Washington, DC, Adopts Green Building Codes

Last week, Washington, DC, mayor Vincent Gray announced the adoption of the 2013 DC Green Construction Code and the 2013 DC Energy Conservation Code as mandatory codes applicable to public- and private-sector buildings. By the adoption of these codes, the District of Columbia is taking a leadership role in fostering green-building practices and fundamentally transforming the way buildings are designed and constructed, reports NRMCA Vice President, Sustainability, Tien Peng. DC was already the first city to mandate that certain privately-owned new building construction meet LEED standards, a move that was soon followed by other major cities, including Boston and Los Angeles. In recent years, DC has consistently topped USGBC’s list of the highest number of LEED certified projects in the country.

Based on the 2012 International Green Construction Code (IgCC) with local amendments, the 2013 DC Green Construction Code applies to all construction projects greater than 10,000 square feet except single family homes, townhouses and multifamily residential construction three stories or fewer. The Construction Codes were effective upon publication on Friday, March 28.

For more information, please contact Tien Peng at tpeng@nrmca.org or 206-913-8535.