California · EV charging
Can a California landlord restrict a tenant EV charger?
Direct answer
California Civil Code section 1947.6 requires a landlord to approve a tenant’s compliant written request to install an EV charging station at a parking space allotted to that tenant for leases executed, extended or renewed on or after July 1, 2015. The request must meet the section’s conditions and the landlord’s procedural approval process. Parking and rent-control exclusions, written-agreement duties, tenant-paid costs, public approvals and the conditional insurance exemption must be checked before work.
California residential tenants requesting an EV charger in an allotted parking space, and their landlords.
Coverage depends on the lease dates and the exclusions in Civil Code section 1947.6(b).
Commercial leases follow different law.
This guide does not grant an additional parking space or replace condominium-owner approval, local permits or utility requirements.
Check the lease and parking first
The rule applies to leases executed, extended or renewed on or after July 1, 2015, and a charging station at a space allotted to the tenant. The written request must satisfy the statute and the landlord’s procedural approval process. The landlord does not have to provide an additional parking space. If installing the charger effectively reserves a space for the tenant, the landlord may charge monthly rent for that space. § 1947.6(a), (d)–(e)
Section 1947.6 does not apply to a residential rental property where:
- Tenant charging stations already serve at least 10 percent of designated parking spaces.
- Parking is not provided as part of the lease.
- There are fewer than five parking spaces.
- A residential rent-control ordinance applies, unless the lease was executed, extended or renewed on or after January 1, 2019.
- Both residential rent control and a local ordinance adopted on or before January 1, 2018 apply, and that ordinance requires approval of a tenant’s written charging request for an allotted space. In that situation, check the local ordinance rather than treating the state-section exclusion as an absence of protection.
These are separate exclusions in § 1947.6(b)(1)–(5). Obtain the lease dates, parking count and any local ordinance before paying for a design.
What the written request needs
The request must include the tenant’s consent to enter a written agreement. The agreement covers compliance with the landlord’s installation, use, maintenance, removal and infrastructure requirements; the landlord’s requirements for a complete financial analysis and scope of work; and a written description of how, when and where the work is proposed. That description must be consistent with the permitting-checklist items in the state’s Zero-Emission Vehicles in California: Community Readiness Guidebook. § 1947.6(g)(1)–(3)
Ask for the landlord’s modification procedure and required forms, mark the allotted space and electrical route, obtain an itemized scope, and submit the request in a way that proves delivery. Keep a written response identifying any missing condition or claimed exclusion. Section 1947.6 does not create the HOA’s separate 60-day deemed-approval clock; a pending request is not permission to begin construction.
Installation and ongoing costs
The written agreement must require the tenant to pay the landlord all costs of the landlord’s installation of the station and infrastructure before modifications or improvements begin. This includes permits, supervision and construction. Performance bonds are included only if required by the contractor consistently with its past work for the landlord. § 1947.6(g)(4)
The tenant must also agree to pay, as part of rent, the electricity costs and costs for damage, maintenance, repair, removal and replacement of the station and associated property modifications. Put those allocations and the move-out arrangements in writing. § 1947.6(g)(5)
The insurance rule and its two-part exemption
The current rule is personal liability coverage, as described in Insurance Code section 108, in an amount not exceeding ten times the dwelling’s annual rent. It covers property damage and personal injury proximately caused by installation or operation. The tenant and each successor tenant must maintain it from installation until the station is removed or the tenant forfeits possession of the dwelling. § 1947.6(h)
The section’s insurance requirement does not apply when both conditions hold:
- The charger is certified by a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory approved by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
- A licensed electrician installs the station and performs any associated alterations to the dwelling’s electrical system.
Keep both certification and electrician records. UL is one possible certification path; the statute is not limited to that brand. The current insurance provisions reflect SB 638, effective January 1, 2020; do not use an older fixed $1 million requirement. § 1947.6(i)
Keep permits and association approval separate
The station must meet the section’s Article 625 California Electrical Code definition. The charger and all property modifications must comply with federal, state and local law, applicable zoning and land-use requirements, and covenants, conditions and restrictions. Ask the local building or electrical department what permits and inspections apply, and the serving utility about service, metering and billing changes. § 1947.6(c), (f)
A rented condominium may also involve the owner’s relationship with an association under Civil Code section 4745. Coordinate that application with the landlord; neither an association decision nor a landlord response replaces a public permit. For an accessible government overview of the tenant process, see Dublin’s tenant EV-charging guidance.
Prepare an approval request
Records and documents checklist
- Keep the lease and each execution, extension or renewal date, parking agreement and allotted-space plan.
- Record the number of parking spaces, existing tenant charging stations, and any applicable rent-control or local charging ordinance.
- Include the landlord’s procedure, complete financial analysis and scope of work, and a written description of how, when and where work is proposed.
- Keep the proposed written agreement allocating installation, infrastructure, electricity, damage, maintenance, repair, removal and replacement costs.
- Keep the equipment’s OSHA-approved Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory certification and the licensed electrician’s installation and electrical-work records; otherwise document the applicable liability coverage.
- Keep the written request, proof of delivery, written response, required permits, inspections, invoices and electricity records.
Official sources
| Authority | Source | Relevant section | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| California Civil Code section 1947.6 (lessee EV charging station installations in residential rentals; as amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 855 (SB 638), effective January 1, 2020) | California Code, CIV 1947.6 (electric vehicle charging station; residential rental property) | § 1947.6(a)–(i) | 2026-10-15 |
| City of Dublin, California | Electric Vehicle Infrastructure for Tenants | Tenant EV-charging overview | 2026-10-15 |
Frequently asked questions
Does every rental property qualify?
No. Check the lease dates, allotted parking and all five exclusions in section 1947.6(b), including existing charging coverage, no parking in the lease, fewer than five spaces, and the two rent-control provisions.
Must every tenant buy a $1 million insurance policy?
No. The current section uses personal liability coverage capped at ten times annual rent, and its insurance requirement does not apply when both the OSHA-approved testing-laboratory certification and licensed-electrician conditions are met. The older fixed $1 million rule is not current.
Does a landlord’s silence mean approval after 60 days?
Section 1947.6 does not provide the association’s 60-day deemed-approval rule in Civil Code section 4745. Keep the landlord’s written response and check any applicable local rule; do not start construction by borrowing the HOA deadline.
What if I rent a condominium?
Use section 1947.6 to assess the residential landlord–tenant request. The owner may also need to coordinate association approval under section 4745. A permit, landlord response and association decision serve different purposes.