Managing rentals in three states now — which ones legally require landlords to allow EV charger installs?
I manage a small portfolio of rental units — mostly here in Maine, but we picked up two buildings in Colorado and one in Florida this year, and property management is now fielding EV charger requests from tenants in all three.
Maine has nothing on the books requiring us to say yes to anything hardwired, so up to now we've just handled that one case-by-case, partly informed by having my own EV and charger at home. What I don't have is a real answer for the other two states: is there an actual rundown of which states legally require a landlord to allow charger installation, versus states where it's 100% up to the lease and the owner's discretion? I've seen California mentioned in passing in a few threads but never the complete list, and I'd rather walk into these conversations with the actual law in hand instead of guessing state by state every time a request comes in.
Filed under: Renters, Apartments & HOA Charging
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11 ANSWERS
@Priya SharmaVerified ExpertAugust 28, 2026
Real answer, not just "check your lease": about a dozen states have some kind of codified EV-charging law, but most of those only bind condo/HOA associations, not landlord-tenant leases — so they show up on lists like this without actually applying to you as a rental landlord. Only a few actually create a landlord-tenant mandate; California and Colorado are the two most solid ones. A few others (Florida among them) have something on the books too, but it's condo/HOA-only. Most states have nothing, and it's entirely a lease-and-HOA-bylaws question there.
California's the one people cite most because it's specific: a landlord can't refuse if the tenant covers install cost, electricity, and insurance, though they can require a licensed electrician and restoration when you move out. None of these force a landlord to pay for anything — they just take away the flat "no" once the tenant's willing to cover the cost and follow reasonable conditions.
Appreciate the breakdown. Quick follow-up — does any of this distinguish single-family rentals from condo/HOA-governed units, or is it all lumped together? Two of what I manage are standalone houses, one's a condo building.
Florida real estate agent here — the condo rule only covers actual condo and HOA buildings, not regular rental houses. My clients mix that up constantly. If your Florida property is a standalone house, it's just lease terms, no separate law backing it either way.
@static_jellyAugust 24, 2026
Colorado's HB19-1298 covers leased residences directly too, not just common-interest communities — different setup than Florida's. Landlord got to set reasonable conditions when I went through it — approved installer, matching HOA rules — but couldn't tell me no once I was covering the cost. Landlord kept the outlet as a fixture at move-out, I keep the charger.
@wrenlee_kAugust 27, 2026
Washington's on that list, but it's RCW 64.90.513 — a unit-owners'-association statute, not landlord-tenant law. My complex is condo-titled, which is why it applied. They didn't say no, but didn't move on it until I put the request in writing citing the law instead of asking nicely. Invoke-it-yourself protection, not something they hand you unprompted.
@emberpathAugust 22, 2026
Oregon's HB 2091 that's being mentioned here only passed in 2023 — anyone who rented before that got a flat no with nothing to point to. These lists age fast in general. Check your own state's current status instead of trusting a snapshot from one point in time.
@paperiguanaAugust 24, 2026
Texas broker here — we're not one of the states with anything like this on the books. Most landlords I deal with still say yes if the tenant's covering everything, but that's just landlords being reasonable, not any law backing it up. Could be wrong on that last part though. Get it in writing and verify the installer's licensed.
@marblepigeonAugust 29, 2026
Does this apply the same way on a month-to-month lease, or only fixed-term? Genuinely don't know how these laws usually define "tenant."
Statutes I've seen written up refer to "residential tenant" generally, not lease structure, so month-to-month should qualify the same as fixed-term in the states that have this. I'd confirm the exact wording for your state rather than assume, though — a few of these have odd carve-outs I haven't fully tracked.
@frostholmAugust 26, 2026
Since a couple of you are naming individual states — anyone know offhand if Illinois and Maryland cover standalone rental houses the same way, or if they're more like Florida's condo-only setup? Have a call with an owner in Illinois next week and would rather not walk in guessing.
Illinois actually covers straight rentals, not just condos — that one's safe to bring into your call. Maryland's murkier, tagged condo/HOA-only everywhere I've looked but I couldn't confirm it against the actual statute, so pull the current text before you rely on it. Maine just added its own law too, condo/HOA-only. These lists keep changing, so treat this thread as a starting point, not a permanent answer.
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