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Unapproved EV chargers in your condo garage: how boards resolve them

Short answer

When an owner has installed an EV charger without approval, start with safety, not penalties. Have a licensed electrician inspect it, find out where its power comes from, and offer the owner a clear path to compliance under the same written rules that apply to everyone. Then fix the root causes of most disputes: unmetered use of shared electricity and no plan for the building’s electrical capacity. Bringing the charger onto a metered, managed program with fair per-session billing usually takes the board out of the middle.

Why these situations turn into disputes

The scenario is common: an owner, often an early EV adopter, adds a charger or outlet in the garage without board approval. Neighbors notice. Questions follow, and they land on the board:

  • Who is paying for the electricity? If the charger is wired to a common-area circuit, every owner is sharing the cost of one person’s charging.
  • Is it safe? No one knows who installed it, whether it was permitted, or whether the circuit can handle it.
  • Is it insured? The association may have no certificate of insurance and no idea whether the owner’s policy covers it.
  • Is it fair? Other owners who want to charge ask why they should go through an approval process if someone else did not, and whether there will be enough power left for them.

Without a clear process, the board ends up refereeing between neighbors.

What Florida law says

Under section 718.113(8), Florida Statutes, an owner may install a charger in their own assigned or limited common element parking space, but the installation comes with conditions the association may require: a licensed and registered contractor, compliance with building codes and safety standards, reasonable architectural standards, a certificate of insurance naming the association as an additional insured, and reimbursement of any increase in the association’s premium. The electricity must be separately metered (or measured by an embedded meter) and paid by the owner. Chargers in shared or common areas are the board’s decision, not an owner’s right.

If the board decides enforcement is needed, section 718.303 sets the process for fines and suspensions, including at least 14 days’ written notice and an opportunity for a hearing before an independent committee of owners. Your association attorney should guide any enforcement step.

Best practices for boards

  1. Safety first. Have a licensed electrician inspect the installation. If there is an immediate hazard, deal with it right away rather than waiting on a letter.
  2. Document the facts calmly. Record the location, equipment, power source, photos, and whether any application or permit exists. Keep communication factual and in writing.
  3. Find the power source. If the charger draws from a common-area circuit, the association is paying for that electricity. Fixing this is the single biggest step toward fairness.
  4. Offer a path to compliance, not just removal. Ask the owner to submit the same application everyone else would, and give them a reasonable timeline to meet the conditions: licensed contractor, permit, insurance certificate and metering.
  5. Apply one written policy to everyone. Adopt or update an EV charging policy so future requests follow the same steps. Consistency is what keeps neighbors from feeling singled out or overlooked.
  6. Settle the past with your attorney. Whether to seek reimbursement for electricity already used is a judgment call that depends on your documents and the facts. Many boards focus on fixing billing going forward.
  7. Plan for the building’s electrical capacity. One unapproved charger is often the first sign of many more requests. A capacity assessment and a long-term plan for sharing the incoming power keep the next ten chargers from becoming ten new disputes.
  8. Use enforcement as a last resort, following section 718.303 and your attorney’s advice.

How EZ EV Energy helps

  • Retrofit existing installations. We bring existing owner-installed chargers onto our program with our equipment, so every session is measured and every driver pays for their own electricity.
  • Fair, transparent billing. Drivers pay per session in the app, and the property receives its share of the revenue, which offsets the electricity it supplies.
  • A long-term electrical plan. We assess the building’s electrical capacity and plan how incoming power is shared across chargers, so access stays fair as more residents switch to EVs.
  • The board steps out of the middle. Drivers call our 24/7 help desk, and the board gets usage and revenue reports instead of complaints.

Related: the risks of owner-installed EV chargers and who pays for the electricity.

Get a free site assessment

We review your parking, electrical capacity and goals, then send a written proposal: equipment options plus EZ EV software and billing terms to share with your board.

Request a free assessment or call (561) 299-1166

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Updated November 2026. This guide is general information about Florida rules, not legal advice. Laws change and every community's governing documents are different, so confirm details with your association's attorney.