Assembly Bill 1236 and Assembly Bill 970
Streamline Permitting for EVCS

AB 1236 (Chiu, 2015), codified in Government Code Section 65850.7, requires all California cities and counties to develop an expedited, streamlined permitting process for electric vehicle charging stations (EVCS). The law was developed to further the availability of charging infrastructure to help drive the deployment of zero emission vehicles—the faster charging stations are deployed, the sooner California’s air quality improves, greenhouse gas emissions are reduced, and local economic benefits are captured. Pursuant to AB 1236, Plumas County must adopt a streamlining ordinance and checklist.

Please see link below to the Residential and Non-Residential Checklist to submit a Building Permit Application to obtain a permit for an Electric Vehicle Charging Station:

Plumas County EVCS Checklist (PDF Fillable Form) v_Jun/2024

Plumas County Planning and Building departments will be working on the development of a EVCS Ordinance in 2024.

AB 970 (McCarty, 2021), codified in Government Code Section 65850.71, builds on California's existing permit streamlining law, AB 1236. Jurisdictions are required by AB 1236 to limit EVCS project review to health and safety requirements. AB 970 adds specific binding timelines to that review period based on the size of the project and clarifies parking requirements:

Application Completeness

• 1-25 stations at a single site: 5 business days
• 26 or more stations at a single site: 10 business days

Application Approval

• 1-25 stations at a single site: 20 business days
• 26 or more stations at a single site: 40 business days

To meet the AB 970 timelines and requirements of AB 1236, Plumas County will provide one complete set of comments detailing all application deficiencies, which the applicant should address in a streamlined and complete manner through modifications to the existing application.

To avoid the need for corrections, project applicants should communicate with the Building Department to ensure application compliance with building, electrical, accessibility, and any health and safety requirements.

AB 1236 and AB 970 apply to all charging station installations, including: Level 1, Level 2, and DC Fast Charging; public and private charging stations; light-, medium-, and heavy-duty electric vehicle charging stations; and stations that are installed as the accessory or primary use of a site. 

AB 1236 and AB 970 likewise apply to essential components and infrastructure necessary for charging station function.