A commercial EV charging project needs an electrical permit almost everywhere, usually a building permit when there is structural or civil work, and sometimes fire, planning, or right-of-way permits depending on scope. Plan check is the review of your submitted drawings; field inspections check the installed work; they are different stages, and the local Authority Having Jurisdiction runs both. This article walks the workflow step by step, what goes in the plan set and why, the rejections specific to EV charging, and what actually speeds review. Review times vary enormously by jurisdiction, from same-day over-the-counter to many weeks.
Updated Jun 202618 min read
There is no EV-specific federal accessibility standard in force yet. Commercial EV charging must comply with the 2010 ADA Standards as applied to fixed elements and accessible routes, and the U.S. Access Board has published proposed EV-specific guidelines (NPRM, September 2024) that point to where the binding rules are heading. This article covers what current law requires, what the proposal would add, and the design moves that keep you compliant under both.
Updated May 20268 min read
Commercial EV charging needs an electrical permit almost everywhere, a building permit when there is structural or civil work, and fire-code review for enclosed garages and DC fast charging. The NEC (NFPA 70) Article 625 governs the electrical work, with the 125 percent continuous-load rule at its core. Zoning rarely blocks lot add-ons but matters for canopies, signage, and standalone charging as a primary use. This article walks the layers, the AHJ relationship, and the permit sequence.
Updated May 20266 min read
Roughly a dozen states have added EV provisions to building or energy codes, ranging from EV-capable (conduit only) to EV-ready (wired to the stall) to installed EVSE. California, Washington, Colorado, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Oregon, and others lead. Most requirements attach to new construction and major renovations, not operational add-ons. This article separates the tiers, names the leading states with what is actually verifiable as of Q2 2026, and gives a compliance checklist.
Updated May 20267 min read