Maryland set a bold goal of 1.1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2030. With just shy of 150,000 EVs registered as of October 2025, the state has ground to make up.
That growth depends on a public charging network that is reliable, affordable and widely available, especially for apartment and condo dwellers without home charging and for drivers crossing the state on longer trips. Public charging must keep pace. Yet a new regulation from the Maryland Department of Agriculture threatens to do the opposite.
Starting Jan. 1, 2026, every public charging station in Maryland that accepts payment must register with the state's Weights and Measures program and pay a $150 annual fee. That is per port. A simple four-plug Level 2 station at a grocery store, office garage, or apartment complex now owes Maryland $600 a year just to remain in service.
The state calls it a registration fee. In practice, it operates as a $150-per-port tax, perhaps the highest in the nation. For comparison, Maryland charges gas stations only $20 to register each fuel dispenser. An EV charging plug now costs 7.5 times more to keep legal than a gasoline nozzle.
The Maryland Department of Agriculture is gearing up for enforcement. Chargers not registered by Jan. 1 face being red-tagged with a stop-use order. This removes the unit from service entirely. Every fix requires a registered service agency to sign off on repairs, and those technicians charge real money.
In spring 2026, state inspectors will arrive with certified test equipment to verify that each charger meters electricity within tolerances. New chargers must be certified before operating. The cost of compliance begins long before the first kilowatt-hour is sold.
Large fast-charging networks will simply take this in stride and raise rates a few cents. The damage falls hardest on low-margin Level 2 stations that drivers rely on daily. Apartment complexes, hotel lots, small retail centers, and office buildings often run these chargers at break-even or as customer perks.
A substantial yearly charger tax transforms a goodwill gesture into a financial liability. Many hosts will run the numbers, see red ink, and simply rip out the equipment rather than pass the cost to users or risk repeated red tags for minor violations.
Charger hosts lose the incentive to keep stations online. Drivers lose convenient charging options. The public charging network shrinks at the exact moment Maryland needs it to expand.
By 2026, compliant chargers will sport a little MDA decal proving they are registered. What many won't see will be the faint outlines on the pavement where perfectly functional Level 2 chargers once stood, quietly removed because the juice just wasn't worth the squeeze.