Gov. Code § 65850.7
Zoning Regulations: Adoption of Regulations

Gov. Code § 65850.7

Electric vehicle charging and hydrogen-fueling stationsTITLE 7. PLANNING AND LAND USE › DIVISION 1. PLANNING AND ZONING › CHAPTER 4. Zoning Regulations › ARTICLE 2. Adoption of Regulations

Amendments not yet in effect. SB 1283 (Ch. 347, Stats. 2026) amended this section, effective January 1, 2027. The text below is the current Code text (current law). Leginfo already lists the later version; it is summarized under Source below. Open the History tab and choose a bill to see the section as that bill leaves it. Not legal advice.

Key provisions · Claude summary, not statute text

Requires cities and counties, including charter cities, to approve electric vehicle charging stations and qualifying hydrogen-fueling stations administratively, limits grounds for denial, and requires expedited permitting ordinances with checklists.

  • Legislative findings. Installing EV charging and hydrogen-fueling stations is a matter of statewide concern, not a municipal affair, so the section applies to all cities including charter cities; local agencies should not create unreasonable barriers and should minimize permitting costs without superseding the building official’s authority over higher-priority life-safety situations. (a)(1)–(4)
  • Administrative approval. Applications for EV charging stations must be approved administratively through a building permit or similar nondiscretionary permit. Hydrogen-fueling stations get the same treatment only on a parcel zoned industrial or commercial with no residential units, or previously developed with a “service station.” (b)(1)–(2)
  • Scope of review. Review is limited to the building official’s check of local, state, and federal health and safety requirements, with local requirements limited to those needed to prevent a “specific, adverse impact” on public health or safety. If the official finds, based on substantial evidence, that such an impact could occur, a use permit may be required. (b)(3)
  • Use permit denial. A use permit may be denied only on written findings, based on substantial evidence, of a specific, adverse impact that cannot feasibly be mitigated or avoided; findings must explain the rejection of feasible alternatives. (c)
  • Appeals and conditions. The building official’s decision may be appealed to the planning commission. Any conditions must mitigate the specific, adverse impact at the lowest cost possible. (d), (e)
  • Technical standards. Stations must meet state and local health and safety standards. EV stations must meet California Electrical Code, SAE, NEMA, and accredited testing laboratory standards and applicable PUC or Department of Food and Agriculture rules; hydrogen stations must meet SAE and testing laboratory standards, applicable state laws including ARB, Energy Commission, and Department of Food and Agriculture rules, and GO-Biz’s Hydrogen Station Permitting Guidebook. (f)(1)–(3)
  • Expedited permitting ordinance. Jurisdictions had to adopt an ordinance with an expedited, streamlined permitting process and an eligibility checklist for EV stations by September 30, 2016 (population 200,000+) or September 30, 2017 (under 200,000). For qualifying hydrogen stations the deadlines are September 30, 2025 (population 250,000+) and September 30, 2028 (under 250,000). Ordinances are developed in consultation with the fire department and, if applicable, the utility director. (g)(1)
  • Complete applications. An application meeting the checklist is deemed complete and, once confirmed, must be approved with all required permits issued; competing applications may be prioritized. Incomplete applications get a written correction notice listing all deficiencies. Where the jurisdiction operates an electric utility, the applicant must show compliance with its interconnection policies. (g)(2)
  • Online access and e-signatures. Checklists and permit documents must be posted online, electronic submittal allowed, and electronic signatures accepted, unless the ordinance states reasons why e-signatures cannot be accepted. Jurisdictions may refer to GO-Biz guidebooks and may modify checklists for unique climatic, geological, seismological, or topographical conditions. (g)(3)
  • Association approval. Permit approval may not be conditioned on approval of the station by an association as defined in Civil Code § 4080. (h)
  • Definitions. Defines “a feasible method to satisfactorily mitigate or avoid the specific, adverse impact,” “electronic submittal” (email, internet, or fax), “electric vehicle charging station,” “hydrogen-fueling station,” and “specific, adverse impact” (a significant, quantifiable, direct, and unavoidable impact based on objective, written standards existing when the application was deemed complete). (i)
  • Sunset. The section remains in effect only until January 1, 2030, and is then repealed. (j)

Paraphrased from the statute text; each point cites its subdivision. Check the text before relying on it.

ClaudeGreen text is a summary heading written by Claude to help navigate. It is not statute text; the statute text is in black.

§ 65850.710 subdivisions

Source. California Code text from the Legislature's bulk download (the same data as leginfo), reproduced character for character (spacing normalized). Current page on leginfo ↗

History. (Amended (as amended by Stats. 2022, Ch. 373, Sec. 1) by Stats. 2024, Ch. 607, Sec. 1. (SB 1418) Effective January 1, 2025. Repealed as of January 1, 2030, by its own provisions. See later operative version, as amended by Sec. 2 of Stats. 2024, Ch. 607.)

Other version. Leginfo also lists another version of this section (Amended (as added by Stats. 2022, Ch. 373, Sec. 2) by Stats. 2024, Ch. 607, Sec. 2. (SB 1418) Effective January 1, 2025. Operative January 1, 2030, by its own provisions.). This page shows the version in effect now.

Cited by, in this navigator. Gov. Code § 65850.71

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Statute text comes from the California Legislative Information page saved for this section; spacing and line breaks are normalized and every other character is reproduced as published. Check leginfo for any amendment made after the page was saved. Not legal advice.