Green Building Code

GREEN BUILDING CODE 2025 Edition The San Francisco Green Building Code is current through: [Includes legislation adopted by the Board of Supervisors through December 31, 2025] Copyright © 2026 by THE CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO A Municipal Corporation

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed by any means or stored in a database or retrieval system without prior written permission of the City and County of San Francisco. PUBLISHER'S NOTE The full 2025 San Francisco Green Building Code consists of the 2025 California Green Building Standards Code, and as further amended by these San Francisco amendments. The San Francisco Green Building Code amendments contained herein are designed to be used in conjunction with the 2025 California Green Building Standards Code. The San Francisco Green Building Code amendments contained herein were adopted by the Board of Supervisors of the City and County of San Francisco on November 21, 2025, by Ordinance 229-25, effective December 22, 2025, and operative January 1, 2026.

2025 California Green Building Standards Code {'}'} + Complete San Francisco Green Building Code 2025 San Francisco Amendments

Note that prior to the 2013 revision of the Building Inspection Commission Codes, material derived from the California Green Building Standards Codes was published as Chapter 13C of the San Francisco Building Code. Supplements to this Code and complete copies of all seven Building Inspection Commission (BIC) Codes (Building, Electrical, Existing Building, Green Building, Housing, Mechanical, and Plumbing) can be ordered from: AMERICAN LEGAL PUBLISHING CORPORATION Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 800-445-5588 Fax: 513-763-3562 www.amlegal.com PREFACE Text Format: The text in this publication is formatted to allow the user to quickly and easily determine the source of the included material. Language derived from the 2025 California Code that is unchanged by local amendment is printed in shaded text (see below). Language constituting San Francisco amendments to the California Code is printed in unformatted (or “plain”) text. In either case, bold and/or italic typefaces may be used as appropriate for emphasis, etc. See below for examples. To further simplify use of the San Francisco amendments with corresponding sections of the 2025 California Code, explanatory remarks appearing in italics are provided (in boxes at the beginning of affected provisions) indicating whether the San Francisco amendment to the California Code is adding, revising, or replacing a section or portion of a section. To summarize: Explanatory remarks are boxed and italicized. Unchanged language from the 2025 California Code is shaded, and may include bold and/or italicized formatting. San Francisco amendments are printed in unformatted ("plain") text, and may include bold and/or italicized formatting. [ ← ] An arrow represents the location of language that has been deleted by San Francisco from the 2025 California Code. A solid line represents a change from the original published edition of the 2025 San Francisco Green Building Code. Historical Notations: Language which has been added, amended, or deleted from the 2025 publication of the San Francisco Green Building Code is indicated with an historical notation, setting forth the ordinance number and date of adoption. Additionally, a table is included below that lists and summarizes all legislation that has affected this Code and the other Building Inspection Commission codes after their initial enactment. Chapter 1

ADMINISTRATION SECTION 101 – GENERAL 101.1 Revise this section as follows: 101.1 Title. These regulations shall be known as the [ ← ] San Francisco Green Building [ ← ] Code, and may be cited as such, and will be referred to herein as “this code”. [ ← ] The [ ← ] San Francisco Green Building [ ← ] Code is Part 11 of thirteen parts of the official compilation and publication of the adoption, amendment and repeal of building regulations to the California Code of Regulations, Title 24, [ ← ] and Chapter 13C of San Francisco Building Inspection Commission Amendments to the California Building Standards Code. 101.2 Revise this section as follows: 101.2 Purpose. The purpose of this [ ← ] chapter is to [ ← ] promote the health, safety and general welfare [ ← ] of San Francisco residents, workers, and visitors by [ ← ] minimizing waste of energy, water, and other resources in the construction and operation of buildings in the City and County of San Francisco and by providing a healthy indoor environment. The green building practices required by this chapter will also further the goal of reducing the greenhouse gas emissions in the City and County of San Francisco to 61 percent below 1990 levels by the year 2030, as stated in San Francisco Environment Code Chapter 9. 101.3 Revise this section as follows: 101.3 Scope. The provisions of this code shall apply to the planning, design, operation, construction, use and occupancy of every newly constructed building or structure, unless otherwise indicated in this code, as well as alterations to existing buildings throughout [ ← ] the City and County of San Francisco. While [ ← ] this code [ ← ] references green building programs, the City and County of San Francisco does not confer certification [ ← ] under any green building program. 101.3.1 Revise this section as follows: 101.3.1 [ ← ] Regulated buildings, structures and applications. Provisions of this code shall apply to the following buildings, structures, and applications regulated by state agencies as specified in Sections 103 through 106 [ ← ] of California Green Building Standards Code Title 24 Part 11, modified by local ordinance with supplemental requirements applicable to occupancy types A, B, I, M, E and R as defined by California Building Code Title 24 Section 302 (2025) as amended pursuant to Section 101.7. When adopted by a state agency, the provisions of this code shall be enforced by the appropriate enforcing agency, but only to the extent of authority granted to such agency by statute. 101.4 Revise this section as follows: 101.4 Appendices. [ ← ] [Reserved] 101.6 Revise this section as follows: 101.6.1 Differences. In the event of any differences between these building standards and the standard reference documents, the text of [ ← ] this Chapter shall govern. 101.6.3 Revise this section as follows: 101.6.3 Conflicts. When the requirements of this code conflict with the requirements of any other part of the California Building Standards Code, Title 24, any provision contained elsewhere in the San Francisco Municipal Code, or any regulation or requirement adopted by the Public Utilities Commission or other City agency under its Charter authority, the most restrictive requirement shall prevail. 101.7 Revise this section as follows: 101.7 City [ ← ] and county amendments, additions [ ← ] and deletions. [ ← ] This code includes the amendments, deletions, and additions to California green building requirements which maintain stricter local green building standards. 101.10 Revise this section as follows: 101.10 [ ← ] Equivalency. Wherever reference is made to the LEED® or GreenPoint Rated systems, a comparable equivalent rating system may be used if approved by the Director. The applicable LEED®, GreenPoint Rated or equivalent versions of performance standards for applications subject to this chapter are: LEED v4 for Interior Design and Construction (LEED v4 ID+C) LEED v4 for Building Design and Construction (LEED v4 BD+C)

LEED v4 for Homes Design and Construction GreenPoint Rated (GPR) New Home Construction – 10.0 or current GreenPoint Rated (GPR) Existing Multifamily –v2.0 or current Wherever specific LEED prerequisites or credits are cited, such references are to LEED v4 BD+C. More recent LEED and GreenPoint Rated versions may be used, provided the credits and points achieved are as or at least as stringent as LEED v4 BD+C or GPR v10.0. Wherever the LEED or GreenPoint Rated systems include a minimum energy or other performance requirement, the permit applicant may choose to meet the minimum performance requirements with an alternative equivalent method approved by the Director. Compliance with any of these requirements may be verified and/or certified by any means, including third-party review or equivalent requirements verified via other rating systems, as approved by the Director. 101.11 Revise this section as follows: 101.11 Effective use of this code. The following steps shall be used to establish which provisions of this code are applicable to a specific occupancy:

1. Establish the type of occupancy. [ ← ] 2. Find the section which covers the established occupancy.
2. Identify the minimum requirements of this code for the [ ← ] established occupancy in Sections 4 and 5. [ ← ] 4. Administrative Bulletin 93, provided by the Department of Building Inspection, summarizes how the requirements of San Francisco Green Building Code and relevant local requirements may be met. Appendices to Administrative Bulletin 93 include tabular summaries of required measures, and provide submittal forms.