Oak Park, IL Parking Rules: EV Charging (2026)
Key Facts
- Energy fee
- $0.25 per kWh dispensed
- Max charging session
- 3 hours unless posted otherwise
- Grace period after charge completes
- 30 minutes
- Idle fee after grace period
- $0.25 per minute
- Permit holders at that facility
- Exempt from limits and idle fees
- Adopted
- Ordinance 26-128, April 21, 2026
- Billing method
- Charging network provider, not a citation
Summary
The Village of Oak Park charges 25 cents per kilowatt-hour at its public electric vehicle charging stations and caps each charging session at three hours. Drivers who finish charging early get a 30-minute grace period, after which an idle fee of 25 cents per minute applies. Permit holders at that facility are exempt from both limits.
O. Electric Vehicle Charging Station User Fee: 1. A fee of twenty-five cents ($0.25) per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of energy dispensed shall be paid by a user of any of the Village's publicly-accessible electric vehicle charging stations. ... Electric Vehicle Charging Station Time Limits and Idle Fees: (a) Vehicles utilizing Village-owned or operated electric vehicle charging stations are subject to a maximum occupancy limit of three (3) hours per charging session, unless otherwise posted. (b) If a vehicle completes charging prior to the expiration of the three (3) hour maximum occupancy period, a grace period of thirty (30) minutes shall begin upon completion of charging. (c) Upon expiration of the grace period described in subsection (b), an idle fee of twenty-five cents ($0.25) per minute shall be assessed for each minute the vehicle remains connected to the charging station unless otherwise posted.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-9: Code current through: Ord. 26-159, passed - -2026).
Full Breakdown
Under Ordinance 26-128, adopted April 21, 2026 by the Village President and Board of Trustees exercising home-rule power under Article VII, Section 6 of the Illinois Constitution, the Village of Oak Park amended Village Code Section 15-3-18 (Chapter 15, Motor Vehicles and Traffic, Article 3, Parking) to add time limits and idle fees for its public electric vehicle charging stations. Subsection O first sets the base charge: a user of any Village publicly-accessible EV charging station pays 25 cents per kilowatt-hour of energy dispensed, plus any convenience, transaction or processing fees and taxes the transaction carries; the Village decides what software and hardware collects the fee.
Item 4 then layers on occupancy control. A charging session at a Village-owned or Village-operated station is capped at three hours unless signage posts a different limit. Once a car finishes charging early, the driver gets a 30-minute grace period before idle fees start. After that grace period lapses, the meter runs at 25 cents per minute for every minute the vehicle stays plugged in, whether or not it is actually still charging, and that idle fee keeps accruing even past the three-hour cap. Rather than issuing a parking ticket, the Village routes these idle charges through its designated electric vehicle charging network provider, so they are billed, not adjudicated.
The Village Manager or a designee sets the signage, administrative procedures and network configuration needed to run the program, and the Village must post notice of the time limits and fees on signage, the charging station's own display, and the network's mobile or digital platform. One carve-out: permit holders assigned to the specific Village-operated parking facility where a charger sits are exempt from both the three-hour cap and the idle fee, and the Village Manager can set them separate, extended charging windows administratively.
Violations & Fines
Overstaying triggers a fee, not a ticket: idle charges of 25 cents per minute begin once the 30-minute grace period after charging completion lapses, and continue to accrue even if the vehicle has finished charging, up to and beyond the three-hour occupancy cap. Village Code Section 15-3-18.O(e) directs that these idle fees are collected through the Village's designated charging network provider and are not adjudicated as parking citations.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to charge an EV at a Village of Oak Park charging station?
What happens if I leave my car connected after it's done charging?
Will I get a parking ticket for overstaying at a Village charging station?
Do Village parking permit holders pay the EV charging idle fee?
Sources & Official References
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