Mayor Lurie and President Mandelman Introduce Legislation to Legalize Curbside Electric Vehicle Charging

SAN FRANCISCO – Mayor Daniel Lurie today introduced legislation to create San Francisco’s first curbside electric vehicle (EV) charging program in partnership with Board of Supervisors President Rafael Mandelman. The legislation will establish a permitting pathway and program to allow chargers on San Francisco curbs. The legislation will create a new process following the city’s temporary curbside charging pilot program that led to the addition of the city’s first curbside chargers last April. The addition of curbside chargers will make it easier for residents, especially those living in apartments, to own electric vehicles—helping more San Franciscans use clean energy.  

The new pathway to deploy curbside electric vehicle chargers in San Francisco continues the mayor’s work to streamline the city’s permitting process and make it easier to work with the city. As part of his PermitSF initiative to make San Francisco’s permitting process faster, easier, and more transparent, Mayor Lurie unveiled the new PermitSF portal which allows homeowners and business owners to obtain the permits they need without requiring a trip to the permit center. PermitSF kicked off an ongoing and multi-departmental effort to modernize the city's permitting process with common sense reforms—leading to the introduction of 20 ordinances, including common-sense reforms to remove burdens for homeowners to repair their decks and park in their driveway, or for businesses to set up cafe tables on the sidewalk and paint their own business name on their storefront. 

“For the first time, San Francisco will have a clear process to allow curbside EV chargers to be built across our neighborhoods, expanding access to reliable charging, especially for renters and people who live in apartment buildings,” said Mayor Lurie. “Adding more curbside chargers is part of the same approach we are taking across our PermitSF initiative—creating common-sense changes that make life easier for residents and small businesses. Thank you to President Mandelman for all of the work that has helped us get here today.” 

“For as long as I have been in City Hall, constituents have been asking me when San Francisco would roll out curbside EV charging,” said President Mandelman. “We’ve rallied, held hearings, and passed resolutions, and finally we’re starting to see the first curbside chargers appearing on our sidewalks. I am beyond delighted that, thanks to Mayor Lurie and the PermitSF program, San Francisco will now be able to scale up these efforts to meet demand!” 

While San Francisco has one of the highest rates of electric vehicle adoption in the country, many renters and those who live in apartments do not have access to charging. The addition of curbside EV charging will lower the barrier to EV adoption, with a goal of 100 curbside chargers installed by 2030.  

“Mayor Lurie and the Board of Supervisors, led by our District Supervisor and Board President Rafael Mandelman, have put forward an aggressive set of goals for EV curbside charging and I can assure that the IBEW is primed and ready to succeed,” said John Doherty, Business Manager for IBEW Local 6. “The transition to clean energy should benefit working people, and in preparation we have over 700 of our private sector members Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Training Program certified.”  

“Like many San Franciscans, I don't have a charger at home, and that matters more than people realize,” said local EV driver Ashkan Javaherian. “I was close to selling my EV, but then I discovered the city's pilot curbside chargers right in my neighborhood. Today’s announcement will make it easier for more people like me to have an EV in the city.” 

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority (SFMTA) will be the lead permitting agency for the program and will begin accepting applications from curbside charging providers this summer. SFMTA will work on site selection based on demand and community feedback. Once qualified, approved vendors will need to apply for site-specific permits—allowing vendors to quickly install chargers across numerous locations. Other city departments involved in the new process include San Francisco Environment (SFE), San Francisco Public Works (SFPW), and the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC).  

“We’re thrilled to begin applying the lessons learned from our successful curbside EV charging pilot to our citywide program. Curbside EV charging makes EV ownership more accessible and is an important step forward in helping the city meet its climate goals,” said Julie Kirschbaum, SFMTA Director of Transportation. “We’ve long operated the greenest transit fleet in North America, and now we are expanding access to EV charging in our parking garages and at the curb.” 

“Curbside charging expands EV charging for renters and people in multi-unit buildings who can’t install a home charger,” said Tyrone Jue, SFE Director. “It supports cleaner air by reducing transportation emissions and pollution over time.” 

“Making it easier to install curbside EV chargers will help more San Franciscans switch to electric vehicles and improve air quality in our neighborhoods," said Dennis Herrera, General Manager of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. "The SFPUC will work with permit applicants to evaluate power needs and ensure chargers connect safely and reliably to electric service. That electricity can come from the city's public power service. CleanPowerSF provides renewable power to homes and businesses across San Francisco, while Hetch Hetchy Power delivers greenhouse-gas-free electricity to city facilities, redevelopment areas, affordable housing, and others. Together, these public power services provide 75% of the electricity used in San Francisco today, and they’re a big part of our clean energy future.” 

“The pilot program provided us with a road map to make EV charging available for more people in San Francisco and to support the city’s commitment to environmental sustainability,” said San Francisco Public Works Director Carla Short. “Advancing curbside charging in San Francisco moves us closer to reaching our climate action goals and addressing a barrier for San Franciscans as they consider buying an electric vehicle.”  

The SFMTA recently secured a $5 million California Energy Commission grant to install 140 charging stations for the agency’s non-revenue vehicle fleet and is also increasing the number of public chargers available in its off-street parking garages from the current 55 stations to an expected 305 by fiscal year 2027.