EV Adoption’s Impact on Multifamily in California

California isn't waiting for the rest of the country to figure out EV charging. The state is rewriting the rules for how multifamily properties are built and the latest code changes are the most aggressive yet.

If you own, develop, or manage apartment properties in California, here's what you need to know heading into 2026.

The 2025 CALGreen Code Changes Everything

The 2025 California Building Standards Code, effective January 1, 2026, represents a massive leap in EV charging requirements for new multifamily construction.

Under the previous 2022 code, new projects had to make roughly 40% of parking spaces EV-ready. The 2025 code effectively pushes that to 100%.

Here's what the new code requires:

Assigned parking spaces: Every assigned stall at a multifamily property must now include a low-power Level 2 (208/240V) receptacle. If a property provides at least one assigned space per unit, every single one of those spaces needs to be wired for EV charging.

Common and unassigned parking: At least one receptacle per dwelling unit, plus 25% of additional common spaces must have fully installed Level 2 chargers accessible to all residents.

Connector flexibility: Starting in 2026, developers can choose any mix of J1772 or NACS (J3400) connectors, giving more flexibility as the industry shifts toward Tesla's charging standard.

The bottom line: any new multifamily project permitted after January 1, 2026 in California will be built with near-universal EV charging capability from day one.

The Real Problem Is Existing Properties

New construction will be fine. The code forces developers to plan for charging from the design phase, and the infrastructure costs are manageable when you're already pulling permits and running electrical.

The real challenge is the millions of existing apartment units across California. According to NMHC, California has over 3 million apartment units. Based on average parking ratios and occupancy, that translates to more than 4 million vehicles parked on multifamily properties statewide.

Most of these properties were built without any consideration for EV charging. Many older buildings don't have a single kilowatt of spare electrical capacity. Upgrading the infrastructure on a property built in the 1970s or 1980s can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. We are talking new panels, new conduit runs, transformer upgrades, and significant permitting work.

Until adopted codes are applied retroactively to existing buildings (which isn't happening anytime soon), property owners have to make their own decision about when and how to invest.

Why Waiting Gets More Expensive

Every year you delay, the cost of catching up goes up. Electrical contractors are busier. Utility upgrade timelines are longer. And the pool of EV-driving residents looking for charging-equipped properties keeps growing.

There's also a competitive reality. Properties that offer charging are already using it as a differentiator in leasing. According to Multifamily Executive Magazine, more than 58% of renters say they'd pay more to live in a community with EV charging on site. That premium translates directly into higher NOI and the residents most likely to pay it are exactly the ones you want to attract.

The Cost Isn't as Bad as It Looks

The upfront numbers can seem intimidating, but the picture changes when you factor in three things:

Financial incentives. Federal tax credits, California state programs, local utility rebates, and AQMD grants can offset a significant portion of installation costs. These programs have funding limits and application deadlines, so early movers have an advantage.

Revenue generation. EV charging isn't a cost center. Residents pay to charge, and properties earn revenue on every session. A properly deployed charging program generates income from day one.

Resident retention. Attracting or retaining even one resident who would have otherwise left justifies having charging available. The cost of a vacancy — lost rent, turnover expenses, leasing commissions — almost always exceeds the cost of installing a few charging stations.

Don't Rely on the Manufacturer for Advice

One of the most common mistakes California property owners make is asking an EV charging manufacturer to design their deployment. Manufacturers are in the business of selling stations. Their incentive is to recommend as many units as possible, because every station generates recurring network fees for them.

That doesn't always align with what your property needs. A proper deployment plan should be based on your specific electrical capacity, resident demographics, parking layout, and growth projections, not on what maximizes hardware sales.

What Property Owners Should Do Now

Whether you're developing a new project under the 2026 code or planning upgrades to an existing property, the first step is the same: understand your electrical infrastructure. What capacity do you have today? What would it cost to expand? How many stations can you support right now, and what's the plan for scaling up?

REVS combines EV charging expertise with decades of commercial real estate experience. We work with California property owners, developers, and managers to build charging programs that make financial sense today and scale with demand tomorrow — from a single property to a portfolio-wide rollout.

Contact REVS to start with a no-cost property assessment.