Guides · California · EV charging
Can a California HOA stop you installing an EV charger?
No. A rule that effectively prohibits or unreasonably restricts an electric vehicle charging station is void under California law. Your association can still review where it goes and how it looks — on a clock.
What the law says
Cal. Civ. Code § 4745
California law (Civil Code § 4745) makes any HOA rule that effectively prohibits or unreasonably restricts an EV charging station void.
A covenant, restriction, or condition that effectively prohibits or unreasonably restricts installation or use of an electric vehicle charging station is void and unenforceable.
Read the statuteCal. Civ. Code § 4745(e)
Your HOA has 60 days from receiving an EV charger application to deny it in writing. If it doesn't, California law (Civil Code § 4745(e)) deems it approved — unless it reasonably asked for more information.
Approval or denial of an EV charging station application must be in writing. If it is not denied in writing within 60 days of receipt, it is deemed approved, unless the delay is the result of a reasonable request for additional information.
Read the statuteCal. Civ. Code § 4765(a)(4)
A California HOA must give you its architectural decision in writing, and a denial has to explain why and tell you how to ask for reconsideration (Civil Code § 4765).
A decision on a proposed physical change shall be in writing. If a proposed change is disapproved, the written decision must include an explanation of why it was disapproved and a description of the procedure for reconsideration.
Read the statuteCal. Civ. Code § 4765(a)(5)
If your application is denied, you are entitled to have the board reconsider it at an open board meeting (Civil Code § 4765).
If a proposed change is disapproved, the applicant is entitled to reconsideration by the board at an open meeting of the board.
Read the statuteCal. Civ. Code § 4765(c)
Your HOA has to send members a yearly notice of what needs architectural approval, including a copy of its procedure (Civil Code § 4765(c)).
An association shall annually provide its members with notice of any requirements for association approval of physical changes, describing the types of changes that require approval and including a copy of the procedure.
Read the statuteThe 60-day clock
Approval or denial has to be in writing. If the association doesn't deny your application in writing within 60 days of receiving it, the statute treats it as approved — unless the delay came from a reasonable request for more information. So submit in a way that proves the date of receipt, and answer information requests immediately.
What your association can still ask about
Review normally focuses on things that are visible or shared: where the unit is mounted, whether conduit runs on an exterior wall, and how the installation is finished. Those are design questions, and they are usually solvable — running conduit inside the garage, or matching the wall color, resolves most objections without touching the project.
Charging equipment in a common-area or shared parking situation raises separate questions about who owns, insures, and pays for the installation. That is worth asking your manager about early, because it changes what the application needs to contain.
What to put in the application
- Photos of the area today
- Manufacturer spec sheet
- Contractor license
- A photo or simple drawing showing exactly where the unit and any conduit will go.
See the full EV charger application checklist, or how California deadlines work.
This is general information about the law in your state, not legal advice about your situation. Talk to an attorney before relying on it.
Statutes reviewed September 2026. Laws change; verify before relying on this.