Monterey County, CA Parking Rules: EV Charging (2026)

18, adopted by Ord. No. 7, applies only to charging stations in the unincorporated area of the County; Salinas, Monterey, Seaside, Marina, Carmel-by-the-Sea, Pacific Grove and King City run their own building departments and are not covered. A construction permit is required for any utility-interconnected charging station, but stations legally installed before the ordinance's effective date are grandfathered unless they undergo physical modifications that materially change size, type or components. Applications may be submitted electronically, including electronic signatures in lieu of a wet signature. The Building Official must develop a checklist substantially conforming to the Plug-In Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Permitting Checklist in the Governor's Office of Planning and Research's Zero-Emission Vehicles in California guidebook, and applications meeting that checklist are administratively approved as nondiscretionary permits within a reasonable time once fees are paid.

Review is limited to whether the station meets local, state and federal health and safety law; local standards may not exceed what is necessary to avoid a 'specific, adverse impact' on public health or safety. If the Building Official, in consultation with the Chief of Planning, finds such an impact based on substantial evidence, the applicant must instead apply for a discretionary use permit, and that requirement can be appealed to the County Planning Commission. A use permit itself may only be denied on written findings of a specific, adverse impact with no feasible mitigation, and that denial is appealable to the Planning Commission or, if the Commission was the decision-maker, to the Board of Supervisors. Stations must also meet California Electrical Code Article 625 and applicable Public Utilities Commission safety standards. 40.