California SB 253 Readiness Checklist

A practical, eight-section checklist for companies preparing their first SB 253 disclosure. Free to download, adapt, and share internally.

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Download the checklist

Markdown source, ~8 sections, no email required, no signup gate. Use it to evaluate your current carbon reporting tooling or to audit the gaps before engaging an assurance provider.

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What the checklist covers

  1. Scope determination (revenue, CA nexus, subsidiaries)
  2. Governance and ownership (executive sponsor, internal controls)
  3. Methodology selection (GHG Protocol alignment, Scope 2 method choice, Scope 3 tier)
  4. Data collection (Scope 1 sources, Scope 2 facilities, Scope 3 by category)
  5. Calculation infrastructure (ledger, snapshot, change log, approval)
  6. Quality assurance (anomaly detection, data quality tier tagging)
  7. Assurance readiness (provider selection, evidence pack format)
  8. Filing readiness (draft review, board sign-off, CARB submission)

Why this checklist exists

The conversation about SB 253 tends to focus on scope and timeline. The harder problem is what you need before the assurance provider walks in: immutable calculation ledger, locked factor snapshot, documented methodology, approval trail. Every bullet in the checklist represents something assurance providers will ask for — often in writing, with reconciliation expectations that mirror financial audits.

Related: SB 253 reporting software · Audit-ready carbon accounting · Sample evidence pack

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this checklist free to use?

Yes. Download it, adapt it, and share it internally. Attribution to OffGridFlow is appreciated but not required. The checklist is not legal advice and does not substitute for consulting CARB guidance.

What format is the download?

Markdown for easy editing in your team's documentation system. Open it in any text editor, or convert to PDF/DOCX using standard tooling. A PDF mirror will be added as demand warrants.

How does the checklist map to OffGridFlow?

Each section references an artifact a carbon accounting tool should produce (methodology version, calculation ledger, factor snapshot, approval trail, export reconciliation). OffGridFlow produces all of them. The checklist helps you evaluate any tool, not just ours.

Ready to see it with your data?

Upload a CSV and generate your first compliance report in under two hours. No consultant engagement required.

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OffGridFlow calculates emissions using documented GHG Protocol methodology. Reports are drafts; customers are responsible for verification before regulatory submission.