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Montgomery County planning commission launches 'Fully Charged' online tool to guide EV charging siting
Summary
The county planning commission unveiled Fully Charged, an interactive website and model ordinance to help municipalities plan electric vehicle charging infrastructure and reduce barriers for residents without home charging. Staff also described a separate county proposal to install 18 chargers at five county facilities.
Montgomery County planning commission staff on Thursday unveiled an online planning tool, Fully Charged, and a model municipal ordinance intended to help local governments and residents identify sites for electric vehicle chargers and prepare for wider EV adoption.
The commission’s environmental planning assistant manager, John Lesher, said the website — available at montgomerycountypa.gov/fullycharged — combines educational materials, an interactive map of existing chargers and layers showing land use, zoning and publicly owned properties. “This is a tool that is really gonna help our decision makers and our stakeholders think about their communities and where the EV infrastructure could be placed,” Lesher said.
The nut graf: County staff said the tool is meant for planners and municipal officials to plan charging that serves residents who lack private driveways or garages, and to provide ready-made ordinance language so municipalities can permit chargers in appropriate locations while addressing safety and accessibility concerns.
Lesher and planning staff described the mapping component as focused on locating gaps where on‑street or publicly accessible chargers may be needed, and on giving municipalities model ordinance language that addresses on‑street charging, interior charging safety and municipal deployment on county-owned properties. He said the model ordinance includes provisions about fire-code references, emergency cutoffs and on‑street charging management. “One of the big things our ordinance tackled…is the on‑street parking,” Lesher said, noting 80% of charging occurs at home and many residents do not have private charging access.
Commissioners and staff emphasized the planning — rather than consumer navigation — purpose of the site. Lesher said the tool is intended to evolve, with the county able to update data, add guidance and revise ordinance language as experience accumulates. He also confirmed the site is mobile friendly but recommended using a larger screen for detailed map work.
Separately during the meeting, a commissioner said the board planned to vote on installing 18 electric vehicle charging stations at five county facilities; planning staff presented the tool as part of the county’s effort to prepare municipalities and county departments for charging infrastructure. The transcript does not record a completed board vote on the county charging installation within this meeting.
Ending: Planning staff encouraged municipal officials and the public to use the site and said they will revise the model ordinance as best practices and technology change. The site is live on the planning commission web pages and county staff will continue outreach and training with municipalities.
