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Committee refers ordinance to require EV charger installers to state training standard
Summary
The City Life Committee voted to send an ordinance to full council that would require electricians working on city-funded electric vehicle charging projects to hold the EVITP certification, aligning local requirements with a 2024 state standard. The referral passed unanimously.
The Portland City Life Committee voted to refer to full City Council an ordinance that would require electricians working on city-funded or city-supported electric vehicle charging projects to hold the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Training Program (EVITP) certification.
Councilor Carmen Zimmerman, sponsor of the ordinance, told the committee the measure mirrors a 2024 state requirement and aims to ensure safety and reliability for the city’s growing EV charging network. "If City of Portland dollars are used, we're doing it in a smart, safe, and certified kind of way," Zimmerman said.
Chris Carpenter, political director for IBEW Local 48, described EVITP as an industry-developed curriculum intended to reduce installation errors and public-safety risks. He said the certification is roughly a 25–30 hour course offered online with a fee and that IBEW’s apprenticeship program already includes it: "Every single apprentice that comes through our program will get the certification by the time they graduate," Carpenter said.
Committee questions focused on the 25-kilowatt threshold in the ordinance, how the requirement scales with project size, and whether nonunion apprenticeship programs teach the same material. Carpenter said the threshold is intended to distinguish smaller residential installations from larger, multi-charger commercial projects and explained the proposal scales by requiring a fraction (for example, 25%) of electricians on larger jobs to hold the certification.
Councilor Ryan moved and Councilor Mario seconded a motion to send the ordinance to council with a "do pass" recommendation. Wendy called the roll and the motion passed with five ayes. The committee recorded no objections and requested that the council president be notified so the ordinance can be scheduled for council consideration.
Next steps: the ordinance will be placed on a full council agenda for a final vote and potential local-code adoption consistent with the state standard.
