British Columbia’s EV Charging Requirements for Apartments, Condos, and MURBs

Electric cars aren’t just a trend or luxury item. They’re a key part of our net-zero clean energy future. Every year, all around the world, you’ll spot more electric cars on the road as the technology becomes increasingly affordable and existing vehicle owners make the leap to electric with their next purchase. As of 2021, British Columbia has the highest electric vehicle adoption rate in North America with 13% of all vehicle purchases being electric. As the world’s leading car manufacturers and federal governments set net-zero targets within the next few decades, this share is only going to skyrocket as time goes on both at home in British Columbia and around the world.

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A top concern of potential electric vehicle purchasers living in condos and apartments right now is “will I be able to charge my car in my parking stall?” It’s an understandable concern as many buildings have created headaches for electric vehicle owners in getting the needed equipment set up to make car charging straightforward. Now though, municipal governments are beginning to get involved through the institution of bylaws requiring buildings to introduce or raise electric vehicle charging capacity. If you’re a property manager in British Columbia, it’s probably time to start building a plan to make sure you can update your parking facilities on time. Across British Columbia, VendorPM can help you find service vendors to set up EV charging stations in your parking stalls before municipal deadlines hit! Depending on your municipality, requirements can vary substantially.

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Find an EV charging installation provider in British Columbia by clicking here!

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Apartment/Condo EV Charging Requirements in Vancouver, BC

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2022 Deadlines: None

Requirements for Existing Buildings?: Yes

Requirements for New Buildings?: Yes

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In 2014, as part of Vancouver’s Greenest City Action Plan 2020, the city adopted some of North America’s most stringent regulations around carbon emissions through amendments to Bylaw 10908 - Section 10.2.3. These amendments impose requirements that are already in effect on new and existing buildings.

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For new buildings, the city of Vancouver mandates:

• 10% of commercial building parking stalls to be EV-ready
• 100% of multi-unit residential parking stalls be EV-ready
• 1 EV-ready stall in single-family homes with garages

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For existing buildings, the city of Vancouver mandates:

• 100% of multi-unit residential parking stalls be EV-ready

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Apartment/Condo EV Charging Requirements in Victoria, BC

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2022 Deadlines: None

Requirements for Existing Buildings?: Only if built October 2020 or later

Requirements for New Buildings?: Yes

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On October 1, 2020, Zoning Bylaw No. 80-159 - Schedule C Section 2.4 came into effect imposing new requirements on parking stalls in all new residential buildings.

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For new buildings (October 2020 onwards), the city of Victoria mandates:

• All residential parking spaces (not including visitors) must be equipped with an outlet capable of Level 2 charging or higher

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Apartment/Condo EV Charging Requirements in White Rock, BC

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2022 Deadlines: None

Requirements for Existing Buildings?: No

Requirements for New Buildings?: No

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White Rock currently has no EV charging requirements for MURBs but is considering changes to its existing bylaws that would be similar in effect to other cities in the province. The city’s Environmental Advisory Committee recommended EV-ready requirements for new buildings in March 2021 but none of the suggestions have yet been implemented.

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Apartment/Condo EV Charging Requirements in Nanaimo, BC

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2022 Deadlines: None

Requirements for Existing Buildings?: Yes

Requirements for New Buildings?: Yes

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Nanaimo Off-Street Parking Regulations Bylaw 2018 No. 7266 imposes requirements for some off-street MURB parking to be EV-ready.

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For all buildings, the city of Nanaimo mandates:

• 25% of off-street common parking for MURBs to be capable of Level 2 charging

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Apartment/Condo EV Charging Requirements in Burnaby, BC

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2022 Deadlines: None

Requirements for Existing Buildings?: Only if built September 2021 or later

Requirements for New Buildings?: Yes

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As part of Burnaby’s goal by become carbon neutral by 2050, the city passed Zoning Bylaw 13903 – Section 800.8 which took effect on September 1, 2021.

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For new buildings, the city of Vancouver mandates:

• 100% of new residential parking stalls must be EV-ready with Level 2 charging. Visitor parking is exempt.

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Apartment/Condo EV Charging Requirements in North Vancouver, BC

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2022 Deadlines: None

Requirements for Existing Buildings?: Only if built June 2019 or later

Requirements for New Buildings?: Yes

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In one of the latest amendments to Zoning Bylaw No. 6700 – Section 909, the city of North Vancouver imposed new requirements for all new multi-family residential buildings.

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For new buildings (June 2019 onwards), the city of North Vancouver mandates:

• 100% of parking stalls must be EV-ready with Level 2 charging as of June 2019
• 10% of visitor parking in the same buildings must be EV-ready with Level 2 charging as of January 2022.

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Apartment/Condo EV Charging Requirements in Kamloops, BC

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2022 Deadlines: None

Requirements for Existing Buildings?: Starting in 2030

Requirements for New Buildings?: Yes, more requirements coming in 2023

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In August 2020, Kamloops implemented the Electric Vehicle and Electric Bike Strategy with the goal of making the city increasingly accessible for EV owners over time.

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For new buildings, the city of Kamloops mandates:

• 100% of parking stalls must be EV-ready with Level 2 charging as of June 2019
• 10% of visitor parking in the same buildings must be EV-ready with Level 2 charging as of January 2022.

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The city of Kamloops will eventually mandate:

• 100% new off-street residential parking to be EV-ready by 2023
• 100% of residential parking in new existing and new apartments to EV-ready

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Apartment/Condo EV Charging Requirements in Richmond, BC

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2022 Deadlines: None

Requirements for Existing Buildings?: Only if built April 2018 or later (incl. new parking spaces)

Requirements for New Buildings?: Yes

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Under Richmond’s Zoning Bylaw 8500 – Section 7.15, buildings and parking spaces built since April 2018 have EV-ready requirements

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For new buildings and parking spaces (built April 2018 and onwards), the city of Richmond mandates:

• All parking spaces (excl. visitor parking) must have outlets capable of Level 2 charging

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Electric vehicles are becoming a top priority for governments, consumers, urban planners, building managers, and everyone in between. Regardless of what the laws are in your area today, building managers will need to start getting ready for the future. Planning ahead no longer just helps you do your part in contributing to a sustainable future, but will help you stay in compliance with future regulations.

Interested in learning more about these bylaws or curious to know how we assembled this list? Visit our sources below!

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Policy - Plug In BC

High-rise headaches: EV charging in Canada’s condos, apartments and MURBs a mixed experience - Electric Autonomy Canada