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An act to add Sections 1947.6 and 1952.7 to the Civil Code, relating to tenancy.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 2565, Muratsuchi. Rental property: electric vehicle charging stations.

Existing law generally regulates the hiring of real property.

This bill would, for any lease executed, renewed, or extended on and after July 1, 2015, require a lessor of a dwelling to approve a written request of a lessee to install an electric vehicle charging station at a parking space allotted for the lessee in accordance with specified requirements and that complies with the lessor’s approval process for modification to the property. The bill would except from its provisions specified residential property, including a residential rental property with fewer than 5 parking spaces and one subject to rent control. The bill would require the electric vehicle charging station and all modifications and improvements made to the property comply with federal, state, and local law, and all applicable zoning requirements, land use requirements, and covenants, conditions, and restrictions.

The bill would also require a lessee’s written request to make a modification to the property in order to install and use an electric vehicle charging station include his or her consent to enter into a written agreement including specified provisions, including compliance with the lessor’s requirements for the installation, use, maintenance, and removal of the charging station and installation of the infrastructure for the charging station. The bill would also require the lessee to maintain in full force and effect a $1,000,000 lessee’s general liability insurance policy, as specified.

Existing law regulates the terms and conditions of residential and commercial tenancies. Existing law defines and regulates common interest developments and voids any condition affecting the transfer or sale of an interest in a common interest development that prohibits or unreasonably restricts the installation or use of an electric vehicle charging station in a designated parking space in the development, as specified.

This bill would void any term in a lease renewed or extended on or after January 1, 2015, that conveys any possessory interest in commercial property that either prohibits or unreasonably restricts, as defined, the installation or use of an electric vehicle charging station in a parking space associated with the commercial property. The bill would prescribe requirements for lessor approval of a lessee request to install or use an electronic vehicle charging station and would require that a lessor approve a request to install a charging station if the lessee agrees in writing to do specified acts, including paying for various costs associated with the charging station and maintaining insurance naming the lessor as an insured.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

Section 1947.6 is added to the Civil Code, to read:

1947.6.  

(a) For any lease executed, extended, or renewed on and after July 1, 2015, a lessor of a dwelling shall approve a written request of a lessee to install an electric vehicle charging station at a parking space allotted for the lessee that meets the requirements of this section and complies with the lessor’s procedural approval process for modification to the property.

(b) This section does not apply to residential rental properties where:

(1) Electric vehicle charging stations already exist for lessees in a ratio that is equal to or greater than 10 percent of the designated parking spaces.

(2) Parking is not provided as part of the lease agreement.

(3) A property where there are less than five parking spaces.

(4) A dwelling that is subject to the residential rent control ordinance of a public entity.

(c) For purposes of this section, “electric vehicle charging station” or “charging station” means any level of electric vehicle supply equipment station that is designed and built in compliance with Article 625 of the California Electrical Code, as it reads on the effective date of this section, and delivers electricity from a source outside an electric vehicle into a plug-in electric vehicle.

(d) A lessor shall not be obligated to provide an additional parking space to a lessee in order to accommodate an electric vehicle charging station.

(e) If the electric vehicle charging station has the effect of providing the lessee with a reserved parking space, the lessor may charge a monthly rental amount for that parking space.

(f) An electric vehicle charging station and all modifications and improvements to the property shall comply with federal, state, and local law, and all applicable zoning requirements, land use requirements, and covenants, conditions, and restrictions.

(g) A lessee’s written request to make a modification to the property in order to install and use an electric vehicle charging station shall include, but is not limited to, his or her consent to enter into a written agreement that includes, but is not limited to, the following:

(1) Compliance with the lessor’s requirements for the installation, use, maintenance, and removal of the charging station and installation, use, and maintenance of the infrastructure for the charging station.

(2) Compliance with the lessor’s requirements for the lessee to provide a complete financial analysis and scope of work regarding the installation of the charging station and its infrastructure.

(3) A written description of how, when, and where the modifications and improvements to the property are proposed to be made consistent with those items specified in the “Permitting Checklist” of the “Zero-Emission Vehicles in California: Community Readiness Guidebook” published by the Office of Planning and Research.

(4) Obligation of the lessee to pay the lessor all costs associated with the lessor’s installation of the charging station and its infrastructure prior to any modification or improvement being made to the leased property. The costs associated with modifications and improvements shall include, but are not limited to, the cost of permits, supervision, construction, and, solely if required by the contractor, consistent with its past performance of work for the lessor, performance bonds.

