EV charging without a driveway
Short answer: We found official city or utility sources for 16 of the 50 cities we cover. 5 have written guidance that lets residents run a cord across the sidewalk. Arlington, VA says cords may not cross sidewalks. The rest have curbside charger programs or right-of-way permit rules, but no cord rule we could find.
Last updated:
| City | Cord across the sidewalk | Curbside program |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle, WA | Level 1 cord allowed, no Street Use permit | City Light curbside Level 2 program |
| Portland, OR | Level 1 cord allowed with a cord cover, no permit | No resident curbside charger permits right now |
| Oakland, CA | Level 1 and Level 2 cords allowed under OakDOT guidance | Permanent curbside charging still in planning |
| Pittsburgh, PA | Level 1 cord best practices, no permit issued | None listed |
| Washington, DC | Level 1 cords allowed with DDOT cord-cover guidance; DDOT warns of hazards | Vendor-only curbside permit, paused since Dec. 16, 2024 |
| Arlington, VA | Cords may not cross sidewalks | No right-of-way charging yet |
| Philadelphia, PA | No cord rule found; right-of-way chargers need permits | Owner-installed chargers in the right-of-way (L&I regulations) |
| Boston, MA | No cord rule found | City curbside charging (two models) |
| New York City, NY | No cord rule found | NYC DOT / Con Edison curbside Level 2 pilot |
| Los Angeles, CA | No cord rule found | Streetlight chargers (Bureau of Street Lighting) |
| San Francisco, CA | No cord rule found on the SFMTA program page | SFMTA curbside EV charging permit program (vendors) |
| Minneapolis, MN | No cord rule found | EV Spot Network curbside hubs (with Saint Paul) |
| Baltimore, MD | No cord rule found | Parking Authority public chargers; residents can request a site |
| Sacramento, CA | No cord rule found | City ChargePoint stations; vendor street chargers |
| Chicago, IL | No cord rule found | Curbside EV charging pilot authorized July 16, 2026 |
| Detroit, MI | No cord rule found | Detroit Charge Ahead public network |
Cities with no official information yet
We don't publish a page for a city until we find an official city or utility source. We searched for Denver, CO and found no official resident cord or curbside-charging page we could verify.
Not yet researched: San Jose, CA; San Diego, CA; Phoenix, AZ; Austin, TX; Atlanta, GA; Fresno, CA; Irvine, CA; Long Beach, CA; Anaheim, CA; Memphis, TN; Newark, NJ; Richmond, VA; Virginia Beach, VA; Las Vegas, NV; Salt Lake City, UT; Tucson, AZ; Dallas, TX; Fort Worth, TX; Houston, TX; San Antonio, TX; Miami, FL; Fort Lauderdale, FL; Tampa, FL; Orlando, FL; Jacksonville, FL; Columbus, OH; Indianapolis, IN; Kansas City, MO; St. Louis, MO; Oklahoma City, OK; Charlotte, NC; Raleigh, NC; Nashville, TN.
Checked 2026-10-25. Rules change, so read the linked city page before you put anything on a sidewalk. For home wiring, see the parts list.