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ARTICLE · 09 MARCH 2026

California Adopts Broad Premerger Notification Requirement

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Following an onslaught of amendments and proposed changes to California's Cartwright Act, California has once again made national news on the antitrust stage, this time targeting merger transactions.

United StatesAntitrust/Competition Law
Kaitlin Rittgers
Kaitlin Rittgers
Isabella Solórzano
Isabella Solórzano

Following an onslaught of amendments and proposed changes to California's Cartwright Act, California has once again made national news on the antitrust stage, this time targeting merger transactions. On February 10, 2026, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law the California Uniform Antitrust Premerger Notification Act ("SB 25"), making California the third state to pass a broad premerger notification requirement. The law goes into effect on January 1, 2027, and expands California's existing premerger notification requirements to apply to all industries, whereas California previously only required notifications of transactions involving healthcare, retail grocery, or retail drug firms.

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