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Green Building Ordinance and resources
The King County Green Building Team developed these resources for County department and project teams meet the requirements of the green building ordinance. Find information and guidance on ordinance requirements, our Sustainable Infrastructure Scorecard, and other helpful resources.
Green building goals
Establish a Green Building Team to provide education and guidance to county departments.
Ensure King County owned or financed capital projects are consistent with the latest green building and sustainable development practices. That includes:
- Planning
- Design
- Construction
- Remodeling
- Renovation
- Maintenance
- Operations
Examples of sustainable practices include:
- Improving energy efficiency
- Reducing greenhouse gas emissions
- Advancing equity and social justice
- Reducing waste
- Reducing water use
- Increasing sustainable materials use
- Improving sites
- Improving stormwater management
Green building ordinance requirements
- The green building ordinance covers all King County-owned or lease-to-own capital projects.
- The ordinance also applies to certain housing projects partly or totally financed by King County that are required by law to follow statewide green building standards.
- All eligible major renovation and remodel projects are required to achieve LEED Gold certification.
- All capital projects that are not eligible or are limited in their ability to achieve LEED certification (e.g., infrastructure projects) must incorporate cost-effective green building and sustainable development practices using the King County Sustainable Infrastructure Scorecard or other approved alternative rating systems and strive to achieve a Platinum level.
- Small, related capital projects that are part of a program may be certified as a program rather than at the individual-project level.
- All capital projects:
- Shall meet King County Surface Water Design Manual requirements, regardless of jurisdiction location. If a project is located in a jurisdiction where the surface water design manual standards and requirements are different than King County's, the project shall implement the more stringent requirement;
- Shall achieve a minimum diversion rate of eighty percent for construction and demolition materials, achieve an eighty-five percent diversion rate beginning in 2025 and shall achieve zero waste of resources with economic value beginning in 2030;
- Shall achieve applicable King County equity and social justice credits for capital projects regardless of the rating system used; and
- Should use the practice of integrative process to maximize green building, sustainable development, community benefit and financial investment opportunities over the life of the asset.
- For leases by a King County agency for King County operations at non-King-County-owned facilities, the agency shall seek to incorporate the latest green building and sustainable development practices in the county-occupied space.
- For new leases of King County-employee-occupied-space of longer than five years, including lease-to-own projects, King County shall lease buildings that are certified through the LEED rating system at silver level or higher, are Energy Star Certified or are certified through an alternative green building rating system, but only when those ratings are consistent with the operational needs of the function. Buildings that do not meet these standards can be leased by the county if plans and financing are in place at the time of signing that will enable the building to meet this standard within twenty-four months of lease signing.
- As part of the county's green building program, the county shall preserve and restore the historic landmarks and properties eligible for landmark designation that are owned by the county, except in cases where a certificate of appropriateness is granted by the King County landmarks commission.
- Build a culture of performance by establishing minimum performance requirements for energy, emissions, stormwater management, and construction and demolition materials diversion.
- Acknowledge green building achievements from King County affordable housing projects that increase equitable access to improved public health, air quality, living and working environments, and walkable communities.
- Encourage voluntary green building practices in the region that will increase the awareness, certification and innovation in green building and sustainable development.
- Specifies reporting requirements to improve the information compiled on county divisions' green practices; continues the county-wide Green Building Team and clarifies its roles and responsibilities; and requires project managers to be trained in green building practices.
- Report on the progress of implementing this ordinance as part of the biennial environmental sustainability report, in accordance with K.C.C. 18.50.010.
Equity and Social Justice Credits
For many in our region, King County is a great place to live, learn, work and play. Yet we have deep and persistent inequities – especially by race and place – that in many cases are getting worse and threaten our collective prosperity.
King County's green building ordinance 2022 requires all King County capital projects to complete all applicable equity and social justice (ESJ) activities outlined in the King County Sustainable Infrastructure Scorecard. ESJ is an important factor for successful sustainable development. It is essential to achieve a triple bottom line in sustainability.
Strategies developed in the King County Sustainable Infrastructure Scorecard are applicable to all capital projects, regardless green building rating system the project is choosing to achieve:
Learn more about King County’s commitment to racial justice.