(5) Obligation of the lessee to pay as part of rent for the costs associated with the electrical usage of the charging station, and cost for damage, maintenance, repair, removal, and replacement of the charging station, and modifications or improvements made to the property associated with the charging station.

(h) The lessee shall maintain in full force and effect a lessee’s general liability insurance policy in the amount of one million dollars ($1,000,000) and shall name the lessor as a named additional insured under the policy commencing with the date of approval of construction until the lessee forfeits possession of the dwelling to the lessor.

SEC. 2.  

Section 1952.7 is added to the Civil Code, to read:

1952.7.  

(a) (1) Any term in a lease that is executed, renewed, or extended on or after January 1, 2015, that conveys any possessory interest in commercial property that either prohibits or unreasonably restricts the installation or use of an electric vehicle charging station in a parking space associated with the commercial property, or that is otherwise in conflict with the provisions of this section, is void and unenforceable.

(2) This subdivision does not apply to provisions that impose reasonable restrictions on the installation of electric vehicle charging stations. However, it is the policy of the state to promote, encourage, and remove obstacles to the use of electric vehicle charging stations.

(3) This subdivision shall not grant the holder of a possessory interest under the lease described in paragraph (1) the right to install electric vehicle charging stations in more parking spaces than are allotted to the leaseholder in his or her lease, or, if no parking spaces are allotted, a number of parking spaces determined by multiplying the total number of parking spaces located at the commercial property by a fraction, the denominator of which is the total rentable square feet at the property, and the numerator of which is the number of total square feet rented by the leaseholder.

(4) If the installation of an electric vehicle charging station has the effect of granting the leaseholder a reserved parking space and a reserved parking space is not allotted to the leaseholder in the lease, the owner of the commercial property may charge a reasonable monthly rental amount for the parking space.

(b) This section shall not apply to any of the following:

(1) A commercial property where charging stations already exist for use by tenants in a ratio that is equal to or greater than two available parking spaces for every 100 parking spaces at the commercial property.

(2) A commercial property where there are less than 50 parking spaces.

(c) For purposes of this section:

(1) “Electric vehicle charging station” or “charging station” means a station that is designed in compliance with Article 625 of the National Electrical Code, as it reads on the effective date of this section, and delivers electricity from a source outside an electric vehicle into one or more electric vehicles.

(2) “Reasonable costs” includes, but is not limited to, costs associated with those items specified in the “Permitting Checklist” of the “Zero-Emission Vehicles in California: Community Readiness Guidebook” published by the Office of Planning and Research.

(3) “Reasonable restrictions” or “reasonable standards” are restrictions or standards that do not significantly increase the cost of the electric vehicle charging station or its installation or significantly decrease the charging station’s efficiency or specified performance.

(d) An electric vehicle charging station shall meet applicable health and safety standards and requirements imposed by state and local authorities as well as all other applicable zoning, land use, or other ordinances, or land use permit requirements.

(e) If lessor approval is required for the installation or use of an electric vehicle charging station, the application for approval shall not be willfully avoided or delayed. The approval or denial of an application shall be in writing.

(f) An electric vehicle charging station installed by a lessee shall satisfy the following provisions:

(1) If lessor approval is required, the lessee first shall obtain approval from the lessor to install the electric vehicle charging station and the lessor shall approve the installation if the lessee complies with the applicable provisions of the lease consistent with the provisions of this section and agrees in writing to do all of the following:

(A) Comply with the lessor’s reasonable standards for the installation of the charging station.

(B) Engage a licensed contractor to install the charging station.

(C) Within 14 days of approval, provide a certificate of insurance that names the lessor as an additional insured under the lessee’s insurance policy in the amount set forth in paragraph (3).

(2) The lessee shall be responsible for all of the following:

(A) Costs for damage to property and the charging station resulting from the installation, maintenance, repair, removal, or replacement of the charging station.

(B) Costs for the maintenance, repair, and replacement of the charging station.

(C) The cost of electricity associated with the charging station.

(3) The lessee at all times, shall maintain a lessee liability coverage policy in the amount of one million dollars ($1,000,000), and shall name the lessor as a named additional insured under the policy with a right to notice of cancellation and property insurance covering any damage or destruction caused by the charging station, naming the lessor as its interests may appear.

(g) A lessor may, in its sole discretion, create a new parking space where one did not previously exist to facilitate the installation of an electric vehicle charging station, in compliance with all applicable laws.

(h) Any installation by a lessor or a lessee of an electric vehicle charging station in a common interest development is also subject to all of the requirements of subdivision (f) of Section 4745 of the Civil Code.

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