Common interest developments: EV charging stations.

Senator Allen, with Assembly Member Zbur as a coauthor, frames a clarified approach to electric vehicle charging stations in California’s common interest developments by removing the requirement that an owner's liability policy name the homeowners association as an additional insured and by correcting a cross-reference related to the insurance amount, while preserving the existing framework that prohibits unreasonable restrictions and allows reasonable limitations aligned with cost and performance.

The bill reorganizes the approval and cost-application process for charging stations. If approval is required, the association handles the application in the same manner as architectural modifications, with a written decision and a deemed-approval timeline if no written denial is issued within 60 days. When charging stations are placed in common areas or exclusive-use common areas, the owner must obtain association approval, hire a licensed contractor, and provide a certificate of insurance within 14 days of approval; the owner also assumes installation and electricity costs. Ongoing obligations fall to the charging-station owner and successors, including costs for damage, maintenance, and restoration, as well as disclosure to prospective buyers about the station and related responsibilities. A homeowner may not be required to maintain a separate liability policy for a standard NEMA plug, and the association may, where appropriate, pursue a license agreement for space in a common area rather than in the owner’s designated space if installation in the owner’s space is impractical.

Enforcement, remedies, and post-approval requirements further shape risk and dispute resolution. The bill authorizes actual damages and a civil penalty for willful violations by the association, capped at 1,000 dollars, and it provides that a prevailing homeowner may recover reasonable attorney’s fees. It also imposes ongoing insurance-related obligations on the charging-station owner: a certificate of insurance within 14 days of approval and annually thereafter, with the policy not necessarily naming the association as an additional insured. The text maintains that a charging station may be installed in the common area for all members, subject to terms of use, and it authorizes the association to create a new parking space to facilitate installation.

From a policy and implementation perspective, the proposal aligns EV charging installations with health and safety standards and local permitting requirements, while clarifying cost allocation and ownership responsibilities. It shifts certain insurance formalities toward the charging-station owner, increases documentation and disclosure requirements, and preserves a framework intended to prevent overly prohibitive restrictions while allowing restrictions that do not meaningfully raise costs or reduce performance. The measure signals regulatory alignment with broader EV infrastructure objectives at the local level, with distinct implications for homeowners, associations, insurers, contractors, and prospective buyers.