Santa Ana, CA Parking Rules: EV Charging (2026)

Article XVII (Sec. ) applies to "the permitting of all electric vehicle charging stations in the City," with no exception written for apartments, condos, or homeowner associations, stations installed before the article took effect are grandfathered unless they're materially modified. A qualifying "charging station" must be built to Article 625 of the California Electrical Code and meet Society of Automotive Engineers, National Electrical Manufacturers Association, and Underwriters Laboratories standards, plus Public Utilities Commission safety rules where applicable (Sec. 8-2902). The Building Department is required to publish its permitting checklist online, accept electronic submittals by email or fax, and take electronic signatures in lieu of a wet signature (Sec.

8-2903). Under Sec. 8-2904, the Department adopted an administrative, nondiscretionary review process so that any application meeting the checklist is deemed complete and gets a building permit "at an expedited rate," with review limited to local, state, and federal health-and-safety compliance. An incomplete application draws a written correction notice listing every deficiency. Once a station is installed, the Building Department must inspect it, and that inspection has to be efficient, timely, and consolidated where possible. If a station fails inspection, the property owner gets a follow-up inspection, though that re-inspection doesn't have to follow Article XVII's expedited timeline.

Because the article defines its scope by equipment type rather than building type, a multi-family property owner or HOA installing chargers in a shared garage goes through the same permit and inspection track as a single-family homeowner, there's no separate multi-family standard or numeric parking-space mandate written into this local chapter.