Newly enacted laws in Oregon and Washington include key exemptions for security and life safety systems in right to repair policies — a development widely praised by security industry stakeholders as critical to preserving the integrity of alarm, access control and monitoring technologies.
The measures, signed by Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek and Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson last week, ensure that manufacturers will not be required to share sensitive repair documentation or system details that could be misused to compromise security infrastructure.
The Security Industry Association (SIA), which has advocated for such protections in state legislatures across the country, called the laws “major wins” for public safety. George Sewell, SIA’s manager of government relations, emphasized in a blog post that exempting security equipment from these broad mandates is vital to prevent technical details from circulating globally and undermining system effectiveness.
In Oregon, Senate Bill 959 — signed into law on May 22 — closes a gap in the state’s 2024 right to repair law by exempting alarm systems and related components. The bill also criminalizes the possession of Wi-Fi or signal jammers with the intent to disable alarm systems, classifying such tools as illegal burglary devices under state law.
The legislation passed with support from a broad coalition of security industry stakeholders, including the Electronic Security Association (ESA), Vector Security, NRG Energy (Vivint), SIA, The Monitoring Association (TMA), Axis Communications, Digital Monitoring Products (DMP) and the Oregon Burglar and Fire Alarm Association (OBFAA). Their unified efforts helped convey the urgency of the issue to state lawmakers.
ADT, one of the industry's most prominent voices, also praised the new law. “ADT and ESA are grateful to the Oregon Legislature for taking the bold step of banning the use of Wi-Fi jammers to override alarm systems,” said Holly Borgmann, ADT vice president of government affairs and chairperson of ESA’s Government Relations Committee. “We strongly encourage other states to pass similar legislation.”
Just days earlier, on May 19, Washington enacted House Bill 1483, which imposes right to repair requirements on manufacturers of consumer electronics — but includes strong carve-outs for security technologies. The law specifically excludes life safety systems, fire alarms, intrusion detection devices, and physical access control systems configured for monitoring.
SIA and its partners have consistently pushed for similar protections nationwide, playing a key role in securing exemptions in early-adopting states like California and New York. As of now, six states have enacted right to repair legislation, with Oregon and Washington joining those that formally recognize the need to protect sensitive security technologies.
“We acknowledge the value of expanding repair options for personal electronics,” Sewell wrote, “but this type of legislation can create real risks if applied too broadly.”
SIA says it will continue working alongside industry partners, advocacy groups, and lawmakers to ensure future legislation maintains vital safeguards for security and life safety systems.
