EV charging requests are no longer rare. If your association hasn't fielded one yet, it will soon, and the owner making the request has almost certainly read something online about a "right to charge" in Florida condos. They're not entirely wrong. Chapter 718 includes provisions addressing electric vehicle charging stations in condominiums, and they limit how much a board can block an owner from installing one. But the statute also leaves boards real authority over how, where, and at whose cost it happens. Knowing the difference is what keeps you out of a demand letter.
This isn't a DIY electrical project for the owner and a handshake with the board. It touches governing documents, the association's insurance, the building's electrical capacity, and in many buildings, a parking garage that wasn't designed with EV load in mind. Treat every request as a small capital project, not a favor.
The owner's right, and its limits
Florida law restricts a condominium association's ability to prohibit or unreasonably restrict a unit owner from installing an EV charging station at the owner's designated parking space, at the owner's expense. The key word is unreasonably. Boards can still require architectural review, licensed-contractor installation, permits, and compliance with building and fire codes.
Confirm the current language and any recent amendments with association counsel before you rely on specifics, including exactly what counts as an unreasonable restriction and whether the law treats common-element parking differently from limited common element or deeded spaces. This is an area where the Legislature has been active, and you don't want to apply last year's rule to this year's request.
What the board can still control
The statute doesn't turn your parking garage into a free-for-all. You can set reasonable, uniformly applied standards.
- Require a licensed electrician and permitted work, with as-built documentation submitted to the association
- Specify equipment location, conduit routing, and screening so units look consistent and electrical panels stay accessible
- Require proof of adequate insurance naming the association as needed, and confirm with your agent whether the association's own policy needs an endorsement
- Require an engineering review of electrical capacity before approving new load, especially in older buildings
- Set a reasonable timeline for board response so owners aren't left in limbo, and document every approval in writing
Put these standards in a written policy or rule, adopted the same way you'd adopt any other rule under your documents, so you're applying one standard to everyone rather than negotiating case by case.
Metering and cost allocation
This is where most disputes actually happen, not over whether a station is allowed. Who pays for the electricity, and how do you measure it fairly?
Options associations use include sub-metering the individual station back to the owner's account, requiring the owner to pay for a dedicated meter and billing arrangement with the utility, or in some buildings, a flat monthly charge tied to station wattage. Each approach has cost, accuracy, and administrative tradeoffs. A flat fee is simple but can shortchange the association if usage patterns shift; sub-metering is fairer but adds equipment and billing overhead.
Whatever method you pick, get it in writing before the station goes live, and run it past the association's accountant. Electricity cost-shifting that isn't documented tends to surface later as a complaint about common expense allocation, which is a fight you don't want.
Garage infrastructure and capacity
A single Level 2 charger is a modest load. Ten of them on one electrical riser is a different conversation. Before you approve a second or third station in the same building, have your engineer or electrical contractor assess total available capacity, not just the capacity for one more unit.
Some associations are getting ahead of this by installing shared EV infrastructure, dedicated conduit, panels, or even a bank of chargers, as a capital project rather than approving one-off owner installations. That approach costs more up front but avoids a patchwork of individually wired stations and gives the board more control over fire separation, load management, and future expansion.
HOAs and non-condo buildings
Chapter 720 homeowners associations and single-family communities face a related but distinct set of issues, since owners typically control their own electrical service and garage. The bigger friction points there tend to be architectural approval, exterior equipment visibility, and deed restriction language rather than shared electrical capacity. Review your community's declaration and architectural guidelines specifically for EV language before assuming the condo framework applies.
Practical rollout checklist
- Adopt a written EV charging policy through your normal rule-making process, not an informal board vote
- Require licensed installation, permits, and as-built documentation for every station
- Decide your metering and cost allocation method before the first station is approved
- Get an engineering capacity assessment once you're approving more than a handful of stations
- Confirm current statutory language and any recent amendments with association counsel before finalizing the policy
Handled proactively, EV charging is a manageable amenity upgrade. Handled reactively, one approval at a time with no written standard, it becomes a liability and a fairness problem. Get the policy in place before the next request lands on your desk.