Electric Vehicle Readiness
Electric Vehicle Charging Standards
2025
Mayor and Council Adopt Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment Code Changes
During the March 18, 2025 public hearing Mayor and Council adopted modifications to the City’s existing Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment regulations. These changes were included as part of the Community Corridors Tool (CCT) code amendment package. They clarify requirements for site expansions, and establish a path to right-size EV requirements when less parking is provided or being proposed.
Electric vehicle supply equipment regulations were originally adopted by Mayor and Council in 2022 to establish standards for electric vehicle readiness in new commercial and multi-family construction. At the time of adoption, Mayor and Council requested that City staff review the effectiveness of the regulations of the regulations beginning at one year from implementation.
Planning and Development Services staff conducted a community survey of the implementation of the regulations. Based on the survey results, feedback provided by Mayor and Council, and a community engagement meeting held in November of 2024, necessary changes to the code were identified and ultimately adopted by Mayor and Council. As part of the CCT, Sections 7.4.5 and 7.4.11 of the Unified Development Code were amended to:
- Revise requirements for site expansions to clarify that EV requirements apply only to newly developed parking areas in the case of expansions
- Establish a path to reduce EV requirements when less parking is provided than required by code through approved reductions
- Clarify language related to the installation of ADA Compliant EVSE by differentiating them from the required non-EVSE ADA parking spaces and providing a code reference on how to comply
2024
Public Meeting Materials: November 21, 2024
Community Invited To Discuss Electric Vehicle Charging Requirements Code Change
The City of Tucson Planning and Development Services Department (PDSD) invites the community to join a virtual meeting to learn about upcoming proposed changes to regulations for electric vehicle (EV) charging in Tucson and provide input.
Mayor and Council adopted electric vehicle supply equipment regulations in 2022 to establish standards for electric vehicle readiness in new commercial and multi-family construction. These requirements are intended to expand access to charging infrastructure through a phased approach by ensuring that new development provides EV infrastructure for current and future users in Tucson.
PDSD staff conducted a community survey of the implementation of the regulations to evaluate their effectiveness. Based on the survey results and feedback provided by Mayor and Council at their September 11, 2024 Study Session, areas of potential adjustments to the code were identified. These relate to requirements for site expansion and establishing a path to right size EV requirements when less parking is provided are being proposed.
Staff invites the community to provide feedback on the proposed modifications to Tucson’s electric vehicle charging standards by attending the meeting below.
Date: Thursday, November 21, 2024
Time: 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Location: Virtual - Zoom
Register Here
Feedback on the code proposal can be provided here.
2023
Tucson Reviews EV Charging Regulations One Year Post-Implementation
The City of Tucson Planning and Development Services Department (PDSD) has conducted a comprehensive review of its electric vehicle (EV) readiness regulations one year after the adoption of the ordinance mandating EV infrastructure in new commercial, multi-family, and office developments. This review follows the Mayor and Council's request during the public hearing on August 23, 2022, when the ordinance was initially approved.
The EV readiness ordinance, Effective December 1, 2022, ensures that new developments in Tucson are equipped with EV infrastructure. The regulations specify the percentage and types of EV supply equipment, levels of readiness, and best practices for location and design. This is in addition to the June 2021 local amendment to the International Residential Code, which requires EV charging provisions for new single-family homes.
The ordinance aims to increase access to EV charging infrastructure through a phased approach, ensuring that new developments accommodate current and future EV users. By installing EV infrastructure during construction, the city seeks to reduce the overall cost of transitioning to electric vehicles, avoiding the expense of future retrofits.
To assess the effectiveness of the EV charging regulations, PDSD conducted a survey targeting those affected by the new regulations and the general public. The survey received 56 responses, with 13 specifically related to EV infrastructure projects.
Key findings included:
- There is a need for flexibility in applying the standards to various situations
- Concerns about installation costs, particularly in affordable housing projects
- A call for clearer guidelines on applying EV requirements to site expansions
- Suggestions to increase incentives for installing Level 3 chargers, which are faster but more expensive than Level 2 chargers
- Strong support for single-family residential EV regulations
Over the past year, PDSD staff reviewed development packages for commercial and multi-family projects to identify those that included EV charging infrastructure. Fourteen projects were found to incorporate EV infrastructure, covering 10 multi-family sites and 4 commercial/restaurant sites.
Based on survey feedback and staff reviews, the following resources and ordinance adjustments are proposed:
- Clarify that EV requirements apply only to newly developed parking areas in site expansions, reducing future retrofitting costs
- Establish a path to reduce EV requirements when appropriate, using methods like the Individual Parking Plan
- Adjust incentives for Level 3 chargers, proposing an 8 to 1 ratio compared to Level 2 chargers to reflect cost and charging speed better
PDSD staff will explore ways to address these adjustments through the corridor redevelopment code package, which includes public input. Updates to EV parking standards will align with other proposed changes to commercial parking requirements, with completion anticipated by the end of 2024.
Important Links
2022
Code amendments to speed up Electric Vehicle Infrastructure approved by Mayor and Council
On Aug. 23, Mayor and Council approved an amendment to the Unified Development Code to ensure that new commercial development in Tucson is Electric Vehicle (EV) ready. These new regulations would require all new commercial development, multi-family, office, and retail to include EV stations or outlets, as well as conduit to support future expansion of EV capacity.
These new requirements come after more than a year of stakeholder and public engagement, community input, and technical analysis to develop the proposal. The new regulations will go into effect on December 1, 2022.
On June 22, 2021, Mayor and Council voted 7-0 to direct Planning and Development Services (PDSD) staff to initiate the process of amending necessary codes to require EV outlets for multi-family residential and commercial development. The code amendment followed a change to the Building Code approved at the same date to require all new residential (one-and two-family) construction to be EV ready. The Building Code change was one of the first implementation items resulting from the Electric Vehicle Readiness Roadmap adopted by Mayor and Council on April 20, 2021.
From July 2021 through May 2022, Planning and Development Services conducted research, consultation, stakeholder engagement, and public outreach to form amendments to commercial parking requirements.
On April 19, 2022, Mayor and Council held a public hearing to review the proposed Parking UDC Code Text Amendments, including both the Individual Parking Plan (IPP) and EV readiness. Mayor and Council continued the public hearing with direction to PDSD staff to conduct further stakeholder outreach.
A revised proposal was presented to Mayor and Council on July 12, 2022.
After the public hearing closed, Mayor and Council discussed the proposed components separately. The amendment related to IPP eligibility was adopted. Mayor and Council postponed a vote on EV readiness to allow for an additional round of stakeholder feedback.
Additional stakeholder feedback was collected through an online survey and a virtual meeting was held on Friday, August 12, 2022. The feedback was gathered, and a revised proposed ordinance was presented to Mayor and Council on Aug. 23, which was approved. You can review the agenda materials from the Aug. 23 meeting and watch the meeting on YouTube.
The code changes are tied to the City's climate emergency declaration. The adopted ordinance is scheduled to go into effect on Dec. 1, 2022.