Background

According the Mendocino Council of Governments (MCOG), the rate of adoption for plug-in electric vehicles (PEV) has increased dramatically over the past few years. This growth is likely to continue, especially in California, where incentives for electric vehicle purchases are offered to support the state's greenhouse gas emission reduction efforts. California has established goals of five million electric vehicles on the road by 2030, with 250,000 charging stations in place by 2025.

 In 2015, the State of California adopted Assembly Bill 1236 (2015, Chiu, Codified as Government Code Section 65850.7), which requires local jurisdictions with a population less than 200,000 residents to adopt an ordinance to create an expedited, streamlined permitting process for electric vehicle charging stations. The amendments to Section 65850.7 include the requirement for a jurisdiction to adopt an ordinance for and adopt a checklist of requirements. In Mendocino County, once a permit application satisfies all of the information requirements, it will be deemed complete and promptly processed using standard building permit processing procedures. 

Mendocino County Charger Map

Building Permit Procedure 

• Guidelines to Submit Building Permits Online
  • Using the guidelines from the link above, complete and submit the Mendocino County Building Permit Application and EV Charging Checklist Forms for the review of County staff online. 
• Mendocino County EV Charging Checklist  & Building Permit Packet (PDF)
• What’s my APN? What’s My Zoning?

Resources & Links

• Mendocino County Chapter 18.50 – EV Charging Stations
• CA Accessibility Standards – EV Charging (PDF)
• Electric Vehicle Charging Ordinance 4479 (Signed)
• County GIS Mapping
• Go Biz EV Charging Guidebook

Regional Readiness

In 2019, the Mendocino County Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) and Alternative Fuels Readiness Plan Update was released by MCOG. Prepared by W-Trans with MCOG staff and regional ZEV Advisory Group, the plan provides research, recommendations and resources for local agencies, and informs much of the County's present EVCS regulation. Included in this plan update is a target of 150 public Level 2 electric vehicle chargers to meet 2025 demand, requiring the installation of 69 new chargers countywide. More information can be found, below:

In addition to planning for a countywide charging station network, consideration or regional needs is required to achieve success. To ensure this connectivity to a larger regional network, coordination with charging station development in adjacent counties - Sonoma, Humboldt, Lake, Glenn, Tehama, and Trinity - is essential. Sonoma County is by far the most populated of the six, with over 500,000 people, and the City of Santa Rosa (population 175,000) is approximately 35 miles south of the county line. More information about MCOG’s efforts can be found on their website.