Frederick County, Maryland Considers EV-Ready Ordinance

The following is a message from Council President MC Keegan-Ayer:

Bill 22-01 (Electric Vehicle Charging Stations) will be coming up for it’s second reading on February 15th.  The Third reader and Council vote is scheduled for March 1st.  This is the date that any amendments will be brought forward, if there are any.

If you’d like to make public comment on the Bill, the easiest way is to email your written comment to CouncilMembers@frederickcountymd.gov and these comments will be made part of the public record. This email will go to every Council Member, and you can email any time.  
If you prefer to call in and give live comment on either date, you can call during the meeting: 
855-925-2801, enter meeting code 8365
From here you can either leave a voicemail message (which will be played during the meeting) or enter a virtual queue to give live public comment.

For New Residential Construction

Frederick County Council President M.C. Keegan-Ayer has proposed an EV-Ready ordinance to ensure that new homes in the county will be able to have electric vehicle charging equipment easily installed in the future.

Frederick County has the third highest EV adoption in Maryland as measured in an August 2021 PlugInSites analysis.

The County Council of Frederick County, Maryland, finds it necessary and appropriate to amend the Frederick County Code to require electric vehicle charging infrastructure for charging electric vehicles in certain new residential structures by adding provisions to Chapter 1-6: BUILDINGS.

Recently, New Castle County Delaware passed Ordinance 21-116, sponsored by Councilmember Dee Durham, that requires conduit and sufficient physical space in the electrical panel to accommodate a circuit for EV charging in all new single, duplex and townhome residential construction.

Howard County Council passed an ordinance in 2018 to require EV charging infrastructure at all new residential construction. That legislation was one of the first of its kind and has become a model for the nation. Howard County’s EV-Ready code is cited as an example in the Great Plains Institute’s “Summary of Best Practices in Electric Vehicle Ordinances”.

Council President Keegan-Ayer said that she started pursuing this idea after reading the Frederick County Climate Emergency Mobilization Workgroup report. One of the recommended actions of that report is to add an EV-Ready option to the building code. The report points out that pre-wiring and offering an EV-Ready designation to new houses could boost their appeal and aid builders’ marketing efforts. She investigated the costs and found that it is significantly cheaper to install wiring, etc. when a home is being built rather than to try and retrofit later.

The bill as proposed:

• Defines “Electric Vehicle” and “Level 2 Charging”
• Applies to single family detached homes, townhouses, and duplexes
• Does not apply to mobile homes or new dwelling units without electric utility available
• Requires installation in garage, carport, parking pad, or driveway.
• Requires wiring to the box and an outlet capable of supporting Level 2 Charging or higher
• Allows the building official to specify performance standards for electric vehicle charger

Council Workshop

The proposed ordinance was discussed at a County Council Workshop on Jan. 11, 2022. Members of the public have an opportunity to make comments via email or at a future hearing on the bill.

UPDATE: News and Opinion in The Frederick News-Post

County proposal would mandate new homes have wiring for electric vehicle charging – Jan. 17, 2022
Pull the plug on electric vehicle hookup plan – Jan. 19, 2022
Don’t pull the plug on EV charging plan – Jan. 31, 2022
Don’t pass up on EV wiring proposal – Feb. 1, 2022
Planning for an electric future – Feb. 2, 2022

For more about EV-Ready ordinances and laws, see the PlugInSites Legislation Reference – New Construction EV-Ready Requirements.

Follow the progress at the 2022 EV Legislation Tracker.