For the purposes of this chapter, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
"City's checklist"
means the checklist developed by the city of all requirements with which electric vehicle charging stations shall comply to be eligible for expedited review. The city's checklist shall be published on the city's publicly accessible Internet website.
"Electric vehicle charging station" or "charging station"
means any level of electric vehicle supply equipment station that is designed and built in compliance with Article 625 of the California Electrical Code, as adopted by the city pursuant to Chapter 15.08 of this code, and delivers electricity from a source outside an electric vehicle into a plug-in electric vehicle.
"Electronic submittal"
means the utilization of one or more of the following: email, the Internet, or facsimile.
"Specific, adverse impact"
means a significant, quantifiable, direct, and unavoidable impact, based on objective, identified, and written public health or safety standards, policies, or conditions as they existed on the date an application was deemed complete.
(Ord. 423 § 1, 2017)
A. 
Prior to submitting a permit application for expedited processing to install an electric vehicle charging station, the applicant shall verify, at its own expense, that the installation of an electric vehicle charging station will not have any specific, adverse impact to public health and safety and that it meets the requirements of the city's checklist. This verification includes, but is not limited to, examining and verifying the safety of:
1. 
Electrical system capacity and loads;
2. 
Electrical system wiring, bonding and overcurrent protection;
3. 
Building infrastructure affected by charging station equipment and associated conduits;
4. 
Areas where charging station equipment and vehicle parking are located.
B. 
A permit application that satisfies the information requirements in the city's checklist shall be deemed complete and be promptly processed. Upon confirmation by the building official or designee that the permit application and supporting documents meets the requirements of the city checklist, and is consistent with all applicable laws and health and safety standards, the building official or designee shall approve the application and issue all necessary permits. If the building official or designee determines that the permit application is incomplete, he or she shall issue a written correction notice to the applicant, detailing all deficiencies in the application and any additional information required to be eligible for expedited permit issuance.
C. 
The building official or designee shall allow for submittal of permit applications covered by this chapter and associated supporting documentations. At such time as the city has implemented technology to accept electronic signatures the city shall accept valid electronic signatures in lieu of wet signatures on all forms, applications and other documentation needed to obtain expedited review of an electric vehicle charging station.
(Ord. 423 § 1, 2017)
A. 
A charging station shall meet all applicable health and safety standards and requirements imposed by federal, state and local permitting authorities. It shall also meet all applicable safety and performance standards established by the California Electrical Code, the Society of Automotive Engineers, the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, and accredited testing laboratories such as Underwriters Laboratories and, where applicable, rules of the Public Utilities Commission regarding safety and reliability. Local requirements shall be limited to those standards and regulations necessary to ensure the charging station will not have a specific, adverse impact upon the public health or safety.
B. 
It is the intent of this chapter to encourage the installation of electric vehicle charging stations by removing obstacles to permitting for charging stations so long as the action does not supersede the building official's or designee's authority to address higher priority life-safety situations. If the building official or designee makes a finding based on substantial evidence that the electric vehicle charging station could have a specific adverse impact upon the public health or safety the city may require the applicant to apply for a use permit. Applications for use permits shall all be filed according to Sections 17.04.110 through 17.04.150, and shall be appealable per the procedures identified in Sections 17.04.220 and 17.04.230.
C. 
In reviewing a use permit application, the city may not deny an application to install a charging station unless it makes written findings based upon substantial evidence in the record that the proposed installation would have a specific adverse impact upon the public health or safety, and there is no feasible method to satisfactorily mitigate or avoid the specific, adverse impact. The findings shall include the basis for the rejection of potential feasible alternatives of preventing the adverse impact.
D. 
Any conditions imposed on an application to install a charging station shall be designed to mitigate the specific, adverse impact upon the public health or safety at the lowest cost possible.
E. 
In the technical review of a charging station, the building official or designee shall not condition the approval for any electric vehicle charging station permit on the approval of such a system by an association, as that term is defined by Civil Code Section 4080.
(Ord. 423 § 1, 2017)