Residential Electric Vehicle Charging

If the EV charger conduit and wiring will not cross over property boundaries, the County requires a standard residential electrical permit. Your electrician will be required to do this for you. 

The Howard County Department of Inspections, Licenses, and Permits (DILP) processes electrical permits through their online Citizen Portal (click here to access).

• Please visit Maryland EV | Incentives, Charging & Resources for Electric Vehicles in Maryland for information on available financial incentives, including rebates, tax credits, and utility programs. 

To install a charger for personal use on Condo or HOA property, follow the below process. Alternatively, you can refer to this flyer that outlines the steps. 

1. After you obtain permission from the common ownership community, you must gather and submit the following information to the Department of Planning and Zoning (DPZ). Your licensed electrician will be required to do this for you. 

   • Charger/Receptacle Information: Obtain the specification and manufacturer type and number of chargers of receptacles proposed.  

   • Property Aerial: Obtain a google aerial image showing the physical parking space/spaces. 

   • The Location of the Charger/Receptacle: On a drawing of the property and parking space, indicate with a circle where the charger or receptacle will be located (such as within the parking space or behind the curb) and any sidewalk adjacent to the proposed charging facility. Note the method proposed to bury the electrical line to avoid a tripping hazard and damaging the equipment cord/conductors. 

   • Property house number: If you own your home, label your house number and location on the aerial image.  

   • Location of the meter: Identify the location of the meter/panel with a circle on the plan that the charger or receptacle is to be connected to.  

   • BGE Schedule and Meter Load: Provide the schedule and load on the meter/panel from Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE) to be utilized by the Department of Inspections, Licenses, and Permits (DILP).  

   • Homeowner or commercial association authorization: Provide a letter from the Association on letterhead: (a) Confirm that the charger will not be located on fee simple* property or within the public right of way. (b) Include a statement that “The County will not be responsible for any maintenance of the parking space(s), charger(s), or private features such as sidewalk, landscaping, or utilities, and the County will not be responsible for any conflicts between owners and HOA.” 

2. If DPZ reviews your materials and finds it to be sufficient, they will automatically send your information to the Department of Inspections, Licenses, and Permits (DILP) to begin processing an electrical permit.  
3. Once your electrical permit is obtained, your contractor may begin work.

*Fee simple property refers to a landowner’s complete and total ownership of a piece of land and all of the properties on it. 

Please note that your community may have their own requirements for EV charging installations, such as an Exterior Alteration Application and/or written acknowledgement from neighbors. In Maryland, if you have a deeded or reserved parking space on Condo or HOA property, you have a “right to charge.” Read more about the right to charge laws here.  

IMPORTANT NOTES:  

• If you are burying electrical conduit that crosses property lines (this is most common in townhomes), an outdoor emergency power shut off for your charger is required. This may add approximately $1,000 to the cost of your installation.  

• Please visit Incentives – Maryland EV – Zero Emissions Vehicles Infrastructure Council for information on available financial incentives, including rebates, tax credits, and utility programs. 

There are two types of ownership models typically used with shared chargers. 

1. The property owner pays for the chargers and owns, operates, and maintains them. This can be a source of profit for the property owner. 

2. The property owner works with an EV charging company to allow them to lease parking space(s) for chargers. This is a more hands-off approach. 

Both of these options are considered commercial electrical by Department of Inspections, Licenses, and Permits and will require an electrical permit with engineered electrical drawings submitted when applying.

If the property owner is a Homeowner’s Association (HOA) or Condo/Apartment Association and will own the EV charging stations for use by the residents its community, follow the process outlined in the dropdown prior to this, titled “Resident-Owned Charger on Condo or HOA Property.” For the purposes of installing EV chargers, the above associations follow the same process as referred to in this flyer that outlines the steps.

In the second scenario, the owner of the charging station will need to do both a redline on their Site Development Plan, stamped by a Professional Engineer (PE), provide an engineer's electrical drawing, and will need to obtain a commercial electrical permit. 

If you are an HOA, Condo Association, or apartment owner/manager, and you need help finding EV charging companies that offer 3rd party ownership options, the Maryland Department of Transportation maintains an EV Partnering Form. Multiple EV charging companies have already filled it out with information on what they offer. Click here to visit the EV Partnering Form webpage. 

An EV charger receptacle is an electrical outlet designed for charging electric vehicles (EVs). There are different types of chargers including wall-mount and stand-alone charging stations.

In Maryland, if you have a deeded or reserved parking space on Condo or HOA property, you have a “right to charge.” Read more about the right to charge laws here.  

No. Any electrical installments should be handled by an experienced, licensed electrician. Incorrectly installed chargers present an electrical hazard. 

That depends on the type of charging system.

• Level 1 takes approximately 16 hours.
• Level 2, the most popular residential system, takes about 6-8 hours for a full charge. This provides approximately 200-300 miles of driving range (depending upon a number of factors including vehicle, battery, speed, power, etc.).

Current lifespan for electric vehicle chargers is approximately 20-30 years.

Wiring is not permitted to cross over any property boundary. This includes a neighbor's property and sidewalks. Wiring will need to be protected against physical damage to avoid creating an electrical hazard. Wiring must be buried and should be handled by a licensed electrician. 

If you have questions regarding the residential electric vehicle (EV) receptacle permitting process for Howard County, please email DED@howardcountyMD.gov.