Committee advances ordinance requiring large commercial garages to install EV chargers, accepts waiver process and amendment

The Land Use Committee voted to send an amended ordinance to the full Board that would require commercial parking lots and garages with more than 100 spaces to install electric vehicle charging equipment.

Charles Sheehan of the San Francisco Department of the Environment said the ordinance targets existing commercial parking facilities (about 300 sites citywide) and would require Level 2 charging stations at 10% of parking spaces, or a functionally equivalent number of fast chargers, with a compliance date of 01/01/2023. "It's going to target commercial garages and parking lots with 100 or more parking spaces," Sheehan said, describing the scope and the department's intent to pair municipal initiatives with private-sector requirements.

Sheehan framed the proposal within the city's broader climate goals — San Francisco's goal of net-zero emissions by 2050 — and pointed to transportation as the largest emissions source locally (he said transportation accounts for about 46% of the city's emissions). The department noted approximately 750 public charging ports existed citywide and cited October 2018 vehicle registration figures of about 10,000 EVs (with projections higher in later 2019 data), yielding roughly 0.07 public charging ports per registered EV at that earlier benchmark.

The ordinance includes a waiver process administered by the Department of the Environment that can be granted for (1) insufficient electrical capacity (for example, requiring a new transformer), (2) infeasible site conditions (grading or ceiling-height limits), or (3) a documented failure to secure agreements with at least two EV charging providers. The SFPD’s commercial parking permit process is tied to compliance; Sheehan said SFPD can suspend or revoke permits and that fines are available for noncompliance.

Supervisors pressed staff on implementation: how the rule would apply to existing permitted garages (annual police-department permit renewals were discussed as an enforcement point), whether large residential garages (e.g., Park Merced) are covered (Sheehan said new residential construction is addressed by the city’s EV readiness ordinance but existing multifamily charging remains challenging), and how pricing and usability would affect equitable uptake. "If only people that can afford that additional cost will take advantage of it, then they will sit there empty or not utilized," Supervisor Asha Safaei said, urging attention to pricing and user experience.

Public comment from Eddie (representing Bridal Line) supported the policy but highlighted equity and geographic gaps in charging access—particularly in Bayview-Hunters Point and on the West Side (Richmond, Sunset)—and called for curbside charging exploration. "It should not be seen as just a rich person's toy," the commenter said.

Chair Peskin introduced an amendment to allow the Board to review and reject or modify director regulations within 60 days of delivery; committee members accepted the amendment without objection and the item was sent as amended to the full Board with a recommendation.