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Trustees: permit required for level‑2 EV chargers that change home electrical service
Summary
Trustees discussed whether electric vehicle charging stations should be covered by existing permit criteria and agreed installers must obtain permits when charging installations change circuit capacity or building electrical service.
Trustees on Oct. 21 discussed possible amendments to the village’s permit guidance for electric vehicle (EV) charging stations and agreed that installations that change electrical service or add higher‑capacity circuits should require a permit and inspection.
Trustee Boatner explained the village’s existing matrix for minor electrical work does not cover installations that add new receptacles, circuits or box upgrades, and recommended using remodel/permit criteria for those cases. "So the intention when it was originally written was that if electrical outlets, switches, and lights are staying in the same place, they're not moving, you're not adding, you're not extending, then you do not need a permit," Boatner said. But he added, "If you have to add a new receptacle, run pipe, and put a circuit, and this is something new ... then you're gonna call in and request a permit."
Trustees and staff clarified the technical difference between Level 1 charging (plugging into existing 110‑volt outlets) and Level 2 charging, which typically requires a higher‑capacity 240‑volt circuit and additional infrastructure. One trustee explained a Level 2 installation often requires upgraded wiring, conduit and a 60‑amp circuit in practice and said such work should be permitted and inspected. "It's not just the box. You have to run new inductors and everything. You gotta run big number 4 wires from the box out to the, out to the garage into the charging station. It's a nontrivial thing," a trustee said.
Trustees also noted that ComEd may require notification and meter adjustments for higher‑capacity installations and that customers seeking rebates may need work by an authorized installer and a permit. The board asked staff to prepare guidance clarifying when permits are required and to ensure permit applicants are informed about utility requirements.
What’s next: Staff will draft clarifying language for permit guidance and present it to the board for approval. Trustees indicated they will require permits for installations that alter a dwelling’s service, add significant new circuit capacity or change the main electrical panel.
