Speed Up Permits - Electric Car Charging Installations

Article Source: City of San Bruno CA

City Council Agenda Item Staff Report

Rico E. Medina, Mayor

Laura Davis, Vice Mayor

Marty Medina, Councilmember

Irene O'Connell, Councilmember

Michael Salazar, Councilmember

DATE: January 9, 2018

TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council

FROM: David Woltering, Community Development Director

SUBJECT: Waive First Reading and Introduce an Ordinance Adding Chapter 11.38 to Title 11 (Buildings, Construction and Fire Protection) of the San Bruno Municipal Code Establishing an Expedited and Streamlined Permitting Process for Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

BACKGROUND

AB 1236, adopted in 2015, requires jurisdictions with a population less than 200,000 residents to adopt an ordinance to establish expedited and streamlined permitting procedures for Electrical Vehicle Charging Stations (EVCS) by September 30, 2017. It should be noted that the requirements and guidelines contained in AB 1236 pre-empted local requirements that had not been updated, and, therefore, penalties are not assessed for late adoption by Cities. The purpose of this item is to consider adoption of an ordinance amending Title 11 of the San Bruno Municipal Code (Buildings, Construction and Fire Protection) to establish expedited and streamlined permitting procedures for EVCS in compliance with Assembly Bill 1236, codified as Government Code Section 658507. The ordinance must include the requirement that the City will adopt a checklist of requirements for EVCS applications to be eligible for expedited review.

The purpose of the AB 1236 is to promote the use of EVCS by removing barriers to homeowners and businesses installing EVCS. An EVCS is defined as any level of electric vehicle supply equipment station which delivers electricity from a source outside an electric vehicle into a plug-in electric vehicle.

DISCUSSION

In the past three years, the Community Development Department has reviewed and approved approximately thirteen building permits for single family and multi-family EVCS. The Building Division has already implemented a streamlined permit review and approval process for EVCS including deployment of the State prescribed guidelines for single EVCS installed within the garage of a single family dwelling which is conducted over the counter or within 24 hours of submittal. Larger projects with multiple charging stations, including multifamily or commercial occupancies, that are more complex and require further review for conformance with disability accessibility standards and a more thorough evaluation of the existing electrical power system, are typically completed within ten working days.

Checklist

The proposed ordinance requires the Community Development Department to create a checklist that will help expedite the review process for single charging stations installed in single-family dwellings and multiple charging stations installed on multi-family or commercial properties. The checklist must contain objective requirements for the installation of an EVCS and a process for electronic submittal of permit applications. The checklist outlines documentation the applicant must provide with the application to qualify for expedited review, including, but not limited to:

• Existing electrical service-rating in amperes, system voltage, connected or calculated load, spare capacity in amperes;
• Electric vehicle supply equipment- voltage and ampere rating, circuit rating, location, if ventilation is/or is not required, and clearances of the charging equipment to comply with all applicable building and fire safety laws.
• Improved expedited permit process in accordance with AB 1236 guidlines
• Created a checklist for expedited plan review
• Post checklist / requirements online
• Reduced field inspections to one inspection
• Ongoing training of permitting staff in using the checklist to expedite reviews of Tier 2 EVCS for single family dwellings

The checklist also helps the applicant to determine whether the location of the electric vehicle supply equipment will comply with any vehicle clearance requirements in the City's Zoning Ordinance. State law provides guidance for the content of the checklist with the "Plug-In Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Permitting Checklist" of the "Zero-Emission Vehicles in California: Community Readiness Guidebook" published by the Governor's Office of Planning and Research. An example of a checklist is included in this packet (See Attachment 2).

Planninq / Zoninci Conditions of Approval

AB 1236 also clarifies that a jurisdiction shall not condition approval of a permit for an EVCS based on the approval of an association created for the purpose of managing a common interest development, as defined in California Civil Code Section 4080.

Proposed Expedited, Streamlined Permittinci Process

In accordance with the intent of AB 1236 to provide an expedited, streamlined permitting process for EVCS, the following process is to have been implemented:

Next Steps

Staff is taking the measures to meet all requirements of AB 1236, including finalizing the application checklist in conjunction with the "Plug-In Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Permitting Checklist" of the "Zero-Emission Vehicles in California: Community Readiness Guidebook", measures for electrical compliance, and standard items for fire prevention safety. Building and Fire inspection staff are also developing procedures for expedient and thorough inspection of the electric vehicle charging stations. As stated below under the Fiscal Impact section, the number of EVCS permit applications has been small in number. It is anticipated that staff will be able to develop procedures to satisfy State requirements. However, staff will monitor activity for possible future adjustments.

The attached Ordinance is intended to satisfy the State law requirement mandated by Section 65850.7. The ordinance codifies the requirements of Section 65850.7 such as accepting and approving applications electronically, directing the City's Building Official to develop a checklist of all requirements with which EVCS shall comply to be eligible for expedited review, and authorizing the Building Official to administratively approve such applications.

FISCAL IMPACT

The fiscal impact to the City at this time is minimal based on the small number of EVCS permit applications processed to date. However, it is anticipated that with the increase in electric vehicles available to the marketplace there will be a progressive increase in over the counter plan review services required to accommodate the State mandate. It is recommended that a reevaluation of the fiscal impact be conducted within the next fiscal year to analyze the total costs associated with implementing the mandated elements of the expedited permitting process, including development of methods to allow for the electronic submittal of permit applications and related documents, development of a City policy for acceptance of electronic signatures, and the possible future need of permanent or contract staff to comply with the required deadlines for expediting review and inspection.

ALTERNATIVES

• Do not adopt ordinance and provide direction to staff
• Direct staff to revise the Ordinance for review at a future meeting

RECOMMENDATION

Waive First Reading and Introduce an Ordinance Adding Chapter 11.38 to Title 11 (Buildings, Construction and Fire Protection) of the San Bruno Municipal Code Establishing an Expedited and Streamlined Permitting Process for Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

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FULL Council Agenda Packet WITH Staff Reports can be viewed and downloaded from:

https://sanbruno.ca.gov/gov/elected_officials/city_council_minutes_n_agendas.htm

This document should be available late Friday before the Tuesday Council Meeting

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Robert Riechel

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My Posts: http://patch.com/users/robert-riechel

Photo Credit: San Bruno CA Patch Archives

Source Credit: San Bruno CA City Council

Web Site: https://sanbruno.ca.gov

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