EV charging for renters and condo owners: right-to-charge laws by state in 2026

The short answer

If your state has a right-to-charge law, your landlord or association usually can't simply say no to a charger at your own parking space. It can still set conditions, and where the statutes we read allocate costs, the resident pays: installation, electricity, upkeep, insurance and, in most cases, removal. A right-to-charge law is a right to install at your own cost, not a promise of a free charger.

We read the current statute text from official state sources for eight states, checked October 29, 2026: California, Connecticut, Florida, Maine, Maryland, New York, Virginia and Washington. Only California and Connecticut among them give renters a right; the others protect condo or HOA owners. Colorado is only partly verified, and several other states could not be checked today; both are explained below.

These laws help most if you have a parking space that is assigned to you, deeded to you or reserved for your unit. They help little if you park on the street, in unassigned spaces or in a building the law exempts. Then ask about shared charging installed by the owner or association, workplace charging or public charging. This guide is general information, not legal advice.

Sources: [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7], [8], [10], [11], [12], [13], [14]

Renters: a right to ask, at your expense

California's Civil Code § 1947.6 says a landlord “shall approve a written request” from a tenant to install a charger at a parking space allotted to that tenant. It applies to leases signed, extended or renewed since July 1, 2015. Your request must follow the landlord's approval process for alterations and include your consent to a written agreement. You pay the landlord's installation costs, including permits and construction, before work starts, then electricity as part of rent, plus damage, maintenance, repair, removal and replacement.

The California rule doesn't apply where parking isn't part of the lease, where there are fewer than five parking spaces, or where chargers already serve at least 10% of designated spaces. Rent-controlled units are covered for leases signed, extended or renewed since January 1, 2019, unless a local ordinance adopted by January 1, 2018 already requires landlords to approve such requests. The landlord needn't add a parking space and may charge rent for a space the charger effectively reserves. You must carry personal liability coverage, capped at 10 times the annual rent, unless the charger is certified by an OSHA-approved Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory and a licensed electrician does the electrical work.

Connecticut's § 47a-13b covers a tenant's dedicated parking space and, after a phase-in that started in 2022, landlords of every size for rental agreements signed, extended or renewed since October 1, 2024. Like California's, its written agreement covers a financial analysis and scope of work, installation costs paid in advance and the landlord's electricity costs. It adds general liability insurance naming the landlord, a surety bond for removal or permission to use your security deposit, and your agreement that a charger left behind becomes a fixture. Properties with fewer than five spaces, a 10% charger ratio, Low Income Housing Tax Credit assistance or housing-authority management are exempt.

Neither the California nor the Connecticut tenant section sets a deadline for the landlord's answer, so date your request and ask for a timeline in writing. Colorado also has a tenant provision: the 2023 amending act we read (HB23-1233) says a tenant may install a Level 1 or Level 2 system “at the tenant's expense” in the leased premises, an assigned or deeded space or a shared space. We could not open the full current Colorado statute, including its conditions, so Colorado is not in the table.

Sources: [1], [3], [16]

Condo and HOA owners: what associations may and may not do

Most condo and HOA statutes follow one pattern. A rule in the declaration, bylaws or CC&Rs that effectively prohibits or unreasonably restricts a charger in your unit or designated space is void. Reasonable restrictions remain allowed; California, Connecticut, Maine, New York (condos) and Washington tie them to whether a restriction significantly increases the charger's cost or significantly decreases its efficiency or performance.

Timing matters. In California, Maryland, New York and Washington, an application that isn't denied in writing within 60 days is deemed approved, unless the delay results from a reasonable request for more information. Connecticut and Maine add a written acknowledgment within 30 days and a written decision within 60, with the same deemed approval. The Florida and Virginia sections we read set no response deadline.

Read the details for your state. Virginia's sections apply “except to the extent” the governing documents provide otherwise, and a condo association may refuse if installation isn't technically feasible or reasonably practicable. Maine's section, which voids conflicting provisions from January 1, 2026, sits in the older Unit Ownership chapter, and the Maine Condominium Act says those older sections don't apply to condos created under or converted to that Act. Ask a Maine attorney whether it reaches your building.

New York's HOA law treats restrictions adding more than 10% to the initial installation cost as unreasonable, but lets an HOA bar chargers on property it or its members own in common. In Washington, associations of detached homes, site condos or planned developments with non-adjacent units may not require approval unless the charger is on a common element or connected to common power. Washington applies the section to many communities created before July 1, 2018, but also says it doesn't invalidate their existing governing-document provisions; ask how that plays out in yours.

Sources: [2], [4], [5], [6], [7], [8], [9], [10], [11], [12], [13], [14], [15], [25]

Who pays for installation, electricity, insurance and removal

Where the statutes we read address installation costs, you pay them. Connecticut and Maine list extras an association can pass on: higher master-policy premiums, the association's attorney's fees, engineering and professional fees, permits and zoning compliance. The California and Connecticut renter rules require you to pay the landlord's installation costs before work begins. Washington makes installation the owner's cost unless a written contract with the association says otherwise.

