LEED Certification for Zoning Requirements

Description: Zoning ordinances are frequently used to advance the goals of General Plans for development in cities or counties. Zoning that requires certain environmental or sustainability features in development projects is a powerful tool to address the underlying causes of climate change and improve community sustainability and resilience. Such requirements, often referred to as “green building” standards, are frequently modeled after or incorporate the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification requirements for new buildings or developments.

Ongoing building emissions, waste outputs, and the means and methods of construction result in significant environmental impacts over its useful life. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) states that 40% of the country’s overall energy usage is through buildings of various kinds. The DOE’s Building Technology Office assists in implementing energy codes, forming the basis for codes, and providing tools for professionals to create energy saving systems and practices. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) developed the Sustainable Design and Green Building Toolkit for Local Governments in order to assist local governments in identifying and removing barriers to sustainable design and green building within their permitting processes. Researchers at the National Institute of Health (NIH) state that the construction industry uses approximately 40% of global raw materials and produces 39% of CO2 emissions, making it an important sector for improving sustainability and reducing waste (see the DOE, EPA and NIH links below).

U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED): The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) describes its LEED Certification program as follows: LEED “is the world’s most widely used green building rating system. LEED certification provides a framework for healthy, highly efficient, and cost-saving green buildings, which offer environmental, social and governance benefits. LEED certification is a globally recognized symbol of sustainability achievement, and it is backed by an entire industry of committed organizations and individuals paving the way for market transformation.” LEED was created–and is continuously updated–in order to define environmentally friendly buildings and evaluate them. LEED v4.1 (the current version) and v5 (the updated version planned for release in 2025) have certification requirements developed to address three areas of development impact: building decarbonization, quality of life, and ecological conservation and restoration. Certification requirements have been developed for nearly all building types and all development phases including new building design and construction, interior fit-outs for new or renovated commercial spaces, operations and maintenance, neighborhood development, and city and community planning.

To build upon its certification framework for high performance buildings, LEED v5 certifies buildings operating with net zero carbon emissions based on the definition announced by the DOE in June 2024. The LEED framework also recognizes a certification for Total Resource Use and Efficiency (TRUE) administered by Green Business Certification Inc; TRUE is a program partnered with LEED that certifies zero waste projects. LEED for Cities and Communities takes a holistic approach to evaluating emissions reduction and sustainability goals and can support general or specific plans that guide and shape local development.

LEED in Zoning Requirements: Many cities have successfully included LEED certification as a requirement in zoning ordinances or planning documents. These requirements can be for certain types of building projects in selected areas or districts. For example, Berkeley, California requires LEED Gold certification or equivalent for Building Design and Construction for new buildings and additions of more than 20,000 square feet in their Downtown Mixed Use Zoning District. Tampa used LEED for Cities to focus on sustainability and resilience measures, including “maintaining and conserving natural ecosystem areas, providing green building incentives, historic preservation, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and environmental equity aimed at ensuring improved quality of life for all its residents.” Santa Fe applied LEED for Cities criteria to provide an analysis that could be used to improve implementation of its 25-year Sustainability Plan (see links below). USGBC reports that 142 cities and communities have, to varying degrees, employed LEED standards in planning or zoning ordinances. This includes but is not limited to Berkeley, CA; Miami Beach, FL; San Francisco, CA; Seattle, WA; Tampa, FL; Santa Fe, NM; and St. Petersburg, FL.

LEED Benefits: As noted in a 2014 report by researchers at University of California – Berkeley (UCB), the California Air Resources Board (CARB) stated that green buildings “offer a comprehensive approach to support California’s climate change goals across multiple sectors” and “represent a fundamental shift toward a cross-­‐sector and integrated climate policy framework.” The report, prepared for CARB and the California Environmental Protection Agency, also estimated that if all office buildings in California follow LEED Existing Buildings Operation and Maintenance (EBOM) standards, climate emissions would be reduced by an equivalent of 831,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually relative to conventional operations (see linked UCB report below). Such estimated emission reductions were primarily from transportation, water consumption, and waste disposal. These estimated reductions were in addition to the emissions reductions associated with direct energy use in LEED certified buildings, which can be up to 25 percent depending on LEED certification level, building code, local “reach codes” and a number of other factors.

According to the USGBC, in addition to reductions in energy use, GHG emissions, water consumption, and waste generation, LEED certified buildings also offer improved indoor air quality, reduced overall environmental impact, enhanced occupant comfort and increased employee productivity. At the community or city level, LEED certification requirements or equivalent green building standards “institutionalize sustainability through planning, policymaking and the cross-departmental coordination that is inherent in the process.” Other possible benefits include improved quality of life for all, lower operating costs, improved property values, enhanced civic engagement, and more business investment and economic development progress. Thoughtfully planned buildings designed with intention for the long-term future can provide comfortable yet useful spaces for people to engage in the activities of their daily lives, creating an environment that encourages community engagement and investment in improved future conditions through the practice of sustainability.

