City of San Francisco - Green Building Code

Program City of San Francisco - Green Building Code
Category Regulatory Policy
Implementing sector Local
Last Update
State California
Website https://sfenvironment.org/green-building-ordinance-sf-building-code
Technologies Solar - Passive, Solar Water Heat, Solar Space Heat, Solar Photovoltaics, Daylighting
Sectors Residential

San Francisco adopted a mandatory green building code for new construction projects in September 2008, establishing strict guidelines for residential and commercial buildings according to the following schedule:

Building Type Year Requirement
Small Residential (four dwellings or fewer) 2009 25 Green Points (does not need to be rated)
  2010 and 2011 Must be GreenPoint Rated and building applications must demonstrate that a minimum of 50 GreenPoints will be earned
  2012 Building applications for new homes must demonstrate that at least 75 GreenPoints will be achieved
Mid-size Residential 2009 25 Green Points (does not need to be rated)
  2010 Must be GreenPoint Rated and building applications must demonstrate that a minimum of 50 GreenPoints will be earned
  2011 and 2012 Building applications for new homes must demonstrate that at least 75 GreenPoints will be achieved
High-rise Residential 2009 New permit applications must include documentation to achieve LEEDcertification (or 50 GreenPoints)
  2010 New permit applications must include documentation to achieve LEED Silver certification (or 75 GreenPoints). A number of specific LEED standards must also be met for landscaping, water use reduction, and construction debris management
  2012 Building applications must also meet LEED standards for the use of on-site renewable energy or the purchase of renewable energy credits
Mid-Size Commercial 2009 New permit applications don't need to meet LEED certification requirements but must meet LEED standards for building commissioning, landscaping, water use, and construction debris management
  2010 New permit applications must meet enhanced commissioning standards and tighter water use requirements
  2012 Building applications must also meet LEED standards for the use of on-site renewable energy or the purchase of renewable energy credits
Large Commercial November 2008 New permit applications must include documentation to achieve LEED certification
  2009, 2010, 2011 New permit applications must include documentation to achieve LEED Silver certification
  2012 New permit applications must include documentation to achieve LEED Gold certification


Certain buildings will need to meet additional requirements by varying dates. See Ordinance 180-08 for the full implementation schedule. Click here for Administrative Bulletin 093, which provides more information about the implementation of the green building requirements.

Commercial Building Benchmarking Requirements
Ordinance 17-11, passed in February 2011, requires owners of commercial buildings over 10,000 square feet to annually measure their building's energy performance and to report the findings to the San Francisco Department of Environment. The ordinance also requires owners of commercial buildings over 10,000 square feet to have an energy audit conducted every five years, and to submit a report on those findings to the Department of Environment. The Department of Environment will make certain aspects of these reports available to the public for every affected building. These requirements took effect in October 2011 for buildings over 50,000 square feet, and will be phased in for smaller buildings through 2013. 

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