You also pay for the electricity. Florida requires the charger to be “separately metered or metered by an embedded meter”; Maryland refers to separately metered equipment, and Virginia condos may require a separate meter at your expense. California renters pay electricity as part of rent, and Washington owners pay for “the required means to facilitate payment for the electricity.” Agree in writing how consumption is measured and at what rate before any work begins.

Insurance is the item people underestimate. Connecticut and Maine boards can set the coverage amount; Florida, New York condos, Virginia condos and Washington ask for a certificate naming the association within 14 days of approval; Maryland lets you provide such a certificate or reimburse the premium increase. California's current condo text requires a liability policy with a yearly certificate but states no dollar amount, although the Department of Energy's California summary still describes a $1 million umbrella policy. Removal is usually yours too: Connecticut renters post a bond or accept a deposit deduction, and Connecticut and Maine associations can require removal before a sale unless the buyer takes over the charger.

Sources: [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7], [8], [10], [13], [14], [26]

Before you ask: what to settle with an electrician

Start with how much charging you actually need. The Department of Energy notes that many drivers cover daily driving with overnight Level 1 charging, “provided that a power outlet on a dedicated branch circuit is available near their parking location.” Using such an outlet still needs permission and a way to pay for the power; California, Connecticut, Maine and New York condo rules at least don't require a liability policy for an existing standard NEMA plug. Our guide “Level 1 or Level 2 at home? Match charging power to your real week” and the home-charging advisor help you size the job.

Then have a licensed electrician look at your space. Ask whether the panel and service feeding it have capacity for a charging circuit (a load calculation), which route the wiring takes through common areas, which permit is needed and how consumption can be metered. The Department of Energy describes EV charging as a continuous load under the National Electrical Code, with most charging rules in Article 625, and notes permits may be required. Washington's statute puts it well: the contractor should “assess the existing infrastructure” and identify additional needs.

Ask for a written, itemized scope you can attach to your request; the California and Connecticut renter statutes expect a “complete financial analysis and scope of work.” Decide plug-in versus hardwired with the electrician; our guide “Hardwired or plug-in EV charger? Choose the installation before the box” covers that choice. We don't quote installation prices here: none of the official sources we read gave a reliable range, and costs depend heavily on the building.

Sources: [24], [14], [1], [3], [2], [4], [8], [10]

How to make the request

A good request reads like the agreement the statute expects. Name the parking space and its legal status, the charger model and its safety certification, the installer's license and insurance, the wiring route, the metering and payment method, the schedule and what happens when you move out or sell. Say that you are willing to sign the written agreement your state's law allows.

Send it in a way that proves the date of receipt, and keep copies. If the landlord or board asks for more information, answer quickly: in the 60-day states, a reasonable request for information keeps the application from being deemed approved on schedule.

1. Read your lease or your CC&Rs, declaration and bylaws, plus your state's current statute; note whether your space is assigned, deeded or a limited common element.
2. Ask the landlord or board for its written procedure for alterations or EV requests and any standard agreement.
3. Have a licensed electrician inspect the space and the panel serving it; get a written scope covering capacity, circuit, wiring route, permit, metering and removal.
4. Pick safety-certified equipment and decide between Level 1 and Level 2 based on your real driving.
5. Send a dated written request: location, equipment, installer license and insurance, metering and payment plan, schedule and your consent to the agreement the statute allows.
6. Track the clock: note the date of receipt and answer reasonable requests for information promptly.
7. Sign the agreement before any work; it should cover installation, electricity billing, insurance, maintenance, removal and what happens at move-out or sale.
8. After installation, file insurance certificates or registrations on time and keep copies; disclose the charger to buyers where your state requires it.

Sources: [1], [2], [3], [4], [6], [8], [10], [14]

States we could not verify, and a law not yet in force

The Department of Energy's Alternative Fuels Data Center (AFDC) keeps state law listings, which we used only to find statutes. Its listings also describe charging rules for renters or associations in Illinois, Oregon, New Jersey, Hawaii and Massachusetts. We could not open the official statute text for those states today, so we haven't summarized their conditions; if you live there, read the statute on your state legislature's website. Colorado is only partly verified through its 2023 amending act, as described above.

The District of Columbia added sections on condo and tenant charging rights through D.C. Law 25-262 in March 2025. The D.C. Code marks both sections “Not Funded”: they depend on budget funding, and the code states that “that amendment has not been implemented.” Treat those rights as not in force until that changes.

These laws keep moving. California amended its condo section effective January 1, 2026, Washington changed its rule in 2025 and 2026, and Maine's voiding rule started on January 1, 2026. Recheck the current text before you rely on any summary, including this one.

Sources: [16], [19], [20], [21], [22], [23], [17], [18], [2], [14], [8], [25]

Our take, and the limits of this guide

Our assessment: if you have an assigned or deeded space and your state's statute clearly covers you, a complete written request puts you in a strong position, because the landlord or association has to work within the statute's limits. Expect to pay for everything tied to your charger, and get every cost in writing first. If your building is exempt or you have no space of your own, the law gives you little leverage; a request for shared charging is then the better starting point.

This guide is not legal advice. Check the current statute and your lease, CC&Rs or bylaws, and consider a local attorney or a tenant or HOA resource before you sign an agreement or start work. Once you know your electricity rate and metering method, the charging cost calculator shows what charging at home will cost you.