Insurance on Charging Stations

By Kelly G. Richardson, Esq. CCAL, HOA Homefront Column 

Kelly: We are a HOA with no condominiums. Most of our homeowners have an 240V outlet in their garage to charge their EVs. Does this also qualify for the term ”charging stations” and should we request that homeowners provide us with a copy of their liability insurance, listing our HOA as an "additional insured”?

According to CC 4745(4) “(4) A homeowner shall not be required to maintain a homeowner liability coverage policy for an existing National Electrical Manufacturers Association standard alternating current power plug.” Your comment is greatly appreciated. H.K., Fremont

Dear H.K.: You have indicated your home is a planned development and not a condominium, which would imply also that your garages are part of your lots. The requirements of Civil Code Section 4745(f), including obtaining insurance on the charging station, only apply to charging stations installed in common area or exclusive use common area. So long as the charging station is built in your lot, the various requirements of Civil 4745(f), including subpart 4, would not apply to you. Best regards, Kelly

Dear Kelly, we own a condo with parking in a shared garage building. We purchased [an electric vehicle] and installed an EV charger with HOA and city approval by licensed electrician at an overall cost about $4,000. It is connected to our meter. We also signed indemnity agreement with HOA that we will be liable for the charger.

We contacted our insurance company and they confirmed that the charger is not covered since it is in common area. Now we have received a hearing for violating HOA rules for not having the appropriate insurance for the charger and asking us to remove it or unplug it unless we provide coverage specifically for the electric vehicle charging station, of no less than one million dollars, with the Association named as additional insured, and Association is required to be named as certificate holder. We talked to several insurance agents, insurance companies, California Department of Insurance and it seems like it is an impossible task to add HOA as additional insured and list the EV charger specifically.

We truly are trying to do this properly but can't resolve this. Thank you, K.K., Long Beach.

Dear K.K.: I have good news for you. The Legislature passed and the Governor signed into law Senate Bill 770, authored by Senator Allen of the coastal Los Angeles area. The bill becomes law on January 1, 2026, and makes a small but significant change to Civil Code Section 4745(f)(1)(C) by deleting the requirement that homeowners seeking to install charging stations in common area or exclusive use common area obtain a certificate of insurance naming the HOA as an “additional named insured.” The other requirements of Civil 4745(f), still apply: Owners must hire a licensed contractor, pay for the installation costs and the electricity used, and hold an insurance policy on which a certificate of insurance is provided to the HOA. Your insurance broker should be able to help you with the certificate of insurance. So, the new law should help make things easier for you and other condominium owners wishing to install electric vehicle charging stations.

To review bills or current statutes, visit www.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, the official California website. Any other site, [including mine, www.hoahomefront.com], is unofficial.

Sincerely, Kelly.