Hillsboro, OR Parking Rules: EV Charging (2026)

Hillsboro Community Development Code § 12.50.360.H, last amended under Ordinance No. 6488 on December 3, 2024, splits the electric vehicle infrastructure requirement by building type. Subsection H.1 requires new commercial development to provide electrical service capacity, as defined in ORS 455.417, to serve not less than 20% of all provided vehicle parking spaces, the same statewide floor the state building code set for new construction. Subsection H.2 goes further for housing: new multifamily residential buildings with 5 or more dwelling units, and new mixed-use buildings that combine privately owned commercial space with 5 or more dwelling units, must provide electrical service capacity to serve 40% of all provided parking spaces, double the commercial rate.

'Electrical service capacity' under ORS 455.417 does not require an installed charger at every space; it means the building's electrical service is sized, with overcurrent devices or reserved capacity, so chargers can be added later, or that a location adjacent to the parking area is designated for remote charging equipment. Section 12.50.360.A ties the whole section, including the EV subsection, to development subject to Development Review under Section 12.80.040: new multi-dwelling, commercial, industrial and institutional projects, plus single detached or middle-housing development where parking is shared by more than 2 dwelling units in a common area. Projects with individually assigned garages, carports or spaces are exempt from Subsection H and are instead held only to the space-dimension standards of Subsection 12.50.360.C.

Because Subsection H sits inside the design-and-improvements standards of 12.50.360, the required electrical capacity has to be shown on the Development Review plans the City approves before a building permit issues, not added after occupancy. The Community Development Code itself was adopted by Ordinance No. 6094 on August 5, 2014, and the EV infrastructure requirement was most recently amended by Ordinance No. 6488 in December 2024.