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

7 requires every city and county to adopt an ordinance creating an expedited, streamlined permitting process for electric vehicle charging stations, and the county's chapter applies to permitting of all such stations countywide. Section 7-32-1030 requires every station to meet applicable health and safety standards, including the California Building Code, Tulare County Code, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and standards set by the California Electrical Code, the Society of Automotive Engineers, the National Electrical Manufacturers Association and accredited testing laboratories such as Underwriters Laboratories. Section 7-32-1040 requires all application documents to be posted on the county's website, accepts electronic signatures, and directs the Building and Housing Department to publish a compliance checklist for expedited review, drawing on the state's Plug-In Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Permitting Checklist.

Section 7-32-1050 governs the review itself: the Building Official runs an administrative review limited to whether the application meets health, safety and local law requirements, with local law limited to standards needed to avoid a specific, adverse impact on public health or safety; direct current fast charger applications get a fifteen-business-day review; a complete application meeting the checklist cannot be denied absent that adverse impact; incomplete applications get a written correction notice; and the Building Official may require an administrative special use permit only on a written finding, based on substantial evidence, of a specific adverse impact, appealable to the Hearing Officer.

Section 7-32-1020 exempts EV stations legally installed before the chapter's effective date from needing a new permit unless physically modified in a way that materially changes their size, type or components.