King County’s sustainable infrastructure scorecard
Our Sustainable Infrastructure Scorecard guides King County project teams on how to meet the green building ordinance requirements. King County capital projects are required to use an approved green building rating system. Approved rating systems include:
- The King County Sustainable Infrastructure Scorecard (Scorecard)
- Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)
- Living Building Challenge (LBC)
- Another approved rating system
Scorecard editions
The King County Green Building Team has developed 4 versions of the Sustainable Infrastructure Scorecard. Our latest edition includes 8 chapters with 111 total possible points and an optional set of credits for enhanced performance.
All projects that will not achieve the 30% design milestone by Jan 31, 2024, should use the 2023 edition of the Scorecard.
Latest Sustainable Infrastructure Scorecard
Older in use Scorecard editions
Resources
Get up to speed on the new King County Green Building Ordinance. Learn about requirements and improvements related to reporting and checklist documentation. Learn about the different sustainable development categories and credits, the documentation process, and the types of available resources.
Green Building Ordinances updates, sustainable infrastructure scorecard, and annual reporting
- Training flyer
- Training presentation
- View our 2012 training video for an overview of the Green Building and Sustainable Development Ordinance and how to use the Scorecard. The video examples are specific to the Facilities Management Division, but the general information is relevant to all King County departments.
Integrative process (ip) and eco-charrette
The Integrative Process (IP) and eco-charrettes provide a solid foundation for green building implementation. Distinguish the holistic approach of IP from “traditional” design and construction. Identify financial and operational benefits of utilizing IP. Learn what an eco-charrette is, why it is important, who it includes, and how to use an eco-charrette to get the best results for your project.
- Training flyer
- Training presentation
- Training handouts (includes training agenda, exercises workbook, IP process meeting tip sheet, sample eco-charrette agendas, facilitation tips, IP Team org chart, IP Analyses Exercise)
Life cycle cost analysis (LCCA)
Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) is an economic methodology for selecting the most cost-effective design alternative. The methodology is beneficial as it addresses not only typical owner concerns of design effectiveness and construction cost, but also reflects future costs associated with maintenance, operation and replacement. LCCA looks at the value of a building or capital project over time, overcoming "first cost" limitations.
The methodology can be applied to a wide variety of decisions, including accepting or rejecting options, design and sizing, location, replacement, lease or buy options, system interdependence, budget allocation, and priority or ranking methodologies.
LCCA is traditionally used to assess direct costs of a building such as energy costs, building renewal and replacement, and operation & maintenance (O&M) costs. LCCA can also be applied to indirect costs such as staff salaries, staff productivity, lost construction time, fire insurance, lost revenues due to downtime, and other costs that are not directly related to the cost of the building. While these indirect costs are often more difficult to estimate, they are significant and should be considered in the decision-making process.
Learn how rLCCA applies to KC green building and energy policies. Examples of how using the rLCCA tool can ultimately benefit your projects.
GHG calculation and mitigation tool
Tutorial on tools to help calculate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Learn how to use available resources to assess the environmental footprint for a variety of capital projects, focusing on emissions associated with energy, transportation impacts and materials.
- Training flyer
- Training presentation
- Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Calculator tool
- GHG Emissions Calculator and Mitigation Strategies Guidelines
Construction and demolition (C&D) materials diversion
Learn about the tools and resources that King County provides to help mitigate C&D waste. Get insight on how to obtain the highest possible diversion rates on your construction, demolition and deconstruction projects.
Case Studies
- Atlantic/Central Base Demolition Case Study
A construction waste management case study examining the recycling and reuse strategies Transit used to achieve an 84% recycling rate in the demolition of two city blocks prior to construction of the expanded Atlantic/Central Base project. - Kent Pullen Regional Communications and Emergency Coordination Center
This case study describes the green building accomplishments on King County's first registered LEED® project. The building achieved a LEED Certified rating. - King Street Center Case Study
This case study describes features under each LEED category. The building has a LEED EB Gold rating. - King Street Center Virtual Tour
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This visual tour of the King Street Center, highlights the sustainable building features including the rainwater reclaimation system, recycled content materials, and energy-efficient lighting. - Green Roof Feasibility Review
This study examines the feasibility of constructing a green roof on the new office building planned for the county. It includes information about green roofs in general, as well as local examples of green roofs installed on municipal buildings. - King County Green Roof Case Study Report
This study examines several green roofs that have been installed. It includes information on installation, plant selection and maintenance issues.