Electric Vehicle Charging at Your Business#
Thank you for considering an electric vehicle (EV) charger at your business or multifamily property! There are several benefits that come from installing an EV charger. They include providing customers or employees a way to fuel up while they shop or work, showing off your commitment to environmental stewardship, and contributing to a healthier community.
Fort Collins Utilities is here to help you figure out where to start. Use the tabs below to get an overview of the process.
Do Some Initial Research#
Here are a few questions to consider:
- What kind of charger do you want for your property?
- Who is going to use it (employees, customers or the public) and for how many hours a day?
- What is your budget for chargers and monthly electric bills?
Hire a Contractor#
To install a charger at your commercial property, you'll need to hire a contractor to discuss your charging station needs, evaluate the capacity of your electric service and review your approved site plan.
- If your charging station plans do not require any site plan modifications, and your electric service capacity is large enough to add a charger(s), the contractor will apply for an electrical permit, install the charger(s), and schedule an inspection with the City's Building Department.
- If your charging station plans require site plan modifications, your contractor will submit a minor amendment to the approved site plan. (See the 'Minor Amendments' tab for more information.) A fee is required to submit a minor amendment. If your electric service capacity needs to be upgraded, your contractor will submit a Customer Owned Service Information Form (C-1) and request an upgrade.
- For multifamily units, a fixed fee is charged to upgrade each premise. An electric capacity fee is also charged for commercial service upgrades based on the increased voltage amount. These fees can be substantial, so please see the 'Electrical Service Upgrade Fees' tab for more information. After the upgrade, the contractor will apply for an electrical permit, install the charger(s), and schedule an inspection with the City Building Department.
The minor amendment application fee is $1,750.
Some common Zoning Department checklist items used to review minor amendments:
- Ensure all equipment other than the charging station itself (e.g., transformer) is fully screened from public view
- Check EV charging stations’ elevations to ensure there are no displays of logos/corporate colors that would constitute as business signage
- Evaluate charger location to ensure landscaping is not impacted
- Check to see if new site lighting is being added
Electric Capacity Fees are required for a new service or a service upgrade. These fees can be substantial. We suggest that you and your contractor estimate these fees upfront, before you put money into developing the project. The following links can help assist in your estimation.
- Fort Collins Utilities Electric Development Fee Estimator
- Utilities' Light & Power Electric Project Engineering Group can identify what system modifications will be required to adequately feed the charging system in the proposed area. You can reach them by email at ElectricProjectEngineering@fcgov.com.
Get Help Paying for a Charging System at Your Business#
Rebates for Utilities' customers
Rebates are available to help offset installation costs for Level 2 charging stations at businesses and multifamily housing properties. Click here to learn more.
State resources
Drive Clean Colorado lists several infrastructure funding opportunities here.
Federal tax credit
The federal government provides a tax credit that covers 6% of the cost of new EV equipment (up to $100,000 per unit). Click here to learn more.
EV Parking Spots and Charging Station Code Requirements#
There are EV parking and charging station requirements for all new buildings and buildings undergoing a primary or partial change of occupancy or use where more than half of the total building area is changing.
Buildings are required to dedicate a portion of their total parking spaces to EV charging. Of those spaces, some must be EV ready (with functioning level 2 charging stations) and some must be EV capable (conduit running from the parking space to building electrical room for future installation of level 2 charging stations).
For details based on building type, please refer to the 2021 International Building Code with Amendments, on page 15 under 1107.2, and starting on page 23 under 3604.
Additional Resources#
Did You Know?
Purchasing ENERGY STAR® appliances when replacing old ones helps you save energy and money without sacrificing performance.
A new washing machine can save you money. It can also save your clothes. Click here for the whole story.
Pouring cooled fats, oils and grease (FOG) into a sealable container and putting it in the trash or taking used oil to a recycling center can help prevent costly sewer backups.