AN ACT to regulate electric vehicle charging stations.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  G.S. 20‑4.01 reads as rewritten:

§ 20‑4.01.  Definitions.

Unless the context requires otherwise, the following definitions apply throughout this Chapter to the defined words and phrases and their cognates:

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(7c)      Electric vehicle charging station. – A public or private parking space that is served by charging equipment that has as its primary purpose the transfer of electric energy to a battery or other energy storage device in an electric vehicle.

(7d)     Reserved for future codification purposes.

(7e)      Reserved for future codification purposes.

(7f)      Reserved for future codification purposes.

(7c)(7g)     Employer. – Any person who owns or leases a commercial motor vehicle or assigns a person to drive a commercial motor vehicle and would be subject to the alcohol and controlled substance testing provisions of 49 C.F.R. § 382 and also includes any consortium or third‑party administrator administering the alcohol and controlled substance testing program on behalf of owner‑operators subject to the provisions of 49 C.F.R. § 382.

….

SECTION 2.  Article 3 of Chapter 20 of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new section to read:

§ 20‑162.4.  Parking in a space designated as an electric vehicle charging station.

(a)        Prohibited Conduct. – No person may park a vehicle in an electric vehicle charging station located on public or private property if the vehicle is not connected to the charging equipment.

(b)        Signage. – A space designated as an electric vehicle charging station must be (i) indicated by vertical signage identifying the station as an electric vehicle charging station and indicating that it is only for electric vehicle charging and (ii) the signage must be consistent with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways, published by the United States Department of Transportation, and any supplement to that Manual adopted by the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

(c)        Penalty. – Any person who commits a violation of subsection (a) of this section shall be guilty of an infraction and a fine of one hundred dollars ($100.00).

(d)       Local Jurisdictions. – Municipalities may authorize by ordinance additional prohibited conduct for parking in a space designated as an electric vehicle charging station and higher penalties than those set out in this section.

(e)        Enforcement. – This section shall be enforced by State, county, city, and other municipal authorities in their respective jurisdictions in the same manner as is used to enforce other parking laws and ordinances.

SECTION 3.  Article 9 of Chapter 143 of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new section to read:

§ 143‑139.5.  Electric vehicle charging station standards.

Electric vehicle charging stations utilizing parking spaces located in parking lots or parking garages shall not displace handicapped accessible parking spaces required by the North Carolina State Building Code or reserved parking for veterans.

SECTION 4.  This act becomes effective December 1, 2023, and applies to offenses committed on or after that date.