Many local U.S. governments are using a new building code that adheres to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards set out by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). LEED promotes sustainability by giving guidance in five areas of human and environmental health, which are sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.

“What is happening across the market is that municipalities are realizing that there are measuring sticks, such as LEED, that they can use to evaluate how they are doing environmentally,” says Stuart Brodsky, national program manager for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Here is a sampling of states and local governments that have energy conservation legislation.


Connecticut
The state regulates building construction standards that exceed the silver building rating of LEED for new commercial construction and major renovation projects.

New York
Suffolk County has passed LEED initiatives.

Maryland
The state requires state-funded building projects meet green building standards.

Massachusetts
Boston requires all major new and rehabilitation construction projects exceeding 50,000 square feet to meet LEED standards.

Washington, D.C.
The district requires commercial developments larger than 50,000 square feet to meet LEED standards for new and renovated buildings after Jan. 1, 2012.

Nevada
The state requires state-funded building projects to be LEED certified.

Washington
The state requires state-funded projects over 5,000 square feet to use high-performance green building standards.

California
San Mateo County, Alameda County and Pasadena County have passed LEED initiatives and adopted green building policies.

Louisiana
The state has proposed energy and environmental building standards.

Illinois
Cook County has passed LEED initiatives.

Georgia
Chatham County provides tax incentives for LEED certification.

Florida
Sarasota County provides a 50 percent reduction in the cost of building permit fees for private contractors if they use LEED.

Arkansas
The state requires conservation of energy and natural resources in the design of state buildings through the use of sustainable building rating systems.

Source: American Institute of Architects and National Association of Counties