Boulder, CO Parking Rules: EV Charging (2026)

C. 1981, makes it a parking infraction to leave a non-electric vehicle in any space designated for electric vehicle charging by a sign or pavement marking using the words 'electric vehicle charging' or otherwise reasonably indicating that designation. The rule reaches beyond city streets: it applies equally to charging spaces on public property and on private property, and a private property owner or lessee who designates a space for EV charging gets the same enforcement effect as a public designation, including a waiver of any objection to enforcement by peace officers.

Where a traffic control sign posts a maximum time limit for a charging space, a vehicle, even a qualifying plug-in electric vehicle, cannot remain longer than the posted time. The section defines a 'plug-in electric vehicle' as any motor vehicle that draws electricity from a battery capable of being charged from an external source, and it makes a state-issued plug-in electric vehicle decal presumptive evidence that a vehicle qualifies, which lets enforcement officers issue or dismiss a citation without inspecting the vehicle's drivetrain. The provision was adopted by Ordinance No.

7959 in 2014 as EV charging infrastructure expanded around the city and sits in the same parking-infractions chapter as Boulder's handicapped-space and loading-zone rules, so general violations default to the escalating $30/$45/$60 fine schedule at Section 7-6-2(g) unless a specific EV charging fine is separately posted.