California EV-ready rules for new construction

What the code requires

Section 625.1.1 is a California addition to Article 625. It requires EV charging in new construction to also meet CALGreen, Chapter 4, Division 4.1 for residential buildings and Chapter 5, Division 5.1 for nonresidential. This page covers the residential rules in the 2025 CALGreen, effective January 1, 2026.

Each dwelling unit in a new one- or two-family home or townhouse with an attached private garage needs a listed raceway of at least trade size 1 (1-in. nominal) for a dedicated 208/240-V branch circuit. It runs from the main service or subpanel to a listed box near the planned charger location. The panel must have capacity for a 40-A minimum, 208/240-V dedicated circuit, plus reserved breaker space.

The reserved breaker space must be marked EV CAPABLE in the panel directory, and the end of the raceway must be permanently and visibly marked EV CAPABLE.

New multifamily buildings need one low power Level 2 EV receptacle (NEMA 6-20R, 14-30R or 14-50R) per dwelling unit, or one at every space where there are fewer spaces than units. In addition, 25% of unassigned or common-use spaces without receptacles need Level 2 chargers with J1772 or J3400 connectors. Hotels and motels need receptacles at 40% of spaces and chargers at 25%.

On the job

• Inspectors check for the EV CAPABLE labels, a raceway of at least trade size 1 that is continuous through concealed spaces, and the reserved breaker space.
• Multifamily load management is allowed if it delivers at least 3.3 kW at once to each charging station, on branch circuits of at least 40 A, with chargers rated at least 30 A.
• Low power Level 2 receptacles are installed for EV charging, so they also need GFCI protection under 625.54.
• The 2022 CALGreen required receptacles at 40% of multifamily spaces plus chargers at 10%. The 2025 rules took effect January 1, 2026; your building department can confirm which version applies to your project.

Exceptions that matter

• A new home can skip the raceway if a 40-A minimum, 208/240-V dedicated EV circuit is installed near the charger location during original construction.
• ADUs and JADUs without additional parking are exempt.
• The local agency may waive the requirement as infeasible where utility power is unavailable or inadequate, or because of the cost of utility infrastructure.

In California

This is a California-only rule. It appears in the 2025 California Electrical Code, not the NEC, and brings in the CALGreen mandatory measures.

Related sections

• NEC 625.40: Dedicated circuits for EV chargers
• NEC 625.42: EV charger ratings and load management
• NEC 625.54: GFCI for EV charging receptacles
• NEC 220.57

Where this comes from

• California HCD: 2025 CALGreen Residential Mandatory Measures (effective Jan 1, 2026)
• California HCD: 2022 CALGreen Residential Mandatory Measures (Rev. 08/24)
• Read the official NEC free at NFPA