Kissimmee, FL Parking Rules: EV Charging (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- LDC § 14-5-7.I.5
- EV charger status
- Not deemed mechanical equipment
- Applies in
- Downtown form-based code area only
- Still requires screening
- HVAC, generators, transformers, water heaters
Summary
Kissimmee's downtown form-based code exempts electric vehicle chargers from the mechanical-equipment screening requirement that otherwise makes HVAC units, generators, and transformers hide behind fences or building façades.
For the purposes of these standards, mechanical equipment shall include any heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) or electrical machinery but also includes air compressors, hoods, mechanical pumps, exterior water heaters, water softeners, utility and telephone company transformers, meters or boxes, garbage cans, storage tanks, generators, geothermal wells, and similar elements. Electric vehicle (EV) chargers are not deemed mechanical equipment.
Figure 5-46: Mechanical Equipment Screening Figure 5-46: Mechanical Equipment Screening
6.Rooftop mechanical equipment shall be integrated into the overall mass of a building by screening it behind parapets or by recessing equipment into hips, gables, parapets, or similar features (see Figure 5-47).
Figure 5-47: Rooftop Units Screening Figure 5-47: Rooftop Units Screening
7.Rooftop equipment shall be set back from the edge of the roof by a distance at least equal to the height of the screening in order to minimize visibility from surrounding streets.8.Shopping cart storage shall be located inside the building or shall be screened by a four-foot wall consistent with the building architecture and materials.9.Shopping cart corrals in the parking lot shall meet the requirements of section 14-4-6.D.5.10.Electrical transformers and other utility equipment shall be screened from public view on all sides. (Ord. No. 3034, § 1(14-5-7), 8-4-2020; Ord. No. 3067, § 1(Exh. A), 11-15-2022)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 5).
Full Breakdown
Section 14-5-7 of the downtown form-based code requires at-grade mechanical equipment visible from a street or sidewalk to be inset into the building façade or screened with doors, a fence, or a street wall. The section defines mechanical equipment broadly, covering HVAC systems, air compressors, water heaters, transformers, generators, and similar machinery, but it expressly excludes electric vehicle chargers, stating they 'are not deemed mechanical equipment.' That means EV chargers installed in the form-based code area, downtown and the Vine Street corridor, don't have to be screened or hidden from public view like other site equipment does.
Violations & Fines
Unscreened equipment that isn't exempt, such as an HVAC unit or generator visible from the street, can be flagged during development review committee site plan review and required to be relocated or screened before occupancy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do EV chargers downtown need screening like AC units?
Does this exemption apply outside downtown?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kissimmee
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Kissimmee to another location·View the Florida parking rules overview
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