Municipal Parking Rules Slow EV Charger Builds

A Canadian Charging Infrastructure Council survey of nine charging organizations identifies municipal approval barriers as a major obstacle to public charger installation.

Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Electric Vehicles

Bold vector editorial illustration of a single teal EV charging column with a coral cable on an empty grey curb, beside a stack of cream permit papers weighted by a stone. — Canada's municipal parking and permit rules are slowing public EV charger installations, according to a Canadian Charging Infrastructure Council survey of nine charging organizations. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Should your city speed up approvals for new public EV charging stations?

The Canadian Charging Infrastructure Council released survey results from nine organizations, seven charge point operators or networks and two engineering, procurement, and construction contractors, on barriers to installing public EV chargers. Respondents said municipal approval processes are slowing infrastructure build-outs.

Why it matters

Charging operators say delays in municipal approvals are holding back the expansion of public EV charging infrastructure across Canada. The findings point to specific local rules, including parking minimums and missing EV codes, as key bottlenecks.

Respondents reported 54 sites abandoned after securing a site host agreement, 10 abandoned due to municipal approvals or delays, and 17 abandoned due to utility interconnection delays or costs. Environmental assessment, accessibility, and Indigenous consultation requirements were the lowest-cited delay factors at 11%.

The players

Canadian Charging Infrastructure Council

A Canadian industry body focused on charging infrastructure that released the survey on municipal approval barriers for public EV chargers.

The details

The survey examined barriers to installing public chargers and ways to speed installation, with respondents identifying municipal requirements, approval timelines, project consequences, and municipal and utility process improvements as focus areas. Thirty-eight per cent of respondents said Quebec and Ontario were the slowest provinces for approvals, while British Columbia and Nova Scotia were named as the fastest.

November 4, 2026: CCIC published the survey results on municipal EV charger approvals.

Roadmap

The survey points to municipal permitting as a limiting factor in Canada's shift toward electric vehicles, a constraint that can slow charging build-outs even as EV adoption grows. Its findings on inconsistent approval timelines across provinces highlight uneven progress in the national charging network.

Drivers in areas with slow approval processes may face fewer public charging options near them for longer. Charging networks that delay or abandon sites may affect where and when drivers can recharge.

The takeaway

Faster, more consistent municipal approvals could be one of the simplest ways to expand public EV charging across Canada. Watching how cities respond to parking and code requirements will show whether these barriers begin to ease.