CALGreen is a mandatory green building code with additional voluntary provisions. CALGreen, formally known as Part 11 (of 12) of the California Green Building Standards Code, Title 24. The entire building code, including CALGreen, is updated and adopted on a triennial cycle. The current code is effective through December 31, 2025.
CALGreen requirements encourage sustainable construction practices in the following topic areas:
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Planning and design
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Energy efficienct
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Water efficiency and conservation
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Material conservation and resource efficiency, and
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Environmental quality.
Mandatory measures apply statewide to both residential and nonresidential projects. In addition, CALGreen contains two “Tiers” of voluntary measures which can be adopted by local jurisdictions. Voluntary measures are organized into two tiers: Tier 1 sets a higher baseline than CALGreen mandatory measures and Tier 2 increases the stringency further, enhancing Tier 1 requirements. Many local jurisdictions adopt those provisions to enhance and accelerate statewide policy efforts, requiring more resource-efficient and environmentally friendly design than state-mandated building codes.
