EV drivers routinely find charging spaces blocked by gas vehicles ('ICEing'), with no consistent enforcement mechanism across the 26 U.S. states that lack anti-ICEing laws

Electric vehicle drivers across the United States regularly arrive at public charging stations only to find the spaces occupied by internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles that are not charging -- a practice known as 'ICEing.' An analysis of over 1 million charging station reviews documented this as a recurring complaint, yet only a handful of states including California, Washington, and Florida have enacted laws specifically prohibiting blocking EV charging spaces, leaving 26+ states with no legal mechanism for enforcement or removal. Why it matters: When a charging space is blocked, an EV driver with a low battery cannot simply park elsewhere and walk -- they need that specific infrastructure to continue driving, so the driver must search for an alternative charger that may be miles away, so range anxiety increases and public charging reliability perception drops, so prospective EV buyers cite charging infrastructure concerns as the top reason for not switching from gas vehicles, so EV adoption rates slow in exactly the regions (suburban and rural areas with sparse charger networks) where a single blocked station can strand a driver. The structural root cause is that EV charging spaces occupy standard parking spots that are not physically differentiated from regular spaces -- there are no bollards, gates, or automated access controls preventing non-EV vehicles from parking there. Enforcement responsibility falls into a gap between private property owners (who may not monitor lots), local parking enforcement (which often lacks jurisdiction on private land), and charging network operators (who have no towing authority). States that have passed anti-ICEing laws model penalties on disabled parking violations ($250-$500 fines), but without consistent signage standards and designated enforcement agencies, the laws are rarely applied.