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Committee recommends that Farmers Branch ask council to approve EV‑charging readiness in new homes
Summary
The Farmers Branch Sustainability Committee voted to recommend city council adopt new construction requirements to make homes 'EV‑capable' or 'EV‑ready,' aiming to lower barriers to home charging; staff said builders gave limited pushback and commercial properties were excluded from requirements.
The Farmers Branch Sustainability Committee voted to recommend that the City Council consider an ordinance requiring new residential construction to include infrastructure that makes home electric‑vehicle charging easier to install.
City sustainability staff (addressed as Alex) told the committee the proposed standards use model language from the International Code Council and describe three tiers: "EV capable," meaning panel capacity and a circuit for a future charger; "EV ready," which adds conduit and a 240‑volt outlet; and "EV installed," meaning a level‑2 charger installed during construction. Alex said the proposal focuses on new construction and residential units because "80% of the charging takes place at the home." (staff response paraphrased from SEG 416–421 and SEG 380–387).
The nut of the recommendation is to reduce retrofit costs by including capacity and rough‑in during initial construction, staff said. Committee members asked whether builders or the public might object to increased costs; staff reported that local builders they spoke with "didn't really push back on this" and that concerns would likely center on added cost to builders. Staff also explained the committee chose not to add new requirements for commercial buildings after receiving local feedback and because residential charging accounts for most household charging demand.
The committee approved a motion, by voice vote, to recommend the ordinance as presented and forward it to the City Council study session for feedback. The motion carried on a voice vote; the meeting record does not list a roll‑call tally (voice vote recorded as "ayes; motion carries"). Staff said they will present the items to the council study session the following Tuesday and post materials on the city website and YouTube for public review.
What happens next: The recommendation goes to the City Council study session; council may provide direction, request modifications or schedule a public hearing. Staff flagged that builders' groups or individual builders could contact council with comments before any final action.
