Cowlitz County, WA Parking Rules: EV Charging (2026)

543, adopted by Ordinance 14-053 on June 10, 2014, governs electric vehicle charging equipment in unincorporated Cowlitz County. The stated purpose is to give residents safe, efficient personal charging at home and let commercial and industrial developments supply charging to customers and employees. Siting depends on charger level and zoning district. Level 1 and Level 2 charging stations, the slower home- and workplace-style units, are permitted uses outright in the C-1 and C-2 commercial districts and the ML, MH and AG-I industrial districts; in every other district, including the RR, SR, UR, MF and AG districts, they are only allowed as an accessory use to a primary use already on the property.

315 before installing one. On the building side, a charging station does not need its own county installation approval, though the underlying construction can still trigger state building code review depending on design, and any electrical work must be approved by the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries. Signs marking a charging station's location near a public right-of-way may need separate federal, state or local approvals. Every station must be reserved for charging electric vehicles only, should be signed with voltage, amperage, time-of-use and fee information, and cannot block the accessibility clearances required under WAC 51-50-005.