(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (1) The implementation of consistent statewide standards to achieve the timely and cost-effective installation of electric vehicle charging stations and hydrogen-fueling stations is not a municipal affair, as that term is used in Section 5 of Article XI of the California Constitution, but is instead a matter of statewide concern. Therefore, this section applies to all cities, including charter cities. (2) It is the intent of the Legislature that local agencies not adopt ordinances that create unreasonable barriers to the installation of zero-emission vehicle infrastructure and not unreasonably restrict the ability of homeowners and agricultural and business concerns to install electric vehicle charging and hydrogen-fueling stations. (3) It is the policy of the state to promote and encourage the use of electric vehicle charging stations and hydrogen-fueling stations and to limit obstacles to their use. (4) It is the intent of the Legislature that local agencies comply not only with the language of this section, but also the legislative intent to encourage the installation of electric vehicle charging stations and hydrogen-fueling stations by removing obstacles to, and minimizing costs of, permitting for charging and hydrogen-fueling stations so long as the action does not supersede the building officialâs authority to identify and address higher priority life-safety situations. (b) (1) A city, county, or city and county shall administratively approve an application to install electric vehicle charging stations through the issuance of a building permit or similar nondiscretionary permit. (2) A city, county, or city and county shall administratively approve an application to install hydrogen-fueling stations through the issuance of a building permit or similar nondiscretionary permit. This paragraph shall only apply to an application to install hydrogen-fueling stations on a parcel that satisfies either of the following: (A) It is zoned for industrial or commercial development and does not contain any residential units. (B) It was previously developed with service station. For purposes of this subparagraph, âservice stationâ means any establishment which offers for sale or sells gasoline or other motor vehicle fuel to the public. (3) Review of an application to install an electric vehicle charging station or hydrogen-fueling station shall be limited to the building officialâs review of whether it meets all health and safety requirements of local, state, and federal law. The requirements of local law shall be limited to those standards and regulations necessary to ensure that the electric vehicle charging station or hydrogen-fueling station will not have a specific, adverse impact upon the public health or safety. However, if the building official of the city, county, or city and county makes a finding, based on substantial evidence, that the electric vehicle charging station or hydrogen-fueling station could have a specific, adverse impact upon the public health or safety, the city, county, or city and county may require the applicant to apply for a use permit. (c) A city, county, or city and county may not deny an application for a use permit to install an electric vehicle charging station or hydrogen-fueling station unless it makes written findings based upon substantial evidence in the record that the proposed installation would have a specific, adverse impact upon the public health or safety, and there is no feasible method to satisfactorily mitigate or avoid the specific, adverse impact. The findings shall include the basis for the rejection of potential feasible alternatives of preventing the adverse impact. (d) The decision of the building official pursuant to subdivisions (b) and (c) may be appealed to the planning commission of the city, county, or city and county. (e) Any conditions imposed on an application to install an electric vehicle charging stat
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