Benton County, WA Parking Rules: EV Charging (2026)
Key Facts
- Allowed use (GC)
- BCC 11.23.030(b), General Commercial District
- Allowed use (CC)
- BCC 11.29.030(a), Community Commercial District
- Definition
- BCC 11.03.010(67), Electric Vehicle Charging Station
- Permit needed
- None; listed allowable use, no CUP
- Geographic reach
- Unincorporated Benton County only
- Prohibition clause
- BCC 11.23.070 bars unlisted uses in GC
Summary
Benton County classifies an electric vehicle charging station as a permitted, stand-alone land use, allowed outright alongside automobile fueling stations in the General Commercial (GC) and Community Commercial (CC) zoning districts across unincorporated Benton County. No conditional use permit or Planning Administrator review is required; a station only has to meet each district's general property development standards under BCC Title 11.
11.23.030 ALLOWABLE USES. Provided all applicable code provisions are satisfied, the following uses are allowed in the General Commercial District (GC) on a single parcel of record: ... (b) Automobile fueling station, electric vehicle charging station, truck stop, car wash, public garage, towing service, and/or mini-mart.
Full Breakdown
Benton County's zoning code treats an electric vehicle charging station as a stand-alone land use, not an accessory feature bolted onto a gas station. 010(67) defines it as "a parking space containing battery-charging station equipment that has as its primary purpose the transfer of electric energy (by conductive or inductive means) to a battery or other energy storage device in an electric vehicle and that does not meet the definition of a Rapid Charging Station," a faster-charging use the code tracks separately. 030(a) in the Community Commercial (CC) district.
020), so the rule stops at the Kennewick, Richland, West Richland and Prosser city limits. 14. Any installation outside a district where the use is listed as allowed, accessory, or conditional falls outside this part of the code entirely.
Violations & Fines
BCC 11.23.070 states that "any use not authorized or approved pursuant to BCC 11.23.030, BCC 11.23.040, BCC 11.23.050 or BCC 11.23.060 is prohibited within the General Commercial District (GC)," and BCC 11.29.070 repeats the same bar for the Community Commercial District. Because charging stations are only listed in those two chapters' allowable-use sections, installing one in a district that doesn't list it, without a rezone or applicable Hearings Examiner conditional use permit, is an unauthorized use subject to the county's standard zoning enforcement process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a conditional use permit for an EV charging station in Benton County?
Does this rule apply inside Kennewick or Richland?
How does county code distinguish an EV charging station from a rapid charging station?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Benton County
Compare Benton County to another location·View the Washington parking rules overview
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