Start with the parking category
CALGreen Section 4.106.4.2.2 applies to new multifamily projects with parking; space calculations round up. For an assigned or unassigned category with at least as many spaces as dwelling units, provide one low-power Level 2 receptacle per dwelling. If units outnumber spaces in that category, equip every space. When qualifying assigned and unassigned categories are both provided, one receptacle per dwelling may be in either—not both.
Separate EV-capable, EV-ready and installed EVSE
An EV-capable space has panel capacity and raceways for future charging; it has neither a receptacle nor a functioning charger. An EV-ready space has branch circuit and raceways terminating in a receptacle or charger. The multifamily baseline is EV-ready parking with low-power Level 2 receptacles (208/240-volt, 20-ampere minimum), not simply EV-capable infrastructure.
Installed EVSE is the conductors, connectors and equipment that transfer energy to a vehicle; a Level 2 charger is off-board equipment. Section 4.106.4.2.2(2)(a) additionally requires Level 2 chargers at 25 percent of unassigned or common-use spaces not already supplied with the required receptacles, available to residents or guests. It is not 25 percent of all project or assigned parking. An automatic load-management system may be used only under the section’s electrical-capacity and branch-circuit conditions.
Keep ordinary parking and accessibility separate
A space served by EVSE or designed for EV charging counts as at least one standard automobile space only when satisfying a local jurisdiction’s applicable minimum parking requirement. CALGreen does not set the zoning parking ratio or permit an EV space to be counted as multiple ordinary spaces. Keep the local zoning count separate from the EV schedule.
For installed EVCS spaces, one in every 25, and never fewer than one, needs the prescribed access aisle and either adjacency to a Chapter 11A accessible space or an accessible route. All installed chargers also must meet California Building Code Chapter 11B. EV-ready spaces and EVCS in multifamily developments must comply with Chapter 11A, Section 1109A. Resolve access in the layout before equipment selection.
Verify the local enforcement path
Statewide CALGreen is a starting point, not a blanket approval. BSC notes that local ordinances and amendments can apply, while feasibility exceptions require a case-specific local-agency determination. Confirm the current local ordinance, permit requirements, utility assumptions and accessibility interpretation before final design. Trident Chargers can assess installed-EVSE strategies and qualified low- or no-upfront-cost delivery options; availability depends on the site, utility, commercial structure and eligibility.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Before you choose a charging plan.
Does CALGreen require a Level 2 charger at every multifamily space?
No. Receptacle obligations turn on assigned or unassigned parking relative to dwelling units. The 25-percent installed-charger requirement is limited to qualifying unassigned or common-use spaces not already supplied with required receptacles.
Can EV charging replace required parking?
Only in the limited sense that the EVSE-served or EV-designed space counts as at least one standard automobile space for a local jurisdiction’s applicable minimum parking requirement. Zoning and accessible-parking review still apply.