City of Dallas - Green Buildling Ordinance (Texas)

Last modified on February 12, 2015.

Rules Regulations Policies Program

Place	Texas
Name	City of Dallas - Green Buildling Ordinance (Texas)
Incentive Type	Building Energy Code
Applicable Sector	Commercial, Residential
Eligible Technologies	Comprehensive Measures/Whole Building, Roofs, Unspecified technologies
Active Incentive	Yes
Implementing Sector	Local
Energy Category	Energy Efficiency Incentive Programs
Commercial Code	Phase 1: New buildings less than 50,000 square feet must meet minimum energy consumption required by the Dallas Energy Conservation Code; Must utilize Energy Star cool roofs. New buildings more than 50,000 square feet must demonstrate a number of LEED credits; Minimum points are required depending on project type Phase 2: All projects must be LEED-certifiable or equivalent
Residential Code	Phase 1: New buildings must submit a checklist demonstrating that they meet minimum energy consumption required by the Dallas Energy Conservation code (HERS index of 85 or less) Phase 2: All projects must be LEED-certifiable or equivalent
Website	http://www.dallascityhall.com/building_inspection/greenBuilding.html
Date added to DSIRE	2011-04-25
Last DSIRE Review	2013-01-17
References	DSIRE

Summary

In April 2008, Dallas passed a Green Building Ordinance, which requires all new buildings to meet higher efficiency standards than current building energy codes. Phase 1 runs from October 1, 2009 through September 30, 2011, and Phase 2 begins October 1, 2013.

Residential Buildings During Phase 1, new residential buildings (1 or 2 family homes) must meet minimum energy consumption required by the Dallas Energy Conservation Code. This is equivalent to a HERS index of 85 or less. In Phase 2, all new buildings must comply with the Dallas Green Construction Code and be Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certifiable under the LEED for homes standard. Projects may also choose to meet Green Built Texas standards, or another approved green building standard. Buildings do not need to obtain formal certification.

Commercial Buildings During Phase 1, buildings that have less than 50,000 square feet of flooring must meetminimum energy consumption required by the Dallas Energy Conservation Code. In addition, any roof that has a slope of 2:12 inches or less must qualify as an Energy Star Cool Roof. Buildings that are larger than 50,000 square feet must submit a LEED scorecard demonstrating that they have incorporated a number of LEED credits. The type of project determines the number of points that must be obtained.

• LEED New Construction (NC) projects must have 22 points
• LEED Core and Shell projects must have 20 points
• LEED for Retail must have 22 points
• LEED for Healthcare must have 25 points
• LEED for Schools must have 25 points
• LEED for Homes must have 28 points

Multifamily development may use LEED NC, LEED for Homes, Green Built Texas, or an equivalent green building standard.

For Phase 2, commercial buildings of any size must comply with the Dallas Green Construction Code and be LEED certifiable. All projects must apply for certification under either LEED NC, LEED for Schools, LEED for Retail, LEED for Healthcare, LEED Core and Shell, LEED for Homes, or an equivalent certification under another green building system. For expedited plan review under Phase 2, a project must comply with the minimum standards for the 2012 International Green Construction Code or ANSI/ASHRAE/USGBC/IES Standard 189.1-201. Plans which are eligible for LEED silver ratings or higher, or an equivalent certification under another recognized green building rating system, can also qualify for expedited review.

Incentive Contact

Contact Name	Lloyd Denman, P.E
Department	Dallas Sustainable Development and Construction
Division	Building Inspection
Address	320 E. Jefferson Blvd.
Address 2	Room 204
Place	Dallas, Texas
Zip/Postal Code	75203
Phone	(214) 948-4320
Website	http://www.dallascityhall.com/building_inspection/index.html

Contact Name	Zaida Basora, AIA, LEED AP
Department	Dallas Building Inspection Department
Address	320 E. Jefferson Blvd., Room 321
Place	Dallas, Texas
Zip/Postal Code	75203
Phone	(214) 948-5360
Email	zaida.basora@dallascityhall.com
Website	http://www.dallascityhall.com/building_inspection/index.html

Authorities (Please contact the if there are any file problems.)

Authority 1:	Ordinance No 271311.pdf Ordinance No. 27131
Date Enacted	2008-04-09

Authority 2:	Amendment to Ordinance No. 27131
Date Enacted	2011-09-28

Authority 3:	Green Building Ordinance Amendment No.27759
Date Effective	2012-09-26

• Incentive and policy data are reviewed and approved by the N.C. Solar Center's DSIRE project staff.