Kent, WA Parking Rules: EV Charging (2026)

KCC 9.38.035 governs the parking spaces Kent designates specifically for electric vehicle charging. The section creates four distinct violations. First, no one may park a nonelectric vehicle in a space designated for electric vehicles, regardless of whether the space is occupied by a charging EV at the time. Second, an electric vehicle parked in one of these spaces must actually be connected to the charging equipment; simply pulling an EV into the spot without plugging in is itself a violation. Third, an EV may not remain in the space beyond the posted time limit, even while still charging, once that limit is reached. Fourth, where a posted charging space requires payment for the electricity used, failing to pay the posted fee while stopped, standing, or parked there is a separate violation.

Each of these four scenarios carries the same $50 infraction penalty under subsection E, matching the base parking fine used throughout Chapter 9.38 rather than a heightened penalty. The rule was added to the parking chapter by Ordinance No. 4223 in December 2016 and later renumbered along with the rest of Chapter 9.38 by Ordinance No. 4428 in April 2022. Because enforcement depends on posted signage identifying a space as EV-designated and stating any time limit or fee, a driver's obligations at a given spot depend on what the sign at that curb actually says, not on a citywide default.