To: Board of County Commissioners
Through: Bryan Weimer, Director, Public Works and Development
Prepared By:
prepared
Molly Orkild-Larson, Principal Planner, Public Works and Development
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presenter
Presenter: Molly Orkild-Larson, Principal Planner; Raye Fields, Planner I, Public Works and Development
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Subject:
title
1:30 PM *LDC25-001-Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Stations - Land Development Code Amendment
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Purpose and Request:
recommended action
To obtain further input from the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) on the proposed land development code amendment to include electric vehicle (EV) standards as required by House Bill 24-1173 (HB24-1173). This is an opportunity for the BOCC to review the final draft code before public hearings.
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Alignment with Strategic Plan: Sustainable Growth and Infrastructure - Support environmentally responsible development and energy efficiency in county operations.
Background and Discussion: The Colorado State Legislature passed HB24-1173, and Governor Polis signed it into law on May 21, 2024. The law requires subject municipalities (with 10,000 or more residents) and counties (with 20,000 or more residents) to implement one of the three compliance EV charger options into their land development codes. The goal of HB24-1173 is to expand EV use, cost-effectiveness, convenience, and viability across the state and to advance Colorado’s goals to reduce local air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. This bill also encourages a more standardized and streamlined local permitting process for EV charging development. The Colorado Energy Office (CEO) produced a model EV charging code and is responsible for auditing the adopted codes of affected jurisdictions.
As per HB24-1173, “A county permitting agency shall approve, conditionally approve, or deny an application for an EV Charger permit using the county’s administrative review process to determine if the proposed electric motor vehicle charging system is in compliance with the county’s objective standards.” This code amendment needs to be incorporated into the Arapahoe County Land Development Code (LDC) on or before December 31, 2025. However, the CEO told County staff that code adoption could occur in early 2026 due to the amount of review required by the public, staff, Planning Commission (PC), and BOCC. A study session was held with the BOCC on July 21, 2025, in which the Board directed staff to move forward with a draft code amendment.
Staff completed a draft code amendment and put it out for public comments throughout the month of September. As part of the public outreach, we received concerns about the potential for EV fires at charging stations. Staff discussed those concerns with South Metro Fire Rescue, and they have the technology and equipment to fight these fires. However, Bennett-Watkins Fire Rescue doesn’t have the means to address these fires. Staff have reached out to the CEO to see if there are any grants or funding to assist fire districts with training and equipment, and they’re looking into this matter.
A study session was held on October 21, 2025, with the Planning Commission (PC). The PC had no comments on the proposed amendments and supported adding EV standards to the County’s code.
Alternatives: Arapahoe County has a population of over 20,000 and therefore is required to implement this bill to incorporate EV Charging Systems into the LDC. The BOCC can, at their discretion, direct staff to make amendments to this final draft of the code before public hearings.
Fiscal Impact: No fiscal impacts anticipated.
Alignment with Strategic Implementation Strategies: The attached framework helps Arapahoe County institutionalize values-based, transparent decision-making, documenting how we make decisions and carry out actions to achieve the county’s strategic plan.
Staff Recommendation: Staff recommends having EV charging standards in the LDC since EV vehicles are growing in demand and popularity.
Concurrence: In the study session held on October 21, 2025, the PC supported adding EV charging station standards to the LDC.