Hinchey’s electric vehicle ‘rights’ legislation is signed into law

Measure prevents homeowners' associations from barring installations

A state bill that aims to remove barriers to the installation of electric vehicle charging stations on private property has been signed into law.

Sen. Michelle Hinchey, D-Saugerties, announced the signing of her bill, the Electric Vehicle Rights Act (S8518A), which will “advance clean transportation efforts at the local level by removing barriers to the installation of electric vehicle charging stations on private property” has been signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul.

Hinchey’s office said the legislation will prevent homeowners’ associations from prohibiting homeowners from installing charging stations on their property while also allowing associations to provide input on the installation process.

Hinchey’s bill requires that any denial of a homeowner’s application to install a charger be in writing and contain a detailed description of the reasons for the denial.

If no written denial is issued to the homeowner within 60 days, the application will be deemed approved unless the delay in approval resulted from the homeowners’ association’s reasonable request for more information, a press release said.

Hinchey said her legislation will help advance the state’s climate roadmap — as set by the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act of 2019 — to reach 850,000 zero-emission vehicles by 2025 and to have all new passenger vehicles be zero-emission by 2035.

“Making it easier for New Yorkers to own an electric vehicle is essential to fighting the climate crisis locally and meeting our state’s zeroemissions transportation goals. I’m incredibly proud to sponsor legislation that expands the build-out of home charging infrastructure and helps ensure New York stays at the forefront of a clean energy future,” Hinchey said in a statement.

In the same release, Hochul said that the bill would go a long way in the state’s effort to battle the effects of climate change.

“We are sparking New York’s transition to clean transportation by removing barriers to owning and charging an electric vehicle,” Hochul said. “It is not enough to encourage New Yorkers to buy electric — we must build green infrastructure that will drive New Yorkers to choose cleaner and greener modes of transportation. My administration will continue to advance our zero-emission transportation goals, and this legislation will benefit our climate and the health of our communities for generations to come.”