Reno, NV Parking Rules: EV Charging (2026)
Key Facts
- Code section
- RMC § 6.30.165
- Covers
- Multi-family lot charging spaces
- Non-EV in charging space
- Unlawful, civil fine
- EV must be charging
- To occupy marked space
- Fine authority
- RMC § 6.30.620 fee schedule
Summary
Reno bars non-electric vehicles from marked EV charging spaces, including privately owned multi-family parking lots offered for public charging, under RMC 6.30.165; violators face a civil fine set by the city's fee schedule.
(a) No person shall stop, stand, or park a vehicle other than a qualified alternative fuel vehicle ... within any space marked or signed as reserved for "electric or alternative fuel vehicle parking while charging only." (b) It is unlawful to park ... any qualified alternative fuel vehicle in a space with a charging station ... if such vehicle is not in the process of charging. ... Vehicle charging station means ... privately owned and publicly available (e.g., shopping center parking, nonreserved parking in multi-family parking lots).
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Administrative Code: Supplement 64 | Land Development Code: Supplement 5 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Reno Municipal Code § 6.30.165 makes it unlawful to stop, stand, or park a non-qualified-alternative-fuel vehicle in any space marked or signed 'electric or alternative fuel vehicle parking while charging only,' and separately bars a qualified vehicle from occupying such a space unless it is actually charging. The ordinance's definition of 'vehicle charging station' expressly reaches privately owned, publicly available charging equipment, listing 'nonreserved parking in multi-family parking lots' as an example alongside shopping centers and Park and Ride lots. The code does not mandate that multi-family properties install charging equipment: it governs how marked spaces are used once installed. Violations draw a civil fine under the city's adopted fee schedule (RMC § 6.30.620).
Violations & Fines
Parking a non-EV in a marked charging-only space, or an EV occupying one without charging, is a civil infraction; RMC § 6.30.620 sets the civil fine under the city's adopted fee schedule.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Reno require multi-family properties to install EV chargers?
Can I park a gas car in an EV charging space at my apartment complex?
Can an EV sit in a charging space without plugging in?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Reno
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