Building codes & construction
EV-capable / EV-ready / EVSE space
CALGreen's three tiers of parking-stall EV infrastructure: EV-capable (conduit and capacity), EV-ready (live circuit) and EVSE (charger installed).
Definition
CALGreen defines three tiers of electric-vehicle infrastructure at parking stalls, in ascending cost order: an EV-capable space has raceway (conduit) run to the stall and reserved electrical panel capacity but no wiring or equipment; an EV-ready space has a complete, energized circuit terminating at the stall in a receptacle a charger can plug into; and an EVSE space has the charging equipment itself installed. The Green Building Standards Code (Part 11) sets what share of a new multifamily project's stalls must meet each tier, and cities are free to require more.
Why it matters in an underwrite
The tier mix is set by the adopted code edition plus any local reach code, and it compounds across a garage: conduit and panel capacity cost little at rough-in but many times more as a retrofit, which is exactly why the code front-loads them. Aggregate EV load also feeds electrical service sizing — on a large garage it can be the difference between a standard and an upgraded utility service (see the PG&E Greenbook for service requirements in PG&E territory).
Sources & related guides
See also
See the term in the law itself
Read the controlling text in the Code Library, or ask the AI how it applies to your project.
Last reviewed 2026-07-29. General information, not legal advice.