National City, CA Parking Rules: EV Charging (2026)

Chapter 15.82 of the National City Municipal Code, Expedited Permit Processing for Electric Vehicle Charging Stations, was adopted by Ord. No. 2017-2430 on 2-7-2017 to comply with AB 1236 and Government Code 65850.7. Section 15.82.020 defines a charging station as any level of electric vehicle supply equipment station designed and built in compliance with the California Electrical Code that delivers electricity from a source outside an electric vehicle into a plug-in electric vehicle, so the chapter reaches every charging level.

Under section 15.82.030 an applicant who wants the expedited track files on a form approved by the city's building official. The building official acts on these applications administratively, and decisions can be appealed to the planning commission. The building official develops the checklist of requirements and publishes it, with the required permitting documentation, on the city's website. An application that satisfies the checklist is deemed complete and eligible. Unlike the city's rooftop solar chapter, this chapter accepts electronic submittal of permit applications and electronic signatures. An incomplete application draws a written correction notice detailing all deficiencies and the additional information required.

Once the application is complete and the stations substantially conform to all applicable local, state, and federal health and safety requirements, the building official shall administratively approve it and issue the required permits. If the official finds, based on substantial evidence, that the project could have a specific, adverse impact on the public health and safety, the applicant can be required to apply for a conditional use permit. Any condition must mitigate that impact at the lowest cost possible. The city can deny an application only with written findings based on substantial evidence in the record that the installation would have a specific, adverse impact and no feasible method exists to mitigate or avoid it. The city can also establish a process to prioritize competing applications. Under section 15.82.040, permit fees for eligible stations are those in the master fee schedule of the city of National City.