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Newsom signs laws to speed California EV charger rollout
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As first reported by NBC Bay Area, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed six bills — SB 969, SB 1283, AB 1820, SB 1213, SB 1267 and SB 615 — designed to accelerate electric‑vehicle charger deployment across California and reduce costs for consumers. The measures address permitting and inspection procedures, increase transparency for truck incentive programs and expand charging options in apartment buildings and homeowners associations. The California Energy Commission reports there are more than 216,445 public and shared charging plugs statewide, including over 20,000 DC fast‑charging ports; the new laws combine regulatory adjustments with funding and rebate programs intended to convert policy changes into additional installed chargers.
Key takeaways
- Bills signed: Gov. Newsom signed six bills: SB 969, SB 1283, AB 1820, SB 1213, SB 1267 and SB 615, aimed at permitting, inspections and transparency for EV infrastructure and incentives.
- Charging network size: The California Energy Commission reports more than 216,445 public and shared charging plugs across the state, including in excess of 20,000 DC fast‑charging ports.
- MyFirstEV rebates and funding: The MyFirstEV program offers up to $3,500 for a new zero‑emission vehicle and up to $1,750 for a used vehicle, backed by $135.5 million in state investment matched dollar‑for‑dollar to total $271 million.
- CEC allocation: For the 2025–26 fiscal year, the California Energy Commission set aside $98.5 million for light‑duty ZEV infrastructure, with priority given to Level 1 and Level 2 chargers for single‑family homes and multifamily residences.
Table of contents
How the new laws change permitting and inspections
The package narrows practical barriers that installers and local permitting offices have cited for slow charger rollouts. Lawmakers rewrote inspection and permitting rules so manufacturer‑tested public chargers can clear local checks faster while keeping consumer protections intact. One bill modernizes inspection rules for manufacturer‑tested public chargers; another clarifies that streamlined permitting also covers related site work such as trenching, electrical upgrades, solar canopies and battery storage. A separate measure lowers fees and removes procedural hurdles for charger projects at apartments and mixed‑use developments, aiming to make chargers more feasible where renters live.
These changes shift the focus in many jurisdictions from whether a charger can be approved to how quickly it can be permitted and inspected. That matters because hardware lead times and contractor schedules are often secondary to the time a city or county takes to review applications, inspect installs and issue final sign‑offs. By bundling trenching and electrical upgrades into the streamlined path, the bills attempt to reduce repeated application cycles that add weeks or months to each project.
Funding, rebates and program context
The MyFirstEV program offers eligible first‑time buyers immediate point‑of‑sale rebates — up to $3,500 for a new zero‑emission vehicle and up to $1,750 for a used vehicle. The state has committed $135.5 million to the program, and participating automakers match that amount dollar for dollar, producing $271 million in total point‑of‑sale savings.
Beyond MyFirstEV, the state calls the $600 million pot of Cap‑and‑Invest revenue and smog‑abatement fees a broader effort that funds Clean Cars 4 All, the Clean Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project and the Carl Moyer Program. Separately, the California Energy Commission set aside $98.5 million for light‑duty zero‑emission vehicle infrastructure in the 2025–26 fiscal year, with a stated priority for Level 1 and Level 2 chargers at homes and multifamily properties — the locations most relevant to renters and condo residents.
Market scale and why the measures matter now
California has already outpaced its earlier sales target, a shift that affects policy priorities. The California Air Resources Board reports the state exceeded its original goal of 1.5 million zero‑emission vehicle sales by 2025, recording more than 2.7 million cumulative ZEV sales. CARB also reports that Californians bought 86,857 new ZEVs in the second quarter of 2026, representing 19.1% of all new‑vehicle purchases that quarter.
The sales data help explain the push for quicker charger rollout: when adoption is centered in apartments and urban areas, access to Level 1 and Level 2 home charging falls short, and drivers need more fast chargers along highways and at destinations. The California Energy Commission's count of over 216,445 public and shared plugs underscores the need to translate permitting and inspection reforms into extra usable charging capacity where drivers require it.
| Bill | Main change | Primary target |
|---|---|---|
| SB 969 | Modernizes inspection rules for manufacturer‑tested chargers | Public chargers |
| SB 1283 | Extends streamlined permitting to trenching, electrical, solar canopies and battery storage | Site and infrastructure work |
| AB 1820 | Reduces permitting barriers and fees for apartments and mixed‑use projects | Multifamily charging |
| SB 1213 / SB 1267 / SB 615 | Improve transparency for truck incentives, assist HOA residents, clarify battery info for buyers | Trucks, HOAs, consumer information |
Near‑term cases for and against faster rollout
The case for
- Permitting and inspection reforms should shorten municipal review cycles, shrinking a common source of project delay.
- The CEC's $98.5 million allocation for 2025–26 plus the MyFirstEV rebates lower both installer and consumer cost barriers for home and multifamily chargers.
The case against
- Local government staffing and permitting backlogs could blunt the speed gains if jurisdictions do not adopt implementing guidance promptly.
- Hardware supply, transformer capacity and distribution upgrades remain constraints that law changes alone cannot fix; those physical bottlenecks could still slow actual installations.
What to be careful about
- Implementation lag: cities and counties may take months to adopt the streamlined permitting processes, delaying expected benefits.
- Grid and interconnection limits: adding DC fast chargers often requires utility upgrades and interconnection studies that the bills do not directly fund.
- HOA and property access disputes may persist despite new assistance for residents, requiring additional guidance or enforcement to resolve.
The bottom line
The six signed bills tackle permitting, inspections and access rules so that hardware and funding can translate more quickly into usable chargers, especially for renters and condominium residents. Combined with the MyFirstEV rebates, the CEC’s $98.5 million allocation for 2025–26 and the wider $600 million investment pool, the package links regulatory fixes to concrete financing. The real test will be how swiftly state agencies and local governments publish implementing guidance and how effectively utilities and developers resolve physical grid and site constraints; until those follow‑on steps happen, the laws reduce barriers on paper but may not instantly increase the pace of installations.
What to watch
- Watch for state or local implementing guidance for SB 969 and SB 1283; no date has been set.
- Watch for the California Energy Commission's next funding notices for light‑duty ZEV infrastructure; no date has been set.
- Watch for published permitting templates or checklists for multifamily charger installs under AB 1820; no date has been set.
Frequently asked questions
Which bills did the governor sign and what do they target?
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed six bills: SB 969, SB 1283, AB 1820, SB 1213, SB 1267 and SB 615. Together they revise inspection rules, extend streamlined permitting to site work (trenching, electrical, solar canopies and battery storage), lower fees for multifamily projects and improve transparency for truck incentives and battery information.
How large are the MyFirstEV rebates and who funds them?
MyFirstEV offers rebates of up to $3,500 for a new zero‑emission vehicle and up to $1,750 for a used vehicle. The program is backed by $135.5 million in state funding that is matched dollar‑for‑dollar by participating automakers, creating $271 million in point‑of‑sale savings.
How many public chargers does California report having now?
According to the California Energy Commission, the statewide total of public and shared charging plugs tops 216,445, with more than 20,000 dedicated DC fast‑charging ports.
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