For a charging project, signage and bay marking are a documents package, not a paint order. The package lists every element — entrance wayfinding, bay identification, tariff display, rules of use, accessible-bay marking and instructions at the charger — and for each element records two things: the content decision the project makes, and the text that fixes its binding values. Sizes, symbols and wording duties are never copied from another site; they are read from the authority’s current text for the project’s jurisdiction, the funding programme’s rules where they apply, and the operator’s own tariff.
Key Takeaways
- Signage and bay marking are one package: every element gets a content decision and a named source for its values.
- No dimension, symbol or wording duty is copied from another site — each is read from the current governing text.
- Product rating labels and site signs are different surfaces; the specification keeps them separate.
- No charger is “ADA compliant” as a product — accessibility belongs to the installed site.
The Package, Element by Element
| Element | The content decision | Whose current text fixes the values |
|---|---|---|
| Entrance and wayfinding signs | That charging exists here, and where the bays are | The operator’s content; placement and any sign consent sit with the local authority |
| Bay identification and ground marking | A bay number or name that matches the connector and the platform listing, so a driver starts the right session | The operator’s naming scheme, inside the local authority’s marking requirements |
| Tariff and payment display | The price and the ways to pay, visible before a session starts | The operator’s tariff; funding programmes can add duties — NEVI-funded corridor stations must take contactless payment with no membership required |
| Rules-of-use panel | Who may charge, stay limits, move-when-finished, idle fees if any, and a help contact | The operator’s terms of use; enforcement wording follows local rules |
| Accessible-bay marking and signage | Which bays are accessible, their symbols and the marked access route beside them | In the U.S., the ADA Standards and local code, confirmed with the authority having jurisdiction; elsewhere, the local authority’s current text |
| Instructions at the charger | How to start, and which connector serves this bay on multi-connector units | The operator, using the access methods the charger’s listing states — RFID or app where the model states them |
Two Surfaces That Must Not Be Confused
A charger’s own rating label is the manufacturer’s compliance surface: it carries the model’s ratings and required markings, covered in our guide to rating labels and required markings. Site signage is the project’s surface. The specification keeps them separate — site signs do not reproduce the rating label, and no product label does the wayfinding job.
A second boundary matters as much: no charger is certified “ADA compliant” as a product. Accessibility is a property of the installed site — bay, route, mounting and controls as built — judged against the current standards and confirmed with the authority having jurisdiction. A signage package can name the accessible bays and mark them correctly; it cannot confer compliance on the hardware.
The Hardware the Package Has to Describe
The package is written against the actual units. On a dual-connector station such as the EV-AC03201T — two Type 2 connectors, up to 43 kW shared, RFID access, OCPP 1.6J — the package must carry the bay-to-connector correspondence in paint, on the cabinet and on the platform listing: one name per connector, repeated identically. Its 7-inch touchscreen is the session’s confirmation surface, a display; it is not a payment terminal, so the tariff display must also tell drivers where payment actually happens. Wallboxes such as the EV-ACT3204PE, a 22 kW three-phase Type 2 unit with RFID and app access, put the instructions at the unit instead. Multi-site operators can standardise the package with our commercial EV charging team or via contact us.
Frequently Asked Questions
What size do bay markings and signs have to be?
This article gives no figure, deliberately. Dimensions, symbols and placement are set by the current text that governs your jurisdiction — read them there, confirm them with the authority, and only then put sizes into the package.
Can we copy the signage package from our last project?
The structure, yes; the values, no. Rules, programme duties and tariffs change, and a new jurisdiction brings a new authority. Reuse the element list; re-read every value.
Who writes the rules-of-use panel?
The operator, inside local requirements. Stay limits, idle fees and enforcement wording are the operator’s terms; where a funding programme sets display or payment duties, its current text governs those lines.
Related Reading
- Rating Labels and Required Markings on EV Chargers
- How to Plan a Workplace EV Charging Program
- Where to Install an EV Charging Station: Site Selection Guide
- How Do Commercial EV Charging Stations Work?
