EVSE Registration

The Maryland Department of Agriculture Weights and Measures program has extended the open registration period for public-facing EVSE chargers. All chargers must be registered no later than July 1, 2026.

Applicants should complete one form per individual location, include the number of ports, and complete all required information.

Please direct any questions and completed registration forms to the Weight and Measures Program at [email protected]. You will be contacted within 5 business days for the next step in the process.

A EVSE CHARGER DEFINITIONS- What Requires What Registration FAQS

Chargers Requiring Registration

Publicly Available EVSE

Both Level 2 and DC Fast Chargers are available to the public, whereas a fee is established.

Public Utility Chargers

An Investor-Owned Public Utility Company Charger

Level 2 and DC Fast Charger are available to the public, whereas a fee is established.

Multi-Fleet Chargers

Level 2 and DC Fast Chargers that are available for use by more than one fleet, whereas a fee is established either directly or through a billing agreement.

Workplace Chargers- Publicly available

Chargers that are available at the workplace for employees, fleet, and public charging.

Chargers That Do Not Require Registration

Private Residence Chargers

These chargers are for personal use and are not considered commercially available.

Private Use - Single Fleet Chargers

Chargers that are used to fuel private fleets, whereas commercial transactions do not occur.

Private Use - Multi-Family Dwellings

Private use chargers that meet the outlined requirements below.

Installed on the property of the housing.
Not located on a public street, parking lot, or in a public parking garage.
Can not be accessed by the public, including visitors of the community. Example: behind a fence or member billing system.
For residents use only.
Have permanent signage posted at the location stating “Not a Public Charger - Residential Use Only” or “Private Use - Residents Only”
Remove chargers from publicly available websites. If chargers are posted as a location that is publicly available and assess fees the chargers will require registration.

Free Chargers

Free means free; a charger, whereas no fee of any kind is established. When a fee is established,

it is required to be in addition to the kilowatt-hour dispensed to fuel the vehicle.

Workplace Chargers – Private Use

Available for fleet and employee charging only.
Chargers are in an area not available to the public, such as behind a fence.
Chargers are not available or listed on public charging networks

EVSE Registration, Inspection, and Testing Program FAQs

Q: What EVSE chargers are required to be registered?

A: Publicly available EVSE chargers used in a transaction with a consumer to establish a fee are required to be registered with MDA Weights and Measures.

Q: Is the registration fee for each charger or each port?

A: The registration fee is $75 per port. If two vehicles are capable of being simultaneously charged, then the EVSE has two ports with a fee of $150.

Q: Am I required to register each location?

A: Yes, each individual location will need to be separately registered. Please fill

out one registration form per location and submit completed forms to

[email protected]. If you have multiple locations, please submit

one form and an excel chart with detailed information for each location. A “mail

group” will be created, and you will receive notifications for all locations at one email

address.

Q: What are the registration requirements?

A: The open registration period will run through July 1, 2026. All EVSE locations

that are publicly available are required to be registered by that date. The office

will assign an account number to the location and email an invoice for registration

fees. To complete registration, all fees are required to be paid by the first of July.

Q: What happens if I do not register my chargers before July 1, 2026?

A: Starting July 1, 2026, any unregistered charger found to be publicly available

that charge a fee will be removed from service until registration with MDA is

complete. Weights and Measures will officially place the charger into service.

Q: What is the difference between inspection versus testing?

A: Inspection- to visually assess an EVSE charger to ensure it correctly meets

specification and user requirements. Testing – to verify the accuracy of the meter

dispensing the electricity to an electric vehicle.

Q: What is NIST Handbook 44 and how does it relate to my EVSE charger?

A: NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) Handbook 44 outlines

the specifications, tolerances, technical requirements, user requirements, and

test notes that pertain to weighing and measuring devices. The current edition of

NIST Handbook 44 is adopted under Title 11 of the Agricultural Annotated Code

of Maryland.

Q: What is required if my charger fails inspection?

A: You will receive an emailed copy of the inspection report listing the violations.

As the device owner it is your responsibility to correct any noted deficiencies

within the specified time to gain compliance with Maryland law. Please contact

the office with any questions.

Q: Will inspection results be publicly viewable, i.e. pass, fail, notified?

A: This information is not directly available to the public. The program does not

post inspection results for each device on a website.

Q: What is the correct method of sale for electricity used as vehicle fuel?

A: All electrical energy kept, offered, or exposed for sale and sold retail as a

vehicle fuel shall be in units in terms of the kilowatt-hour (kWh). During the

charging session, a customer can only be charged for the energy dispensed.

Upon conclusion of the charging session, additional fees may be assessed such

as time-based idle fees or transactional fees. The price for these fees, as per the

handbook, are required to be disclosed to the customer before the transaction.

Q: What are the responsible party marking requirements?

A: An unattended EVSE shall have clearly and conspicuously displayed thereon,

or immediately adjacent thereto, adequate information detailing the name,

address, and phone number of the local party responsible for the device.

Q: What is considered an unattended EVSE?

A. Any location that lacks a person physically onsite that is able to assist the

customer during fueling operations.

Q: What happens when chargers are off-line at the time of inspection?

A: As with any device that is unable to be verified at the time of the inspection, it

will be rejected, which is the lowest level of enforcement action. The device can

still be used pending a return inspection.

Q: What about the chargers that have been installed without a NTEP Certificate of

Conformance?

A: The manufacturer may apply to the NTEP program for evaluation. They may

then be granted conditional use during evaluation period.

