Tracy, CA Parking Rules: EV Charging (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing chapter
- TMC ch. 9.68, adopted Ord. No. 1243 (2017)
- State authority
- Government Code § 65850.7
- Applies to
- Commercial and residential EV charging stations
- Equipment standard
- Must meet Article 625, Calif. Electrical Code
- Incomplete application
- Written correction notice, not denial
- Discretionary trigger
- Use permit if specific, adverse safety impact found
- Inspections
- One consolidated inspection unless system fails
Summary
Tracy Municipal Code Chapter 9.68 sets an expedited, streamlined building-permit process for electric vehicle charging stations at commercial and residential properties, adopted under Government Code Section 65850.7. Complete applications with the required checklist get an automatic building permit; the City may demand a discretionary use permit only where installation creates a specific, adverse impact on public health or safety.
9.68.010 - Authority; Purpose; Applicability. (a)Authority. This chapter is adopted under the authority of Government Code Section 65850.7.(b)Purpose. The purpose of this chapter is to adopt an expedited, streamlined permitting process for electric vehicle charging stations.(c)Applicability. This chapter applies to electric vehicle charging stations installed in commercial and residential applications. ... 9.68.030 - Requirements for expedited review and inspections. (a)Application. ... An application that satisfies the application and checklist requirements will be considered complete and the City will issue a building permit. If an application is incomplete, the City will issue a written correction notice detailing the deficiency. Where it is found that the installation of an electric vehicle charging station will have a specific, adverse impact on public health or safety a use permit may be required. The Building Official may require conditions for the installation of electric vehicle charging stations to mitigate a specific, adverse impact on public health or safety, consistant with Government Code Section 65850.7.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 69).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 9.68 ("Electric Vehicle Charging Stations") applies to charging equipment installed in both commercial and residential settings. Section 9.68.020 defines an electric vehicle broadly (passenger cars, buses, trucks, vans, neighborhood electric vehicles, electric motorcycles and plug-in hybrids), but excludes off-road equipment like golf carts, industrial trucks and airline ground support gear. A qualifying "electric vehicle charging station" must comply with Article 625 of the California Electrical Code as it read when the chapter took effect (Ordinance No. 1243, adopted October 3, 2017).
Under Section 9.68.030, an applicant submits a building permit application on the City's form along with every item on the electric vehicle charging system checklist; both the application and checklist are posted online. The City accepts electronic submittal by email or fax, with web-based submission to follow once the technology is available. A complete application results in automatic issuance of the building permit; an incomplete one draws a written correction notice detailing exactly what is missing, rather than an outright denial.
The chapter carves out one discretionary trigger: where the Building Official finds the installation will have a "specific, adverse impact" on public health or safety, defined in Section 9.68.020(c) as a significant, quantifiable, direct and unavoidable impact measured against written public health or safety standards in place when the application was deemed complete, a use permit may be required, and the Building Official can attach conditions to mitigate that impact consistent with Government Code Section 65850.7.
Inspections follow the same expedited philosophy: the City performs only one inspection per installed system, which may be a consolidated inspection covering multiple trades, unless the system fails, in which case additional inspections are performed until it passes.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 9.68 carries no separate fine schedule. Its enforcement runs entirely through the permit gate: an incomplete application does not get denied outright but is bounced back with a written correction notice listing each deficiency, and the applicant must fix it before a building permit issues. If the Building Official determines an installation will have a specific, adverse impact on public health or safety, the applicant must obtain a discretionary use permit and satisfy any mitigation conditions before work can proceed to final inspection.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Tracy require a permit to install an EV charging station?
What happens if my EV charger application is missing information?
Can Tracy require a use permit for a home charging station?
Which vehicles count as electric vehicles under Tracy's code?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tracy
California rules heatmap·Compare Tracy to another location·View the California parking rules overview
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