Senate Passes Bill to Significantly Boost Installation of EV Charging Infrastructure

Environment New Jersey

Trenton – Today, the State Senate passed a bill (S3223) by a vote of 32-0 that will make the permitting process for municipalities looking to build electric vehicle charging stations significantly easier and faster. The bill, sponsored by Senators Smith and Bateman, is a big step forward in New Jersey’s efforts to build out a statewide network of electric vehicle charging stations. 

This bill will make electric vehicle charging stations a permitted accessory use and structure, which would mean that charging stations would not require use variances, and could be approved with only minor site plan approval. As permitted as an accessory use, charging stations would be excluded from parking requirements such as the number of units or amount of floor space. Therefore, this bill will make it much quicker and much easier to install electric vehicle charging stations in parking garages and lots, at multi-family housing complexes, and in municipalities. 

Hayley Berliner, Clean Energy Associate with Environment New Jersey issued the following statement:  

“It can currently take more than two years for municipalities to obtain permits to install EV charging stations, which is way too long considering the sheer number of charging stations we need to meet our EV goals. This bill will cut that time considerably and allow municipalities to install charging stations where they are needed most. This is another small, but incredibly important step on the way towards our goal of getting 330,000 electric vehicles on New Jersey roads by 2025.

“We’d like to thank Senators Smith and Bateman for their leadership on this bill, and we look forward to swift passage through the Assembly.”

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