Somerville, MA Parking Rules: EV Charging (2026)
Key Facts
- EV charging spaces required
- 25% of motor vehicle parking spaces
- EV-ready spaces required
- Remaining 75% of parking spaces
- Where it applies
- Arts & Innovation Sub-Area master plans only
- Minimum development size
- 250,000 sq ft land area
- Governing section
- Zoning Ordinance Section 8.4.19(e)(iii)
- Enforcing official
- Superintendent of Inspectional Services
Summary
Somerville's zoning ordinance does not mandate EV charging in ordinary parking lots citywide. It does require large master-planned developments in the Union Square Arts & Innovation Sub-Area to equip 25% of parking spaces with EV charging stations and make the remaining 75% EV-ready.
At least twenty-five percent (25%) of any motor vehicle parking spaces must be provided with electric vehicle charging stations and the remaining seventy-five percent (75%) of any motor vehicle parking spaces must be ready for the installation of electric vehicle charging stations.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Zoning Ordinances: Revision - CodeBank PDF Post).
Full Breakdown
2 Motor Vehicle Parking carries no electric-vehicle mandate. 19, the Arts & Innovation (AI) Sub-Area governing the former industrial complex around Union Square. 19(e), any master plan for that sub-area, which must cover a development site of at least 250,000 square feet across designated Blocks 1-4, must provide at least 25% of any motor vehicle parking spaces with electric vehicle charging stations and make the remaining 75% ready for future EV charger installation. The requirement sits alongside other Master Plan Standards in the same subsection, including a minimum 10% civic space set-aside and floor-area splits favoring non-residential uses.
19(h)(iv) lets the Planning Board approve up to a 5% deviation on Green Score, Front Setback, Blank Wall, Commercial Space Depth, and Upper Story Step-Back standards by Special Permit, but that deviation list does not include the EV charging percentages, so the 25/75 split is not waivable through that mechanism. Compliance is reviewed as part of the Master Plan Special Permit and Site Plan Approval process required for development in the sub-area; the Zoning Ordinance defines the enforcing official as the Superintendent of Inspectional Services, Senior Building Inspector, Local Building Inspector, or Zoning Review Planner.
Outside the Arts & Innovation Sub-Area, a Somerville developer's EV charging obligations come from the Massachusetts Stretch or Municipal Opt-in Specialized Energy Code administered through the state building permit process, not from this zoning ordinance.
Violations & Fines
There is no separate fine schedule tied to the EV charging split; it is a condition of the Master Plan Special Permit and Site Plan Approval for Arts & Innovation Sub-Area development. A project that does not meet the 25% charging and 75% EV-ready split cannot receive Special Permit or Site Plan approval from the review board, and the Building Official (Superintendent of Inspectional Services or designee) enforces compliance before permits and occupancy are issued.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Somerville require EV chargers in every new parking lot?
What triggers the 25% EV charging requirement?
Can a developer get a waiver from the EV charging split?
Who reviews compliance with the EV charging requirement?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Somerville
Compare Somerville to another location·View the Massachusetts parking rules overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
EV Charging in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle ev charging.