Building Code Council committee debates EV-charging parking definitions, enforceability and electrical-code alignment

The Building Code Council's BFRW standing committee spent much of its June 27 meeting debating how proposed EV-charging infrastructure language should treat parking and definitions, and how those definitions should align with electrical and energy codes.

The committee discussed whether the compliance table should base EV infrastructure on the number of automobile parking spaces provided, or on dwelling units and occupancy classifications; whether the table should keep an exception for small sites ("9 or fewer spaces"); how to treat "dedicated" or "employee" parking that jurisdictions cannot reliably enforce; and whether raceway and EVSE definitions should match the National Electrical Code and NFPA 70. Roger Haringa presided; Todd Byreuther, Angela Haupt, Tom Handy and other committee members and industry representatives spoke.

Why it matters: the issues determine how many EV-ready or EV-capable connections developers must install, who must install them, and how local jurisdictions would enforce those requirements. The committee's choices affect developers, multifamily property owners, suppliers and electrical inspectors statewide.

Committee members and outside presenters focused first on the table's first column (whether to use "spaces" or occupancy categories) and on the meaning and…