San Diego County Planning & Development Services customers can now get a permit to build a home charging station for their electric car without wasting a volt driving to a County office.
County customers in unincorporated areas can still get electric vehicle charging station permits the same day by driving to a County office. However, they can now also get them online, just as they can with several other types of County permits, including solar roof systems, water heater replacements, heating/air conditioning duct replacements, gas line repairs, electric service upgrades and more.
The department added the electric vehicle charging station permits as part of its continuing effort to support sustainability and to make the County’s permitting and planning process easier and more convenient for customers in the unincorporated communities.
Planning & Development Services reports that it issued 61 permits for electric vehicle charging stations in fiscal year 2017-18, which ran from July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2018. However, that number is five times the 11 electric vehicle charging station permits it issued just four years ago in the 2013-14 fiscal year.
And permit requests are expected to increase. The percentage that electric vehicles made up of total car sales in California rose to 4.7 percent in 2018, up from 2.6 percent in 2017, according to the California New Car Dealers Association. Nationwide, electric vehicle sales jumped by 80 percent in 2018, from 199,826 vehicles in 2017 to 361,307 last year, according to InsideEVs.
PDS officials said electric vehicle charging station building permits will include inspections by County building inspectors to make sure they’re installed properly and meet building safety codes.
Customers can find detailed explanations for how to use all of PDS’ online services, including submitting a building permit application for an electric vehicle charging station at the department’s Accela Updates link.
Some of the department’s other online services include:
- Submitting applications for residential building permits online for items such as residential solar panel systems, electric heat pump/AC repair or replacement, gas line repair, window replacement, and water sprinklers.
- Looking up property records and information, such as building permits for property improvements, boundary lines, zoning classifications, etc.
- Estimating how much projects will cost.
- Checking to see what the “real time” wait times are for business counters at the PDS offices.
For more information about PDS and its online services, go to the department’s website.
