Bill Text: NY S05157 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Amended
Bill Title: Provides that no covenant, restriction, or condition contained in any deed, contract, security instrument, or other instrument affecting the transfer or sale of any interest in a condominium and any by-laws that prohibits or unreasonably restricts the installation or use of an electric vehicle charging station is void.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Passed) 2019-12-06 - SIGNED CHAP.597 [S05157 Detail]
Download: New_York-2019-S05157-Amended.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 5157--A 2019-2020 Regular Sessions IN SENATE April 11, 2019 ___________ Introduced by Sen. BRESLIN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Judiciary -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee AN ACT to amend the real property law, in relation to electric vehicle charging station installation in condominiums The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The real property law is amended by adding a new section 2 339-ll to read as follows: 3 § 339-ll. Electric vehicle charging station installation. 1. As used 4 in this section: 5 (a) "Reasonable restrictions" means restrictions that do not signif- 6 icantly increase the cost of the station or significantly decrease its 7 efficiency or specified performance. 8 (b) "Electric vehicle charging station" means a station that delivers 9 electricity from a source outside an electric vehicle into one or more 10 electric vehicles. An electric vehicle charging station may include 11 several charge points simultaneously connecting several electric vehi- 12 cles to the station and any related equipment needed to facilitate 13 charging plug-in electric vehicles. 14 2. (a) Any covenant, restriction, or condition contained in any deed, 15 contract, security instrument, or other instrument affecting the trans- 16 fer or sale of any interest in the property, and any by-laws, that 17 either effectively prohibits or unreasonably restricts the installation 18 or use of an electric vehicle charging station within an owner's unit or 19 in a designated parking space, including, but not limited to, a deeded 20 parking space, a parking space in an owner's exclusive use common 21 element, or a parking space that is specifically designated for use by a 22 particular owner, or is in conflict with the provisions of this section 23 shall be void and unenforceable. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD09641-03-9S. 5157--A 2 1 (b) This section shall not apply to by-laws that impose reasonable 2 restrictions on electric vehicle charging stations. However, it is the 3 policy of the state to promote, encourage, and remove obstacles to the 4 use of electric vehicle charging stations. 5 (c) An electric vehicle charging station shall meet all applicable 6 health and safety standards and requirements imposed by law, rule or 7 regulation. 8 (d) If approval is required for the installation or use of an electric 9 vehicle charging station the application for approval shall be processed 10 and approved by the association in a manner prescribed by the associ- 11 ation and shall not be willfully avoided or delayed. The approval or 12 denial of an application shall be in writing. If an application is not 13 denied in writing within sixty days from the date of receipt of the 14 application, the application shall be deemed approved, unless that delay 15 is the result of a reasonable request for additional information. 16 (e) If the electric vehicle charging station is to be placed in the 17 common elements or in an exclusive use common element, as designated in 18 the common interest declaration, the following provisions shall apply: 19 (i) The owner first shall obtain approval from the association to 20 install the electric vehicle charging station and the association shall 21 approve the installation if the owner agrees in writing to do all of the 22 following: 23 (A) comply with the association's architectural standards for the 24 installation of the charging station; 25 (B) engage a licensed contractor to install the charging station; 26 (C) within fourteen days of approval, provide a certificate of insur- 27 ance that names the association as an additional insured under the 28 owner's insurance policy pursuant to subparagraph (iii) of this para- 29 graph; and 30 (D) pay for both the costs associated with the installation of and the 31 electricity usage associated with the charging station. 32 (ii) The owner and each successive owner of the charging station shall 33 be responsible for all of the following: 34 (A) costs for damage to the charging station, common elements, exclu- 35 sive use common elements, or separate units resulting from the installa- 36 tion, maintenance, repair, removal, or replacement of the charging 37 station; 38 (B) costs for the maintenance, repair, and replacement of the charging 39 station until it has been removed and for the restoration of the common 40 elements after removal; 41 (C) the cost of electricity associated with the charging station; and 42 (D) disclosing to prospective buyers the existence of any charging 43 station of the owner and the related responsibilities of the owner under 44 this section. 45 (iii) The owner of the charging station, whether located within a 46 separate unit or within the common elements or exclusive use common 47 elements, shall, at all times, maintain a liability coverage policy. The 48 owner that submitted the application to install the charging station 49 shall provide the association with the corresponding certificate of 50 insurance within fourteen days of approval of the application. That 51 owner and each successor owner shall provide the association with the 52 certificate of insurance annually thereafter. 53 (iv) A homeowner shall not be required to maintain a homeowners 54 liability coverage policy for an existing national electrical manufac- 55 turers association standard alternating current power plug.S. 5157--A 3 1 (f) Except as provided in paragraph (g) of this subdivision, installa- 2 tion of an electric vehicle charging station for the exclusive use of an 3 owner in a common element, that is not an exclusive use common element, 4 shall be authorized by the association only if installation in the 5 owner's designated parking space is impossible or unreasonably expen- 6 sive. In such cases, the association shall enter into a license agree- 7 ment with the owner for the use of the space in a common area, and the 8 owner shall comply with all of the requirements in paragraph (e) of this 9 subdivision. 10 (g) The association or owners may install an electric vehicle charging 11 station in the common elements for the use of all members of the associ- 12 ation and, in that case, the association shall develop appropriate terms 13 of use for the charging station. 14 (h) An association may create a new parking space where one did not 15 previously exist to facilitate the installation of an electric vehicle 16 charging station. 17 (i) An association that willfully violates this section shall be 18 liable to the applicant or other party for actual damages, and shall pay 19 a civil penalty to the applicant or other party in an amount not to 20 exceed one thousand dollars. 21 (j) In any action by a unit owner requesting to have an electric vehi- 22 cle charging station installed and seeking to enforce compliance with 23 this section, the unit owner shall be awarded reasonable attorney's fees 24 if he or she prevails. 25 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
