San Antonio, TX Parking Rules: EV Charging (2026)

Sec. 10-92 of the San Antonio Code of Ordinances amends the adopted 2021 International Energy Conservation Code by adding SECTION C409, Electric Vehicle (EV) Capable, which "applies to all buildings not included in SECTION R410" (the code's residential chapter). Under C409.1, the property owner must designate which branch panel or panels in the main electrical service will be reserved for future EV charging, and that designated panel must have space and capacity for one future 40-ampere breaker for every two EV-capable spaces required. The reserved spaces can be spread across multiple branch panels as long as the total space and capacity requirement is met, and each reserved slot must be labeled "For Future EV." The Director of Development Services retains authority to increase the number of spaces covered by each 40-amp breaker, or to lower the required breaker size, as smart charging technology develops.

C409.2 sets the scale of the requirement: the reserved capacity must be able to support 5 percent of the building's total required parking spaces. This is a wiring-capacity mandate rather than a requirement to install chargers or striped EV spaces outright; the code only obligates the building's electrical service and panel design at construction to leave room for chargers to be added later. It sits within the Energy Conservation Code chapter of the city's building code, enforced through the same Development Services Department plan review and permitting process as the rest of the IECC.