EV charging compliance, sorted by where it comes from
The most common compliance mistake in EV charging procurement is treating requirements as one undifferentiated pile. They aren't. Some attach to your money. Some apply no matter whose money it is. And some "requirements" are actually preferences you can use to win.
Speak To An Expert1. Funding-attached requirements
Obligations that apply because of the money source: accept NEVI or CFI dollars and Buy America domestic content plus the 23 CFR 680 minimum standards come with them; accept EPA Clean School Bus money and EPA's award terms come with it. Walk away from the funding and these obligations go away.
Buy America & Build America, Buy America (BABA)
Any EV charging project using federal funds: FHWA money (NEVI, CFI, other federal-aid) triggers FHWA Buy America; other federal financial assistance used for infrastructure triggers BABA.
Whose obligation: The funding recipient certifies compliance to the awarding agency; the charger manufacturer supplies the domestic-content documentation that makes that certification possible.
NEVI Minimum Standards (23 CFR Part 680)
EV charging infrastructure funded under the NEVI program or with other Title 23 federal-aid highway funds. Does not attach to EPA or purely state/utility funding.
Whose obligation: Primarily the funding recipient and station operator — but whether the operator can comply depends on what the equipment and network are capable of.
2. Standing requirements
Obligations that apply regardless of funding: electrical code and NRTL listing, ADA accessibility, state weights-and-measures rules for kWh pricing, utility interconnection. No grant exempts you from these, and no lack of a grant does either.
ADA Accessibility for EV Charging
All publicly accessible EV charging, regardless of funding source — the ADA applies to state and local government facilities and public accommodations today.
Whose obligation: The site owner and designer (the buyer). Charger selection affects reach ranges and operable parts, but site-layout compliance is a design obligation, not something a charger model can confer.
Electrical Code & NRTL (ETL) Listing
Every charger installation, everywhere, regardless of funding — electrical codes and inspectors require NRTL-listed equipment installed per NEC Article 625.
Whose obligation: The manufacturer provides listed equipment; the installer and owner must use listed equipment and install it to code under permit.
Open Protocols: OCPP & OpenADR
Many utility make-ready and state grant programs require open-protocol, non-proprietary networked chargers as an eligibility condition; NEVI adds its own protocol requirements under 23 CFR 680.108.
Whose obligation: The manufacturer and network provider — this is one requirement that is squarely the vendor's to meet.
EVSE Metering & Weights-and-Measures Rules
Selling electricity to the public by the kWh in states that have adopted NIST Handbook 44's EV fueling systems code — adoption and enforcement vary by state.
Whose obligation: The charging station operator (device registration, inspection, pricing display); equipment metering capability determines whether compliance is possible.
3. Procurement preferences and set-asides
Not obligations — advantages. Veteran-owned, disabled-veteran, and small/diverse business preference programs at the federal, state, and local level can score you extra bid points or unlock set-aside contracts. Where a state runs such a program, its state page names it and explains how buying ZEF through the ATEK Distribution pathway can satisfy it. See each state page's "How to buy ZEF equipment" section.
Not sure which requirements hit your project?
ZEF has helped 80+ utility partners and 200+ cities and agencies fund, buy, and deploy compliant EV charging. Bring us your project and funding questions.
Speak To An Expert Or email solutions@zefenergy.com · call 1-888-493-3638