Alameda, CA Parking Rules: EV Charging (2026)
Key Facts
- Single-family garage requirement
- 1 Level 2 EV Ready space
- Multifamily shared parking
- 25% Level 2 + 25% Level 1
- Office/hotel/hospital uses
- 10% installed stations, 30% EV Capable
- Fast charger credit
- 80kW DCFC = 5 standard stations
- Effective
- Ord. No. 3309 N.S., 11-16-2021
Summary
Alameda requires EV charging infrastructure at every new development that provides off-street parking, under Municipal Code Section 30-7.5. Multifamily buildings need at least 25% Level 2 EV-Ready spaces and 25% Level 1 spaces; offices, hotels and similar uses need 10% installed charging stations and 30% EV-Capable spaces.
Electric vehicle charging facilities shall be provided and maintained for projects whenever off-street parking is provided, including in existing parking facilities... a.Residential Use—With Private, Dedicated Garage. One (1) parking space provided shall be a Level 2 EV Ready Space.b.Residential Use—Multifamily Shared Parking Facilities. Twenty-five (25%) percent of parking spaces provided shall be at least a Level 2 EV Ready Space. Twenty-five (25%) percent of spaces provided shall be at least a Level 1 EV Ready Space.c.Nonresidential—Offices, research and development, life sciences, banks, financial services, institutional uses, community care facilities, hospitals, personal services, health clinics, industrial, distribution, hotels/motels and other similar uses with daily parking demand. Ten (10%) percent of parking spaces provided shall be equipped with an installed electric vehicle charging station. Thirty (30%) percent of parking spaces provided shall be Level 2 EV Capable. One 80kW Direct Current Fast Charger may be substituted for up to five (5) Electric Vehicle Charging Stations.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 74).
Full Breakdown
5, adopted by Ordinance No. in 2021 as part of a rewrite of the City's parking chapter, requires that electric vehicle charging facilities shall be provided and maintained for projects whenever off-street parking is provided, including in existing parking facilities. The requirement scales by use. A single-family home with a private, dedicated garage needs just one Level 2 EV Ready space. Multifamily buildings with shared parking must make 25 percent of spaces at least Level 2 EV Ready and another 25 percent at least Level 1 EV Ready.
Offices, R&D, life sciences, banks, hospitals, personal services, hotels and similar daily-demand uses must equip 10 percent of spaces with an installed charging station and make 30 percent Level 2 EV Capable, while retail, grocery, restaurants, bars and similar hourly-demand uses need only the 10 percent installed-station threshold. 4 kilowatts to each served space. The Planning Director or Planning Board may grant exceptions for 100 percent affordable housing developments facing cost or site constraints. These EV standards apply to the same development triggers as the rest of Section 30-7: new buildings, new dwelling units, and building expansions that add more than 25 percent of existing floor area within a ten-year period.
Violations & Fines
Because Section 30-7.5 is a development standard tied to Section 30-7.2's applicability triggers, compliance is checked at the building permit and plan-check stage rather than through a separate citation. A project that omits the required EV-Ready or EV-Capable spaces will not receive plan approval or a certificate of occupancy until the charging infrastructure specified for its use category is installed or an affordable-housing exception is granted.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do new apartment buildings in Alameda have to include EV charging?
How many EV charging stations does a new Alameda office building need?
Can an affordable housing project skip Alameda's EV charging rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Alameda
California rules heatmap·Compare Alameda to another location·View the California parking rules overview
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EV Charging in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Alameda County handle ev charging.