Port Townsend, WA Parking Rules: EV Charging (2026)
Key Facts
- Status
- Permitted accessory use, no CUP
- Zones
- C-II(S) commercial, mixed-use districts
- Exception
- Standalone battery exchange stations: X
- Equipment standard
- Must meet Ch. 19.28 RCW
Summary
Port Townsend allows battery charging stations and rapid EV chargers as a permitted accessory use in its commercial, mixed-use, and residential zoning districts.
Table 17.31.030 identifies land uses in the C-II(S) commercial zoning district that are permitted outright (P)... Electric Vehicle Infrastructure, except with the following features: P ... Battery Exchange Stations Not Combined with Vehicle Services X
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 3364, passed May 18, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Port Townsend Municipal Code Title 17 lists "Electric Vehicle Infrastructure", battery charging stations and rapid charging stations, as a permitted (P) accessory use outright in the C-II(S) commercial zone (Table 17.31.030) and in the mixed-use zoning districts (Table 17.18.020), with no conditional use permit required. The one carve-out: a battery exchange station not combined with vehicle services is prohibited (X) in the C-II(S) zone. Equipment must still meet Chapter 19.28 RCW and Building Code Council standards for EV infrastructure per PTMC 17.08.020's definitions.
Violations & Fines
Installing a battery exchange station not combined with vehicle services in the C-II(S) commercial zone without conditional use approval is a prohibited use subject to standard zoning code enforcement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a conditional use permit for an EV charger in Port Townsend?
Are battery exchange stations allowed?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Port Townsend
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