Mountain View Municipal Code Div. 3 Permit Procedures for Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

The purpose of this Division is to adopt an electric vehicle charging system expediated permitting process that complies with Government Code Sections 65850.7 (AB 1236, 2015) and 65850.71 (AB 970, 2021) supports the timely and cost-effective installations of electric vehicle charging station systems.

(Ord. No. 9.2025, § 6(Exh. B), 9/9/25.)

The following words and phrases used in this Division are defined as follows:

"A feasible method to satisfactorily mitigate or avoid the specific, adverse impact" includes, but is not limited to, any cost-effective method, condition, or mitigation imposed by a city on another similarly situated application in a prior successful application for a permit.

"Electronic submittal" means the utilization of an online permit program or email.

"Electric vehicle charging station" or "charging station" means any level of electric vehicle supply equipment station that is designed and built in compliance with Article 625 of the California Electrical Code, as it reads on the effective date of this Section, and delivers electricity from a source outside an electric vehicle into a plug-in electric vehicle.

"Expediated review" means the time allotted by State law for the city's review of an electric vehicle charging station permit application from initial submission to issuance.

"Specific, adverse impact" means a significant, quantifiable, direct, and unavoidable impact, based on objective, identified, and written public health or safety standards, policies, or conditions as they existed on the date the application was deemed complete.

(Ord. No. 9.2025, § 6(Exh. B), 9/9/25.)

a. The chief building official, or their designee, is authorized and directed to develop and adopt a checklist, which shall be published on the city website, of all requirements with which electric vehicle charging stations shall comply to be eligible for expedited review. The applicant shall submit the permit application and associated documentation to the building division of the community development department together with any required permit fees.

b. The chief building official, or their designee, shall determine whether the application is complete. Review of the application to install an electric vehicle charging station shall be limited to the review of whether it meets all health and safety requirements of local, state, and federal law. The requirements of local law shall be limited to those standards and regulations necessary to ensure that the electric vehicle charging station will not have a specific, adverse impact upon the public health or safety.

c. Upon confirmation of the application being complete and meeting the applicable building code requirements, the application shall be approved and all required permits or authorizations issued. If an application is deemed incomplete, the chief building official, or their designee, shall provide written notice detailing all deficiencies in the application and any required missing information to be eligible for expedited permit issuance.

d. The chief building official, or their designee, can only deny a permit to install an electric vehicle charging station if they make written findings, based upon substantial evidence in the record, that the proposed installation would have a specific, adverse impact upon the public health or safety, and there is no feasible method to satisfactorily mitigate or avoid the specific, adverse impact. The findings shall include the basis for the rejection of potential feasible alternatives of preventing the adverse impact.

e. The city cannot condition approval for any electric vehicle charging station permit on the approval of an electric vehicle charging station by an owners association, as that term is defined in Section 4080 of the Civil Code.

f. If an electric vehicle charging station and any associated equipment interfere with, reduce, eliminate, or in any way impact the required number of parking spaces for an existing use(s) on-site, the chief building official, or their designee, is authorized to reduce the number of required parking spaces for the existing use(s), as required by the adopted California Building Code in place at time of application and Chapter 36 of the city code, by the amount necessary to accommodate the electric vehicle charging station and any associated equipment.

(Ord. No. 9.2025, § 6(Exh. B), 9/9/25.)

For electric vehicle charging stations eligible for expedited review, only one (1) building inspection shall be required, which shall be done in a timely manner. If an electric vehicle charging station fails an inspection, a subsequent building inspection is authorized.

(Ord. No. 9.2025, § 6(Exh. B), 9/9/25.)