Shasta County supervisors are being asked to advance a zoning ordinance that would make electric vehicle charging stations a permitted use in all zone districts, subject to a narrow standard tied to specific adverse impacts.
According to the Feb. 24 staff report, the board is being asked to open and close a public hearing, adopt CEQA findings, adopt Planning Commission Resolution 2026-003, and enact an ordinance amending Title 17 of the county code. The proposal would add a formal definition for an electric vehicle charging station, revise the county’s special-use chapter to say EV charging stations are permitted in all zone districts, and add parking standards for spaces equipped with chargers.
The staff report says the change responds to California Government Code sections 65850.7 and 65850.71, which require counties and cities to provide an expedited permitting process for EV charging stations. It also says the county’s separate Title 16 building-code changes, which are intended to handle the primary substantive permitting steps, will come before the board as a separate item.
Under the draft ordinance, EV charging stations would be allowed without discretionary review if they would not cause a “specific adverse impact” as defined in county code section 16.14.040. If that standard is not met, the ordinance says the project could still be permitted through a use permit under section 16.14.070 and section 17.92.020.
The parking provisions would require EV charging spaces to meet the county’s minimum dimension and design standards and count as one parking space for parking calculations. If charger equipment interferes with required parking for existing uses, the county would reduce required parking by the amount needed to accommodate the equipment.
The Planning Commission considered ZA22-0011 on Jan. 22 and recommended approval by majority vote. The staff report says no public comments had been received, the work was included in the Planning Division budget for fiscal 2025-26, and the action would have no additional General Fund impact in the current fiscal year.