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Arapahoe County, CO Parking Rules: EV Charging (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified August 2026

Key Facts

Principal-use EV stations
Allowed only in A-E, A-1, R-2-B, O districts
Parking credit
EV space counts toward minimum parking requirement
ADA van-accessible EV space
Counts as two parking spaces
Weather canopy height cap
18 feet, ground to underside
PUD accessory charging
Allowed in all zones except Floodplain (F)
Signage
Must meet standards in LDC § 4-1.7

Summary

In unincorporated Arapahoe County, an EV charging facility can be an accessory use almost anywhere or a stand-alone principal use only in the A-E, A-1, R-2-B, and O zone districts. Land Development Code § 3-3.11.B counts any parking space served by a charger toward the site's required minimum parking.

City-specific rules exist: Centennial, and Aurora have their own ev charging rules that differ from Arapahoe County's county-level regulations. If you live in one of those cities, check the city-specific page instead.

B. ELECTRIC VEHICLE

1. Electric Vehicle Charging Stations & Facilities An EV Charging Facility consists of a Principal Use EV Charging Station or an Accessory Use EV Charging Station. Accessory Use for Electric Charging Stations is an incidental or subordinate use to the principal use on the Subject property. EV Charging facilities are allowed per the applicable allowances in the Use Table and the Procedures specifications within this Code. The absence of a principal use on a given parcel of land does not preclude the establishment of an Electric Vehicle Facility as a Principal Use, in the following districts: A-E, A-1, R-2-B, & O. ... Parking: i. Any parking space served by an EV Charging Station or any parking space used to site EV Charging Stations or Equipment will be counted toward applicable minimum parking requirements. ... iv. Any parking space that is served by an EV Charging Station and is ADA van-accessible shall count as two parking spaces towards applicable parking minimums, so long as it is available for use by all drivers (not just persons with a disability).

Source: Arapahoe County Building PermitsView official code

Full Breakdown

Arapahoe County's Land Development Code treats EV charging as either an Accessory Use (incidental to whatever else is on the parcel) or a Principal Use. B says the absence of any other principal use on a lot does not stop an Electric Vehicle Facility from being established as the principal use itself, but only in the A-E, A-1, R-2-B, and O districts; agricultural-zoned parcels are specifically allowed two principal uses at once as long as one of them is an EV charging station. Inside a Planned Unit Development, principal-use charging facilities are limited to Commercial and Industrial zones, while accessory charging is allowed in every PUD zone except Floodplain (F).

On parking, any space served by a charger, or used to site the charging equipment itself, counts toward the property's minimum parking requirement, and an ADA van-accessible charging space counts as two spaces toward that minimum as long as any driver, not just one with a disability placard, can use it. Equipment and screening may not sit inside the zone district or PUD setback unless the applicant shows the county that siting it outside the setback is infeasible, and weather canopies are barred from setbacks outright and capped at 18 feet from ground to the underside of the canopy, must stay open on the sides, and cannot block sight-distance triangles. 7.

Violations & Fines

Installing a principal-use charging station outside the A-E, A-1, R-2-B, or O districts, or siting equipment inside a required setback without showing the county that no other location is feasible, is a zoning compliance violation the Planning Division enforces the same way it enforces any unpermitted site plan change: through a notice requiring correction, relocation, or removal of the noncompliant equipment before the use can continue.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I put an EV charging station inside my required setback in unincorporated Arapahoe County?
Only if you can show the county it's infeasible to locate the equipment or screening outside the setback. LDC § 3-3.11.B says EV Charging Stations, Equipment, and required screening 'are not permitted within the designated zone district ... or PUD setbacks of the subject property' absent that showing, and weather canopies are barred from setbacks with no exception.
Do EV charger parking spaces count toward my minimum parking requirement?
Yes. Section 3-3.11.B says any parking space served by an EV Charging Station, or used to site the charging equipment, 'will be counted toward applicable minimum parking requirements,' and a van-accessible ADA charging space open to all drivers counts double.
Can I run an EV charging business as the only use on my unincorporated Arapahoe County lot?
Yes, but only in the A-E, A-1, R-2-B, or O zone districts. LDC § 3-3.11.B allows a principal-use EV Charging Facility even where no other principal use exists on the parcel, and agricultural-zoned lots may carry two principal uses simultaneously if one is the charging station.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Arapahoe County

All Arapahoe County rules

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