(a) Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, no person shall be prevented by any covenant, declaration, bylaw, restriction, deed, lease, term, provision, condition, codicil, contract, or similar agreement, however worded, from installing an electric vehicle charging system on or near the parking stall of any multi-family residential dwelling or townhouse that the person owns. Any provision in any lease, instrument, or contract contrary to the intent of this section shall be void and unenforceable.
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Terms Used In Hawaii Revised Statutes 196-7.5

  • Codicil: An addition, change, or supplement to a will executed with the same formalities required for the will itself.
  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
  • Deed: The legal instrument used to transfer title in real property from one person to another.
  • Electric vehicle: means a vehicle powered by an electric motor via electricity:

    (1) Stored in a high capacity battery; or

    (2) Generated from an onboard fuel cell. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 196-2

  • Electricity: means all electrical energy produced by combustion of any fuel, or generated or produced using wind, the sun, geothermal heat, ocean water, falling water, currents, and waves, or any other source. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 196-2
  • Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). Source: OCC
  • Townhouse: means a series of individual houses, having architectural unity and a common wall between each unit. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 196-2
(b) Every private entity may adopt rules that reasonably restrict the placement and use of electric vehicle charging systems for the purpose of charging electrical vehicles in the parking stalls of any multi-family residential dwelling or townhouse; provided that those restrictions shall not prohibit the placement or use of electric vehicle charging systems altogether. No private entity shall assess or charge any homeowner any fees for the placement of any electric vehicle charging system; provided that the private entity may require reimbursement for the cost of electricity used by such electric vehicle charging system.
(c) Any person may place an electric vehicle charging system on or near the parking stall of any multi-family residential dwelling or townhouse unit owned by that person; provided that:

(1) The system is in compliance with any rules and specifications adopted pursuant to subsection (b);
(2) The system is registered with the private entity of record within thirty days of installation;
(3) If the system is placed on a common element or limited common element as defined by a project’s declaration, the homeowner shall first obtain the consent of the private entity; provided further that such consent shall be given if the homeowner agrees in writing to:

(A) Comply with the private entity’s design specification for the installation of the system;
(B) Engage a duly licensed contractor to install the system; and
(C) Within fourteen days of approval of the system by the private entity, provide a certificate of insurance naming the private entity as an additional insured on the homeowner’s insurance policy.
(d) If an electric vehicle charging system is placed on a common element or limited common element:

(1) The owner and each successive owner of the parking stall on which or near where the system is placed shall be responsible for any costs for damages to the system, common elements, limited common elements, and any adjacent units, arising or resulting from the installation, maintenance, repair, removal, or replacement of the system. The repair, maintenance, removal, and replacement responsibilities shall be assumed by each successive owner until the electric vehicle charging system has been removed from the common elements or limited common elements. The owner and each successive owner shall at all times have and maintain a policy of insurance covering the obligations of the owner under this paragraph and shall name the private entity as an additional insured under the policy; and
(2) The owner and any successive owner of the parking stall on which or near where the system is placed shall be responsible for removing the electric vehicle charging system if reasonably necessary or convenient for the repair, maintenance, or replacement of the common elements or limited common elements.
(e) For the purpose of this section:

“Electric vehicle charging system” means a system that is designed in compliance with Article 625 of the National Electrical Code and delivers electricity from a source outside an electric vehicle into one or more electric vehicles. An electric vehicle charging system may include several charge points simultaneously connecting several electric vehicles to the system.

“Private entity” means any association of homeowners, community association, condominium association, cooperative, or any other nongovernmental entity with covenants, bylaws, and administrative provisions with which a homeowner’s compliance is required.

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