EV Charging May Become Harder To Find In One US State

In September 2025, the U.S. government ceased offering its $7,500 EV tax credit, shaking up a pricing model the U.S. had come to rely on and potentially leading to long-lasting changes in the EV landscape (even as programs like Texas' state-level EV incentives took up some of the slack). Now, news out of Maryland has revealed a potential new speed bump in the quest for widespread EV adoption, at least in the state.

The Maryland Department of Agriculture has introduced a new regulation requiring all commercial EV charging stations to pay a $150 registration fee per port starting January 1, 2026. Any EV chargers not registered by January 1 will be served a stop-use order. Thus, if a business wants to install and operate a multi-port charger in 2026, it's looking at at least a few hundred dollars in fees. This fee comes soon after the state began charging $125 and $100 for EV and PHEV registrations, respectively.

As you might expect, Maryland's EV port fee has not gone down well. Government officials, companies, and EV drivers have suggested that it might even price businesses out of offering EV charging facilities entirely (via Maryland Matters). Some businesses could even remove already-installed chargers if the numbers don't work out. This could, in turn, harm EV adoption in Maryland by limiting the growth of the state's EV charging network. The state's 5,427 public chargers (via the Department of Energy) are still well ahead of the U.S. states with the fewest chargers, of course, but there is valid cause for concern.

This new EV port fee comes as Maryland is chasing some ambitious climate targets. The state adopted the Advanced Clean Cars II Standards in 2023, looking to ensure that all cars and trucks sold in the state are emissions-free by 2035. Maryland also wants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60% by 2031 and achieve net-zero by 2045. Unfortunately, it looks to be quite behind on its goals as of late 2025. There were fewer than 150,000 EVs registered in Maryland as of October 2025, a fraction of the 5 million-plus vehicles registered statewide.

To be fair to Maryland, it isn't the only state that levies a fee on EV charging ports. However, as noted in a letter signed by companies such as Tesla and Rivian (via Maryland Matters), the state's $150 fee is exceptionally high; most states with an EV port fee only charge $20 to $25, with Florida the closest at $100. 

Speaking to Plantizen, the state's Agriculture Secretary Kevin Atticks said the $150-per-port fee will cover the regular inspections it plans to conduct starting in 2026. These will begin with visual inspections on January 1, with more thorough checks of the chargers' electrical output scheduled for spring. What impact this registration fee will have, and whether it will directly affect charging prices, remains to be seen.