Do you need to worry about Denver’s Green Building Ordinance?
In November of 2018 the Denver City Council adopted new compliance rules for green roofs to help energy efficiency and decrease temperatures city wide. This city law requires developers and property owners to move toward sustainable development, which collectively seeks to increase green space in Denver, improve water and stormwater management, increase the use of solar and other renewable energies, foster the design of more energy-efficient buildings, and increase adoption of national green building programs, such as LEED.
Denver’s Green Building Ordinance Applies to…
NEW BUILDINGS
EXISTING BUILDINGS
WHEN REPLACING ROOF
ADDITIONS
Your Building May Already Comply!
Over 260 Buildings in Denver already qualify for the energy program. To automatically be in compliance, you building must have Energize Denver Benchmarking data with an ENERGY STAR score of 85 or higher OR 10% to 15% improvement in energy use intensity (EUI). To see if your building qualifies, check the Energize Denver Benchmarking Map.
EXEMPTIONS
- Buildings or additions under 25,000 square feet
- Parking structures
- Temporary buildings, air-supported structures, greenhouses
- Single-family homes or duplexes
- Groups of 3 or more attached dwelling units in which each unit extends from the foundation to roof and is not more than 3 stories above grade plane
- Roof replacements of less than 5% of the roof or roof section area
(annually)
PARTIAL EXEMPTIONS
COOL ROOF REQUIRED
- Residential buildings 4-5 stories, or under 62.5 feet in height
- Roof recover only
- Existing green roof or the building/campus has already met the ordinance
- Emergency roof replacement (wind or fire damage, not hail)
