Zoning
By defining EV charging stations in zoning laws, municipalities can separate EV charging from traditional gasoline filling stations and allow for their installation in all zoned areas. These actions will eliminate confusion and barriers for developers to implement charging stations in their building plans. Through zoning, municipalities can also both incentivize and require developers to install EV charging stations by offering extended floor area in a zone or by simply mandating a certain percentage of parking spots to have EV charging. By requiring future installation of EVSE, zoning can become a useful tool for municipalities to shape future development to both accommodate and encourage the use of EV’s. However, municipalities should also be aware of limitations as zoning alterations run the risk of stifling development and over regulating the use of EVSE. Some landlords may also be uncomfortable being forced to both install and maintain charging stations on their property. Therefore, zoning has potential according to the unique needs of various municipalities and local representatives should keep in mind the need to include the public when amending zoning ordinances.
Consider using Sustainable Jersey’s guide for example ordinances
New York City has also updated many of their zoning ordinances to be more sustainable, the initiative is “Zone Green” and at the bottom of page 3 is an explanation of EV charging station updates.
Codes
Altering municipal codes is an efficient process for municipalities to begin encouraging the installation of new EV charging stations. One code change for instance could include requiring a percentage of new parking spots to be EV ready to maintain preparedness for EVSE. Another example includes amending existing codes to require EV ready wiring for all new homes as well as increasing residential electric service to 220 V in order to accommodate level 2 charging. By making new development EV ready municipalities can begin removing barriers to a swift transition towards EV adoption. Codes could also be revised to streamline the permitting process and reduce administrative fees to better incentivise EV charging stations. Further, during code revisions governing bodies can include voluntary compliance standards that would encourage more ideal development for property owners better equipped to scale up their EVSE installation. Municipalities should also keep in mind the 3 year cycle for codes to be revised and ensure they are prepared to manage the results of a code change no matter how major or minor they might be.
Montclair Township, NJ updated their codes to enforce parking for EV charging station spots as seen here.
An example of municipal code amendments can be seen in Seattle’s 2017 electrical code amendment document on pg: 52, 57, and 159.
On September 8th, the Murphy Administration instituted a model statewide ordinance to standardize the ordinance language across all of New Jersey’s 565 municipalities. This ordinance ensures that all towns have acceptable electric vehicle parking and installation minimums and guidelines to follow, effectively streamlining the process for municipalities to install charging stations across the state. The statewide ordinance supersedes any weaker electric vehicle ordinances implemented by municipalities; however, municipalities can still undergo the usual amendment process under the “Reasonable Standards” section of the ordinance.
Our zoning, codes, and permitting section of the guide was drafted before this legislation was signed into law. These sections are here at your disposal to supplement the information provided in the new legislation. We are emphasizing to you, municipal leaders, that this piece of legislation does exist and is here to help aid the transition to electric vehicles within your domain. Importantly, the information in this guide also goes beyond what is provided by the sample ordinance to highlight the basics of zoning, codes, and permitting and specific resources available on each topic.
Permitting
Three main priorities of efficient EVSE permitting for municipalities include: permit filing, installation, and inspection. To streamline the filing process of EVSE permits, municipalities should consider decreasing the cost of permits as well as classifying chargers for single-family homes as “minor work” or appliances to reduce the amount of paperwork and procedural steps to obtain a permit. Currently under New Jersey code EVSE installation qualifies as “minor work,” so municipalities should consider matching the state code and potentially adding EVSE installation in more explicit terms within their own code. Providing an online permitting option can also make the permit process more efficient and allow for easier inspection coordination. In order to cater the permitting process to the complexity of different types of chargers, level 2 and DC fast charging should likely require a more detailed inspection process. In regards to inspections, municipalities should make a strong effort to train all of their inspectors for a quick inspection and to provide a wider availability in scheduling inspections in a timely manner. Ultimately the goal for municipalities should be to make the permit and inspection process as quick and accessible as possible, especially in the case of less complex installations like the level 1 home chargers. This streamlining will allow for more flexibility and oversight when it comes to inspecting and installing level 2 and DC fast chargers.
Utilize Drive Green New Jersey’s one pager with links to streamlined permitting examples and NJ codes to outline permitting requirements.
For Additional Information on all Three:
Refer to page 7-23 of the Creating EV-Ready Towns and Cities: A Guide to Planning and Policy Tools