Summary: The life cycle impact of buildings is significant to the people who use them and the world they exist in. Buildings not only use energy and release emissions during construction and operation, but they are the nexus of multiple other activities that are emissions intensive and have impacts on community sustainability, quality of life, and equity. Cities and communities benefit when activities – including water consumption, waste generation and handling, transportation, environmental equity, energy use, etc. – are holistically and carefully considered in planning documents and zoning ordinances.

Goal: Reduce CO2, other GHG emissions, and overall environmental impacts.

Measurement: Reduction of CO2, other GHGs, energy use, waste, and water consumption.

Time to Implement: Varies based on project size and governing authority.

Links:

Berkeley codes and information
https://berkeleyca.gov/construction-development/permits-design-parameters/design-parameters/green-building-requirements/

Berkeley’s Green Building ordinance
https://berkeley.municipal.codes/BMC/23.204.130(G)

Tampa, Florida Case Study
https://www.usgbc.org/resources/leed-cities-existing-v41-city-tampa-florida

Santa Fe, New Mexico Case Study
https://www.usgbc.org/sites/default/files/2020-09/Final-Approved_Santa-Fe-NM_Case-Study_LEEDv4-1-Cities.pdf

San Francisco codes and information
https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/san_francisco/latest/sf_environment/0-0-0-577

Miami Beach ordinance and information
https://www.miamibeachfl.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/2016-3993-Ordinance.pdf

Additional Information:

USGBC LEED website
https://www.usgbc.org/leed

LEED v4.1
https://www.usgbc.org/leed/v41

LEED v5
https://www.usgbc.org/leed/v5

How LEED for Cities Works: Accelerating Sustainability in Local Governments
https://www.usgbc.org/articles/how-leed-cities-works-accelerating-sustainability-local-governments

LEED for Cities and Communities: Who’s Using LEED for Cities and Communities?
https://www.usgbc.org/leed/rating-systems/leed-for-cities-communities

LEED article: The role of LEED in climate change mitigation
https://www.usgbc.org/articles/role-leed-climate-change-mitigation

LEED v5 with LEED Zero Carbon
https://www.usgbc.org/articles/us-green-building-council-launches-draft-leed-v5-operations-and-maintenance

About Total Resource Use and Efficiency (TRUE)
https://www.gbci.org/about-true

DOE: About the Building Technologies Office
https://www.energy.gov/eere/buildings/about-building-technologies-office

DOE: Key Activities in Energy Efficiency
https://www.energy.gov/eere/buildings/key-activities-energy-efficiency

EPA: Sustainable Design and Green Building Toolkit for Local Governments
https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2014-09/documents/sustainable-design-permitting-toolkit-06_27_13_formatted.pdf

NIH: Assessment of building materials in the construction sector: A case study using life cycle assessment approach to achieve the circular economy
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10597816/#:~:text=The%20construction%20industry%20has%20a,manufacturing%20building%20materials%20and%20products

UCB Report: Quantifying the Comprehensive Greenhouse Gas Co-­‐Benefits of Green Buildings
https://escholarship.org/uc/item/935461rm#main

Contact Info:

U.S. Green Building Council
https://support.usgbc.org/hc/en-us/requests/new
In the United States : 1-800-795-1747
Out of the United States: 1-202-742-3792

Jordan Klein,
Director of Planning and Development
planning@berkeleyca.gov
City of Berkeley
1947 Center Street, 3rd Floor, Berkeley, CA 94704
Phone: (510) 981-7400

Environment Department
​​environment@sfgov.org/
City of San Francisco
1455 Market Street, Suite 13B, San Francisco, CA 94103
415-355-3700

Thomas Mooney,
Planning Director
https://www.miamibeachfl.gov/contact/
City of Miami Beach
1700 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach, Florida 33139,
Phone: 305.673.7550

Alan Webber,
Mayor
City of Santa Fe
​​City Hall, 200 Lincoln Avenue, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501
505-955-6590

Jane Castor,
Mayor
https://tampaconnect.com//
City of Tampa
306 East Jackson Street, Tampa, FL 33602
(813) 274-8251

Sectors(s) Buildings, Energy, Equity, Transportation & Land Use, Waste, Water
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Status
Date First Adopted 2000, in Seattle WA
Last Updated January 22, 2025
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