MDA EVSE Registration and Certification Program Information

Retail Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) Weights & Measures Guide. MDA Weights & Measures has the authority to regulate the method of sale of all commodities offered or exposed for sale and weighing and measuring devices used in a commercial transaction within the state.

This document is designed to assist and inform businesses as they enter the electric vehicle charging market by clearly establishing expectations for this new market as it applies to Maryland Weights & Measures requirements. To ensure that Maryland businesses and consumers work in a fair and reliable market, regulated equipment is required to meet applicable legal standards, including the method of sale.

Method of Sale

All electrical energy sold at retail as vehicle fuel must be sold by the kilowatt-hour (kWh). Unit price for electricity must be displayed by the whole cent ($0.32) or tenth of one cent ($0.319). During the charging session, a customer can only be charged for the energy dispensed. Upon conclusion of the charging session, any additional fees may be assessed such as time-based idle fees or transactional fees. All fees must be displayed to the customer before the consumer elects to purchase the services.

Selecting a Device

Devices must be selected with the intended use in mind. All EVSEs used commercially and available to the public must be “Legal for Trade”, comply with all the requirements in NIST Handbook 44, and are required to have a National Type Evaluation Program (NTEP) Certificate of Conformance (CC). This includes all new EVSE equipment. A list of all equipment that complies with this requirement can be found on the NTEP CC Database. https://www.ncwm.com/ntep-certificates

These devices will have a nomenclature plate (identification plate) containing the following information:

Make
Model
Serial Number
Voltage and Type of Current
Maximum Current Deliverable
Temperature Limits
Minimum Measured Quantity
NTEP CC Number Example nomenclature plate

Private Use Chargers

EVSEs not available to the public such as those found in multi-family dwellings or private residence will not currently be licensed by the Weights and Measures program. These devices must have a means (electronic or physical) to prevent general public access. Additionally, these devices should not appear on any websites or applications which help members of the public find and/or pay for EVSE services.

Legacy EVSE Chargers, both Level II and DCFC

EVSE devices installed prior to January 1, 2023, are referred to as legacy chargers and are not required to have NTEP certification.

Legacy chargers are required to be registered in accordance with Maryland requirements.
These devices will not require a placed-in-service report from an RSA as they are already in service.
They are required to meet the following requirements

Operable for customer use.
Have a customer indication.

▪ Provide unit pricing per kWh and additional fees prior to the start of the charging session.

▪ Quantity of energy delivered throughout the session.

▪ Total purchase of energy and additional fees per charging session.

Correct method of sale for electricity when used in a vehicle fueling application.
Able to provide a paper or electronic recorded representation to a customer that includes the following information.

▪ The total quantity of energy delivered with unit of measurement.
▪ The total computed price of energy sale.
▪ Date and time of transaction.
▪ Unit price per kwh.
▪ The maximum rate of energy transferred.
▪ Any additional separate charges (for example parking time)
▪ Unit price of time-based service.
▪ The total purchase price for the quantity of time.
▪ The final total price of the complete transaction.
▪ The EVSE unique Identification.
▪ Business name and location.

Can not exceed 2% accuracy tolerance in favor of the business.

If a device is not capable of meeting these minimum requirements and is removed from
service, it will be required to be replaced with an NTEP certified device.
These devices will receive registration decals only and will not receive a certification decal.
All legacy devices will require replacement with an NTEP certified device by January 1, 2033.

Level II and DC Chargers Installed January 1, 2023 – June 30, 2026

They are required to have a traceable NTEP certificate of Conformance.

If the device is actively undergoing Type Evaluation, it may be granted conditional use for a period of time.
If a device has CTEP, it will be granted conditional use pending an NTEP certificate of conformance.

These devices will not require a placed in-service report from an RSA as they are already in service.
These devices are required to be registered with MDA prior to July 1, 2026.
These devices are required to adhere to specifications, tolerances, and user requirements as outlined in NIST Handbook 44.

https://www.nist.gov/pml/owm/nist-handbook-44-current-edition

Placing a Device into Service- PIS Report

Placed in Service Reports (PIS) are a form submitted to the Weights and Measures Program to inform the office of newly installed devices or repaired devices.

At this time, due to limited-service agencies and equipment, MDA Weights and Measures will accept placed-in-service reports (available on the website) from device owners. The owner or service agency is required to:

Submit the completed Placed In Service Form to [email protected].
If the owner is submitting the report, it can be submitted simultaneously with the
registration form ahead of being available to customers for a transaction. Please fill out ALL information on the form, including the name, representative name, and direct contact information of the installer.
Registered Service Agencies have five days to submit a report following placing a device into service or returning a repaired device into service.

Understanding Weights and Measures, Tags and Terminology

MDA Weights and Measures utilizes a multi-tiered approach to enforcement action.

Rejected- the device can be used while undergoing repairs, PIS report required.
Condemned (yellow tag) – is placed on a device to preclude it from further use during
repairs. Only an RSA may return a repaired device into service following condemnation. PIS
report required.
Stop-use (red tag) – is placed on a device to preclude it from further use during repairs. Once repaired only an inspector with MDA Weights and Measures may place the device
back into service. Office notification and PIS report required.
Conditional Use- can be granted for a specified time if the device complies with terms of conditional use.
Approved- these devices have been found to be accurate and correct during inspection and have received a certification sticker. The device owner is still responsible for maintaining the device.
White Tagged Device – these devices have specific circumstances whereas they have been removed from service for a temporary period, the device owner is required to contact weights and measures and submit a placed into service report upon removing the whitetag. PIS report required.
Removal of any tag placed on a device by a weights and measures official without proper notification can result in the assessment of civil penalties and or revocation of registration.