

"If they come into contact with power lines, they can cause power outages, fires, and downed live wires," bill sponsor and former assemblymember Bill Quirk, D-20, said in a Facebook post after Newsom signed the legislation. "Metallic balloons cause over a thousand power outages every year, impacting millions of Californians."

Such incidents are not uncommon, and can knock out power to thousands at a time— a mylar balloon was even to blame for an outage at Dodger Stadium.

From 2015-2021, SDG&E recorded more than 700 outages and 28 fires due to the balloons making contact with overhead power lines, according to the electricity provider. Southern California Edison had over 1,100 outages caused by balloons in 2021 alone, impacting 1.6 million customers, while PG&E had more than 600 such outages the same year.

In 2022, SCE had 802 outages alone — plus 97 explosions — caused by metallic balloons, according to KTLA.

Balloon lovers need not despair just yet, because the party won’t necessarily be over for mylar-style balloons. SDG&E is working with balloon manufacturer Anagram to develop and test a balloon that has a similar shiny, metallic appearance, but does not conduct electricity.

For now, utility companies like SCE encourage Californians to "enjoy balloons safely," suggesting to always keep them away from power lines, never attach metallic streamers and always secure them with weights.

Not everyone is in a wait-and-see mode, however. Just last month, the Laguna Beach City Council banned the sale of any balloons in the municipality due to environmental concerns.

In fact, federal officials have warned for years about the damage any balloon can do. Once balloons get loose in the environment — whether when released at parties, sporting events or a child's little hand — they pose a threat to many animals, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

"Birds, turtles and other animals commonly mistake balloons for food, which can harm or even kill them," according to the agency. "In addition, many animals can become entangled in balloon strings, which can strangle them or hurt their feet and hands."

So as California awaits the phase-out of certain balloons under AB 847, the USFWS has a very simple message for the state and the nation: "Please don't release your balloons."