Senate Transportation reviews bill to let condo owners install Level 1–2 EV chargers and require public‑charger data sharing

A Senate Transportation Committee meeting in Vermont examined draft legislation that would limit condominium associations’ ability to block the installation of Level 1 and Level 2 electric vehicle chargers and require charging network providers to share real‑time availability, power‑delivery and pricing data with third‑party mapping and routing services.

A committee member who presented the draft said the bill would prohibit association provisions that “effectively prohibit or unreasonably limit the installation of level one or two chargers” in a unit owner’s condo, dedicated parking space or limited common element. The presenter described a 60‑day approval deadline for modification requests, a 14‑day window for unit owners to reimburse associations for any attributable insurance premium increases, and owner responsibility for installation, maintenance, electricity costs and disclosure of chargers to prospective buyers.

The bill also seeks to improve public charging usability by requiring charging network providers or charging station operators to make, at no charge to third‑party developers, the data necessary to show whether a charger is available, its power‑delivery rating and its pricing. "As an EV driver, that is the most frustrating part — seeing a charger and finding it is out of service," a committee member said during debate on the draft. Sponsors said the proposal would standardize data formats (for example, to align with NEVI requirements) and include GPS location information so routing apps can direct drivers to functioning chargers.

Committee members raised privacy and business‑confidentiality questions about making usage data available. The draft would allow operators to attach reasonable conditions to protect confidential business information, provided those conditions do not prevent third‑party access to the core availability, power and pricing information. Lawmakers repeatedly asked staff to check whether existing state laws or user agreements already govern which customer data may be shared.

Members debated implementing the data and technical provisions by formal rulemaking or by agency guidance. Several said formal rules could provide enforcement authority but would require a time‑consuming Administrative Procedure Act process; guidance could be quicker but might lack enforcement teeth. The presenter suggested a compromise in which the secretary "may" adopt rules and must promulgate guidance to clarify compliance expectations.

Agency officials signaled implementation questions. "The Agency of Transportation has been involved with EV charging because we did receive federal monies to deploy EV charging," Michelle Boomhower of the Vermont Agency of Transportation said, but she added AOT does not maintain a complete dataset of all chargers and may need other agencies’ technical support for the study and data tasks the draft proposes.

The draft would also direct the Secretary of Transportation, in consultation with the secretaries and relevant commissions (including Agriculture, the Public Utility Commission and the Department of Public Service), to prepare a written report for the House and Senate transportation committees cataloging current statutes, rules and regulations that affect charger installation and operation, identifying conflicts or gaps, and recommending changes to improve charger availability.

Committee members scheduled additional testimony—including an attorney who represents common interest communities—for the next meeting at 1:30 p.m. Staff from the fiscal office said they will circulate a tracking document showing governor, House and Senate language and where provisions differ to help the panel refine the draft.

The committee did not take a vote during the session; members will reconvene after the scheduled testimony to consider amendments and next steps.