Accessible EV Charging Stations

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As electric vehicles increase in popularity and use, the infrastructure needed to charge those vehicles is also becoming more readily available. In fact, California Green Code (CALGreen) currently requires EV Spaces for most new facilities. One factor often overlooked is the accessibility requirements for EVCS.

If EV Charging Stations are required to be provided, does that mean that a portion must be accessible for people with disabilities?

YES! The California Building Code contains scoping and technical requirements for both Van Accessible and Standard Accessible EV Charging Stations. These minimum requirements must be met for new construction and EVCS additions.

If I hired a licensed architect to design my property, I should be fine right?

Maybe. There are common mistakes that we find during plan review. The most common error is when a designer consolidates accessible parking and accessible EVCS. These are two separate elements and must be scoped separately. If your project requires 1 van accessible parking stall and 1 van accessible EVCS, then they must occupy 2 separate spaces with 2 separate access aisles.

California requires accessible EV Charging Stations but what about the ADA?

There are currently no federal accessibility standards for EVCS but that does not mean that owners are off the hook from providing accessible EVCS. Legal precedents specify that the lack of explicit scoping or technical requirements does NOT relieve entities from the obligation of providing equal access to goods and services.

How to receive help with Accessible EVCS requirements

If you have a project that is currently in the design or construction phase, we highly recommend having your plans reviewed by one of our Certified Access Specialists (CASp). Doing so will ensure that you are in compliance with the applicable State and Federal requirements and prevent project delays.

If you have an existing facility, we recommend scheduling an onsite review of the property. All sites are unique with different site constraints and challenges. Our inspectors have years of experience and apply a common sense approach to inspections of existing facilities. In some cases, you may not need to provide an accessible EVCS.

Contact Us today for a free consultation.

 
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Cory Cabral

Cory Cabral is our co-founder and Senior Certified Access Specialist. He graduated from San Diego State University with bachelors degree in Business Administration. After college he began his career in the sign industry where be became an expert in the field of ADA signage. During that time, he found that many of his clients were being put out of business because of ADA lawsuits. In most cases, the business owners simply did not know that their businesses had barriers to accessibility. He soon began searching for resources to help his clients avoid accessibility lawsuits and discovered the California Certified Access Specialist program. After immersing himself in all aspects of accessibility in the built environment by studying at the CalCasp Academy and the DSA, he became a California Certified Access Specialist. He is now CASp-630 and helps businesses limit exposure to ADA lawsuits by providing them with the resources necessary to make their products and services accessible to all.