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Electric Vehicle Charging: Keeping it Safe and Legal

It’s encouraging to see more Georgetown residents choosing electric vehicles (EVs) for their daily transportation. For many folks in Seattle it feels like the infrastructure isn’t quite there yet, but the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is working to install more charging stations in the city, and if you’re willing to follow some simple guidelines it’s actually pretty easy to charge vehicles at residences and on public streets.


I spoke to Katherine Rice, Senior Electric Vehicle Planner at the SDOT, to round up what we need to know.


The Golden Rules of Charging EVs


Know your charging voltage, and plan charging time accordingly


Charging times depend on three factors: Battery capacity, battery health, and charging voltage. Rice at SDOT said that many people have what’s called “range anxiety,” but she said that according to their data, most trips are shorter than people think.


In Seattle, the following voltages are available, each offering different charging rates:


  • At an average of 150 range miles for each hour of charging, direct current (DC) fast charging is the quickest of the three available options. Residential electric hookups can’t support this high-load current, but luckily the City of Seattle has installed 8 DC fast charging stations in neighborhoods from Highland Terrace in north Seattle all the way to Burien, and two more are planned for the near future. The nearest one for Georgetown residents is at the South Service Center (409 S Spokane St).

  • The next best is level 2 charging, which provides about 30 range miles per hour. This level requires 240-volt wiring which is generally only installed to power stoves and laundry dryers. You’ll also need special equipment that can cost up to $2,000, but at this level most of your daily trips can be charged up quickly and easily. 

    • There are 58 public level 2 charging stations throughout Seattle, including our closest one at Columbia City (4707 35th Ave S). But Rice shared great news with me: Another level 2 station is scheduled to be installed on the 6500 block of Ellis Ave, near the Mini Mart Park, by spring 2026.

  • Most home chargers will use level 1 charging, which uses any common 120-volt outlet. It’s the slowest of the options, providing only about 5 range miles per hour, but it makes charging accessible to pretty much everyone and an overnight charge gets most drivers a good 60 miles of range. According to Rice, EV owners may only use a 120-volt connection to charge curbside.


Want additional EV charging stations in the neighborhood? Suggest a new location.


BMW i3 home charging by Mario Roberto Durán Ortiz, CC BY-SA 4.0 (source)
BMW i3 home charging by Mario Roberto Durán Ortiz, CC BY-SA 4.0 (source)

Park legally when charging curbside


An unfortunate incident occurred on October 26, 2025 when someone double-parked their EV on Carleton Ave S, ran a charging cable to the vehicle from a nearby home, and left it there. A neighborhood resident later saw two police cars parked near the vehicle while officers spoke to a man on a nearby sidewalk. 


It’s unclear whether the police were called or just happened to be in the vicinity, and an inquiry to the Seattle Police Department media relations department doesn’t show any tickets issued to the car’s license plate number. Even so, we at the Gazette advise against this kind of creative charging strategy if you like your police record on the clean side.


For a review of all City of Seattle parking rules, check out this resource, but in particular Rice called out that EV owners should always follow posted parking signage. Also as a reminder, she said, “you’re not guaranteed parking spots in the city of Seattle. Even if a spot is in front of your home, it can technically be used by anyone and is not considered part of your property.”


Cars double-parked in San Francisco by Pretzelpaws, CC BY-SA 3.0 (source)
Cars double-parked in San Francisco by Pretzelpaws, CC BY-SA 3.0 (source)

Manage your cables


According to guidance published by the City of Seattle Department of Transportation, “[EV] charging cords must be covered by a highly visible, stable, and secure low-angle cable ramp” while charging on public streets. Rice adds that “owners must remove cables and their covers from any city sidewalk when they are done charging their vehicles to protect pedestrians from trip and fall hazards,” for which you could be legally liable. 


Example of an appropriate cable cover (source)
Example of an appropriate cable cover (source)

Don’t use anyone else’s electricity


This one may seem like a no-brainer, but people are infinitely creative, and everyone likes to save money. But if you’re caught using electrical outlets that don’t draw current from a Seattle City Light account you pay for, you can face steep fines.


See something wrong?


Rice encouraged Georgetown neighbors to use the city’s Find It, Fix It app to report outages or improper charging setups on public streets.


Where to Charge EVs in and near Georgetown


Public



Private



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