Your charger is only useful if a charging car can reach it. When a gas car sits in the stall, the hardware is idle, the driver who needed it is gone, and you are the one who hears about it. The first thing to know is that no federal rule governs this. What you can do depends on your state and, often, your town. The second thing to know is that a tow that is not backed by the right sign and the right paperwork can cost you more than the blocked stall did.
This guide is for the people who own, host, or manage charging: property managers, retailers, hotels, employers, and multifamily operators. It covers what makes enforcement hold up, what six states actually require, and how to treat the quieter version of the same problem, an EV that is parked and not charging.
The sign does most of the legal work
Across the states below, the same two things keep showing up. The space has to be marked as reserved for charging, and the sign has to say what happens to a violator. Washington requires vertical signage identifying charging-only spaces. Maryland requires signs that state the charging-only restriction, any day or time limits, and the maximum fine. Colorado defines an "official sign" as one that cites the statute or an equivalent local ordinance and clearly shows the penalty. California requires a sign immediately adjacent to and visible from each stall saying a vehicle that does not meet the charging requirement will be removed at the owner's expense, along with the phone number of the local traffic enforcement agency.
So the practical rule is to write your sign to the strictest standard you are likely to meet, not the loosest. A good sign names the restriction (charging only), states the consequence (fine, tow, or both), cites the law or ordinance where one exists, and carries the number someone would call. Paint on the pavement helps drivers; it rarely satisfies a statute by itself. Keep photographs of the installed signs, dated, because the first question in any dispute is what the sign said and whether it was visible.
What six states say
This is a sample, not a 50-state survey, with brief notes on two more, and the rules move. It reflects each state's own statute or its entry in the Department of Energy's Alternative Fuels Data Center (AFDC) as read on the date below. Check the current text for your state before you print a sign.
| State | Who is barred | Penalty | Notes for hosts |
|---|
| New Jersey | Non-EVs, and EVs not actively charging | $55 first, $100 second, $200 third and later | Enacted November 2025; towing left to the municipality; spaces must be marked |
| Washington | Vehicles not charging | $124 infraction | Vertical signage required (RCW 46.08.185) |
| Maryland | Anything but an EV actively charging | $100 | Transportation Art. 21-1003.2; since October 1, 2022; sign must state restrictions and maximum fine |
| Colorado | Vehicles not connected to the charger for more than 30 minutes | $182 | Exceptions include lodging, airports, and 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. |
| Arizona | Non-EVs without an alternative fuel plate or sticker | At least $350 | Civil penalty under A.R.S. 28-876 |
| California | Vehicles not meeting the charging requirement in a designated space | See note; amount not listed here | Removal at the owner's expense with the required sign (Vehicle Code 22511) |
Virginia and Rhode Island also have rules on the books, at up to $25 (with room for local governments to add to it) and $85 respectively, according to AFDC. Two details are worth noting. First, the newer statutes reach EVs that are not charging, not just gas cars, which matters for the idle problem below. Second, a fine and a tow are different tools. New Jersey's law sets fines and leaves towing to the municipality's discretion, so a New Jersey host should not assume the statewide law gives a private lot the right to tow.
Towing is its own step
Where private towing from an EV stall is permitted, it usually comes from a local ordinance or a general towing statute, not from the charging law. Illinois shows the pattern. Villages such as Riverwoods, in a notice dated January 22, 2026, let the owner or operator of a private off-street lot have a non-electric vehicle towed from a charging space, but only after notifying the police. Antioch's code uses similar language. Conditions vary by village, so check your own code.
Three habits keep a tow defensible. Confirm that your jurisdiction allows it for charging stalls specifically, ask your towing contractor to confirm that they know the local notice requirement, and make the police call before the hook goes on the car, not after. If your state or town has no clear rule, a fine-and-warning policy backed by good signage is safer than towing on a theory.
Design the space so fewer cars wander in
Enforcement is expensive. Design is cheap. Pavement graphics and a wheel stop (or bollard) at the head of the stall keep the space visibly different from a regular one, and an accessible EV stall still has to meet the accessibility rules, so check the layout against ADA requirements for EV charging before you add anything that narrows an access aisle. Put the stalls where an attendant, a tenant, or a camera can see them; the site selection fundamentals guide covers why sightlines matter for more than blocked stalls. Add the signage and striping to the punch list at commissioning and handover, so the stalls open correctly marked rather than getting signs after the first complaint.
The EV that is parked but not charging
Several of the statutes above treat an EV that is not charging the same as a gas car, which is the legal version of an idle fee. Colorado gives a driver 30 minutes unplugged before the presumption applies. Maryland requires the car to be actively charging. For a host, the practical lever is usually price, not police: a grace period followed by an idle fee, configured on the charger platform, moves cars without anyone writing a ticket. See pricing your charging for how to set it, and the drivers' side in EV charging idle fees and etiquette. Where a statute sets a grace window, such as Colorado's 30 minutes, keep your sign and your idle-fee grace period consistent with it.
Check the insurance and the contract
Before the first tow, ask your insurer whether towing a vehicle from your lot creates exposure for damage claims, and read your towing contract for who bears that risk. The commercial EV charging insurance article covers the coverage questions that come up for charging sites. If a managed network operates the stalls, check who is responsible for enforcement in the host agreement, because it is often the host.
A short checklist
- Find your state statute and your local ordinance, and note whether each covers fines, towing, or both.
- Write the sign to the strictest standard you are likely to meet: restriction, consequence, citation, phone number.
- Photograph the installed signs and keep the dated record.
- Decide your response ladder in advance: warning, fine, tow, and who authorizes each.
- Notify police first wherever your local rule requires it.
- Set a grace period and idle fee for EVs that are parked and not charging.
Last factually verified: November 6, 2026. Sources: Alternative Fuels Data Center state law entries for New Jersey, Washington, Maryland, Colorado, Arizona, Virginia, and Rhode Island (read through search results); the California Vehicle Code section 22511 text as quoted in search results; Colorado enrolled bill HB19-1298 summary; Village of Riverwoods notice of January 22, 2026 and Antioch municipal code language (via search results); news coverage of the New Jersey signing on November 13, 2025. afdc.energy.gov, california.public.law, and app.leg.wa.gov could not be fetched directly from this environment, so each figure above was confirmed from search-result excerpts of those pages and, where available, a second source. The New Jersey fine amounts match AFDC and bill-tracking summaries but were not confirmed against the chaptered text. None of the figures above was read from primary statute text. Statutes and local ordinances change; confirm current text before posting signs or towing. This is general information, not legal advice.
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