<< Back to Green Buildings landing page
Green building is an integral part of the District's sustainable development strategy. The Green Building Act of 2006 (GBA) requires that all non-residential District public buildings meet the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED certification standards for environmental performance at the “Silver” level or higher. District owned or financed residential projects 10,000 square feet or larger must meet or exceed the Green Communities certification standard. Since January 2012, all new private development projects 50,000 square feet or larger are now required to meet LEED certification at the “Certified” level or higher.
If a project falls within the scope of the GBA, and associated regulations, compliance with the GBA will also satisfy compliance with the 2017 Green Construction Code. See DOB’s Energy and Green Building Compliance.
View an online version of the Green Building Act, including all amendments.
The Greener Government Buildings Amendment Act of 2022 (GGBA) introduced net-zero energy requirements for publicly-owned and -financed buildings. To learn more, check out this guide from the Building Innovation Hub. To help project teams understand the specific DOB-enforced green building requirements that may be applicable to their building projects, the Hub has created a DC Green Code Guide, an interactive tool to help navigate the Green Building Act, including the GGBA, and Green Construction Code requirements.