EV charger rebates in San Francisco

San Francisco's EV charger funding stack is shaped by two factors: it sits inside BAAQMD's Bay Area regional umbrella, and the city's building code requires EV-ready infrastructure on most new commercial development. We track the funding programs that apply to SF projects and the code requirements that drive the procurement timing.

The funding stack at a glance

• Federal - CFI Community grant (between rounds). The §30C tax credit ended June 30, 2026.
• California state - CALeVIP 2.0 Communities in Charge (statewide L2; Funding Wave 5 coming soon, no dates posted), Carl Moyer (administered through BAAQMD), HCD AHSC for affordable housing (between rounds)
• Regional - BAAQMD Charge! Program (the Bay Area regional anchor; between rounds)
• Utility - PG&E EV Charge 2 for multifamily and small business (PG&E is the wires utility for SF; the program is fully subscribed and closed); CleanPowerSF EV Charge SF (the city's CCA program, open)
• City - SF Building Code EV requirements drive the regulatory timing; SF Department of Building Inspection processes EV permits under AB 1236 expedited rules; SF Environment Department runs sustainability programs

The PG&E + CleanPowerSF dynamic

San Francisco was an early adopter of Community Choice Aggregation. Most SF residential and commercial customers are served by CleanPowerSF (operated by SF Public Utilities Commission with Hetch Hetchy Power) as their energy supplier, while PG&E remains the wires utility. This matters for stacking:

• PG&E EV Charge 2 (turnkey multifamily/SMB infrastructure) operated on the wires utility side. PG&E says it has reached full subscription and is no longer accepting applications.
• CleanPowerSF EV Charge SF runs its own rebate program for CleanPowerSF customers, funded separately from PG&E programs.

For a typical SF multifamily or workplace project, CleanPowerSF EV Charge SF is now the main energy-side program, since PG&E EV Charge 2 is closed.

BAAQMD Charge! applies to SF

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District covers all of San Francisco. The Charge! program is the biggest single regional program for L2 charging at multifamily, workplace, and public-access sites. Funded by AB 2766 vehicle registration fees and Carl Moyer money - different funding source than ratepayer programs, so it stacks cleanly. The FYE 2025 round is closed and no new round is posted, so Charge! is between rounds. See our Oakland regional page for more on BAAQMD's territory and funding model.

SF Building Code - the EV-ready requirement

San Francisco was one of the first major California cities to require EV-ready electrical infrastructure on new commercial construction. The code requires a percentage of parking spaces to be EV-Capable (raceway and panel capacity for future installation) or EV-Ready (full circuit installed) depending on building type and size. This means new commercial development in SF must budget for charger-ready infrastructure regardless of whether chargers are installed at occupancy.

The interaction with funding programs: code-driven infrastructure is generally NOT eligible for incentive programs because it's a regulatory requirement, not an incremental investment. The chargers themselves and the make-ready beyond code minimum can typically be funded.

AB 1236 expedited permitting

Under AB 1236, San Francisco (like every California city) is required to process EV charger permits within 5 business days for residential and 10 business days for commercial. The SF Department of Building Inspection generally meets these timelines for compliant applications. Pre-permit consultation through the SF Environment Department's EV programs helps identify common application issues before they cause permit delays.

What's NOT available in SF

• SDG&E PYD: doesn't apply - different utility territory.
• SCE Charge Ready: doesn't apply - different utility territory.
• SCAQMD: doesn't apply - different air district.
• SF direct city cash rebate: limited. The city's strategy emphasizes building code requirements and process streamlining over direct cash. CleanPowerSF handles the energy-side rebate function.

Considerations for SF projects

For new commercial construction: EV-ready infrastructure is a code requirement, not an incentive opportunity. Plan that into the construction budget. The incentive opportunities sit on top of the code minimum - chargers themselves, additional ports beyond minimum, and make-ready beyond what the code requires.

For multifamily developers: the SF stack is thinner than it was. PG&E EV Charge 2 is closed and BAAQMD Charge! is between rounds, which leaves CleanPowerSF EV Charge SF as the main open program. AB 2127 multifamily requirements drive the regulatory timing.

For workplace and office charging: the corporate sector in SF has been an early adopter. PG&E EV Charge 2 is closed and BAAQMD Charge! is between rounds, so CleanPowerSF EV Charge SF is the main open funding source for typical office deployments.

For DCFC corridors and public-access fast charging: CALeVIP 2.0 GSPP is closed, and CALeVIP directs DCFC applicants to the Fast Charge California Project (FCCP). Federal CFI Community is between rounds. SF's high-density urban form makes traditional DCFC siting harder than in suburban regions; transit hubs and public garages tend to be the active deployment sites.

For the full filterable list of programs at a specific SF address, use the main rebate database with your project ZIP.

Sources and verification

This page is verified monthly against agency-administered programs. Confirm program status and dollar amounts directly with each agency before applying. The list below points to administering-agency pages for the major programs covered above.

• BAAQMD Charge! Program - Bay Area Air Quality Management District; regional charging incentive across nine Bay Area counties including San Francisco; between rounds
• PG&E EV Charge 2 - Pacific Gas and Electric Company; turnkey installation program for multifamily and small business in PG&E territory; fully subscribed and closed to new applications
• CleanPowerSF - San Francisco's Community Choice Aggregator; runs EV Charge SF for member sites
• CALeVIP statewide programs - California Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Project; state-administered L2 and DCFC cash rebates
• HCD Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities - California HCD capital grant for affordable housing including EV charging infrastructure
• IRS §30C Alternative Fuel Vehicle Refueling Property Credit - Internal Revenue Service; 30 percent federal tax credit, terminates June 30, 2026
• Argonne 30C Census Tract Locator - Argonne National Laboratory; SF has heavy 30C tract coverage; verify per address

For the full source list and verification methodology, see our methodology.