District of Columbia

Residential

Currently, builders may use either the 2008 D.C. Construction Codes (based on the "30% Solution" and more stringent than the 2009 IECC) OR the code adopted in 2003 (based on the 2000 IECC).  As of December 26, 2009, builders must use the 2008 D.C. codes.

Commercial

Currently, builders may use either the 2008 D.C. Construction Codes (based on ASHRAE 90.1-2007) OR the code adopted in 2003 (based on the 2000 IECC). As of December 26, 2009, builders must use the 2008 D.C. codes.

The D.C. Green Building Act of 2006 requires that updated building codes be submitted to the City Council by January 1, 2010 and again every three years thereafter.

The District of Columbia Building Code Advisory Committee (DC BCAC) advises the mayor and D.C. government on all matters pertaining to the D.C. building codes, and meets regularly throughout the year.  The D.C. City Council has final approval over all proposed code changes.

Residential

Compliance is determined through plan review and field inspection, which is the responsibility of the Building and Land Regulation Administration, part of the District of Columbia Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs.

Commercial

Compliance is determined through plan review and field inspection, which is the responsibility of the Building and Land Regulation Administration, part of the District of Columbia Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs.

In December 2008, the D.C. City Council adopted new residential and commercial building codes that incorporate many energy efficiency and green building standards.  According to the Institute for Market Transformation, the 2008 D.C. Construction Codes were developed from ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2007 for commercial buildings (achieving about 7% greater energy savings than the current standards in neighboring Virginia and Maryland) and the “30% Solution” for residential buildings (achieving 30% energy savings above the 2006 IECC, or about 30% more stringent than the current standards in Virginia and Maryland and about 15% more stringent than the 2009 IECC). The new codes also contain several “greening amendments” recommended by the D.C. Green Building Advisory Council, including (among others) cool roofs, on-site stormwater retention, and low-flow residential and commercial plumbing fixtures.
The new codes were effective immediately upon publication in the D.C. Register on December 26, 2008, but contain a one-year transition period during which building permit applications may use either the new code or the previous code adopted in 2003 (based on the 2000 IECC). The D.C. Green Building Act of 2006 requires that new building energy codes be submitted to the City Council by January 1, 2010 and again every three years thereafter. The Act requires that codes "shall incorporate as many green building practices as practicable."

City Wide Program:
District of Columbia.
Green Building Act, 2006

Program Description:
The Green Building Act of 2006 phases in green building in DC. It requires Commercial buildings to be LEED Silver, and Residential buildings to meet Green Communities standards.  From October 1, 2007 to September 30, 2008, only DC-owned or funded building projects over 10,000 ft2 of new or substantial construction (commercial and residential) need to meet the current LEED Silver standard.  Each year between October 2009 and 2012, more types of construction will be required to meet Green Building Standards. Eventually, all commercial development greater than 50,000 ft2 must comply.

Energy Standard:
Commercial LEED Certification: below is summarized from LEED NC, details vary according to certification program. Mandatory:  Meet the minimum requirements of Sections 4 through 7 of ASHRAE Standard 62.1-2007 and additional ventilation requirements depending on mechanical or natural ventilation, prohibit smoking in the building and within 25' of all doors and operable openings, or designate smoking rooms with dedicated exhaust systems. Options include:  outdoor air delivery monitoring, increased ventilation, construction IAQ management plan, use low-VOC products, indoor chemical and source pollution control, etc.   

City Wide Program:
District of Columbia.
Clean Affordable and Efficient Energy Act, 2008

Program Description:
Energy benchmarking requirements for private and government buildings. Ten buildings owned or operated by the District of Columbia shall be benchmarked using the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager benchmarking tool, and the results made available to the public on the Internet through the District Department of the Environment (DDOE) website. The Office of Property Management (OPM) plans to place buildings management systems that will enable the agency to observe real time energy performance as well as control and monitor systems.
Each building must be at least 10,000 square feet of gross floor area and is of a building type for which ENERGY STAR benchmarking tools are available.

All privately-owned buildings will be benchmarked annually using the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager benchmarking tool. By January 1, 2011, benchmark and ENERGY STAR energy performance statements for each building will be available on an online public database.
DDOE has the following schedule:
A.    All buildings over 200,000 square feet of gross floor area beginning in 2010.
B.    All buildings over 150,000 square feet of gross floor area beginning in 2011.
C.    All buildings over 100,000 square feet of gross floor area beginning in 2012.
D.    All buildings over 50,000 square feet of gross floor area beginning in 2013.

Additionally, after January 1, 2012, when applying for the first building construction permit, new construction or substantial improvement must estimate its energy performance using the ENERGY STAR Target Finder Tool prior to receiving the construction permit.  The building will be benchmarked annually using the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager tool. Buildings must be at least 50,000 square feet of gross floor area and is of a building type for which ENERGY STAR tools are available. Benchmark and Target Finder scores and ENERGY STAR performance statements will be generated within 60 days of construction completion and made available to DDOE and the public via an online database.