CALGreen · California Green Building Standards Code (CALGreen)

Water Efficiency & Material Conservation (Divisions A5.3–A5.4)

Divisions A5.3–A5.4 of CALGreen present voluntary nonresidential measures to cut potable water use and the environmental impacts of building materials through prescriptive limits, reuse/recycling, LCA, and waste‑reduction strategies.

Last reviewed: July 6, 2026

Overview

Appendix A5 of CALGreen collects voluntary nonresidential measures; Divisions A5.3 and A5.4 focus respectively on reducing potable water use, encouraging onsite water reuse, and improving material sourcing, reuse, and waste handling to lower embodied impacts and construction waste. A5.3 includes prescriptive fixture and system limits and water‑reuse provisions (for example, fixture flow and flush limits at § A5.303.3.1 and shower flow limits at § A5.303.3.3.1) as well as graywater and nonpotable reuse guidance in § A5.304 and § A5.305 .

Division A5.4 covers material conservation and resource efficiency: general scope and definitions are in § A5.401, with elective and mandatory measures addressing recycled content, certified/rapidly renewable/reused materials, concrete/cement substitutions, life‑cycle assessment (whole‑building LCA) and construction waste management (see § 5.405, § 5.408 and § 5.409 for recycled content, CWM and LCA requirements) .

Although Appendix A5 is titled “Voluntary Measures,” many of its items are structured so projects can use them to meet CALGreen Tier prerequisites — e.g., Tier 1/2 selection and prerequisites reference specific A5.3 and A5.4 measures when pursuing voluntary tier certification .

In this section

Code references

Grounded in the retrieved California Green Building Standards Code (CALGreen) — click a citation to read the verbatim passage:

  • CALGreen § 106.5.5.1 High relevance — show source text

    106.5.5.1|5.106.5.5 and
    5.106.5.5.1||||| |DIVISION 5.1
    Planning and
    Design|Mandatory|Light pollution reduction [N] (with exceptions, notes and table)|5.106.8 through
    5.106.8.2||||| |DIVISION 5.1
    Planning and
    Design|Mandatory|Grading and paving (exception for additions and alterations
    not altering the drainage path)|5.106.10||||| |DIVISION 5.2
    Energy
    Efficiency|Mandatory|Meet the minimum energy efficiency standard|5.201.1|||||

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    APPENDIX A5NONRESIDENTIAL VOLUNTARY MEASURES

    CHAPTER 5
    DIVISIONS
    Col2 SECTION TITLE CODE
    SECTION
    Y N/A O PLAN SHEET,
    SPEC OR
    ATTACH
    DIVISION 5.3
    Water
    Efficiency and
    Conservation
    Mandatory Separate meters (new buildings or additions > 50,000 sf
    that consume more than 100 gal/day)
    5.303.1.1
    DIVISION 5.3
    Water
    Efficiency and
    Conservation
    Mandatory Separate meters (for tenants in new buildings or additions
    that consume more than 1,000 gal/day)
    5.303.1.2
    DIVISION 5.3
    Water
    Efficiency and
    Conservation
    Mandatory Water closets shall not exceed 1.28 gallons per flush (gpf) 5.303.3.1
    DIVISION 5.3
    Water
    Efficiency and
    Conservation
    Mandatory Wall-mounted urinals shall not exceed 0.125 gpf 5.303.3.2.1
    DIVISION 5.3
    Water
    Efficiency and
    Conservation
    Mandatory Floor-mounted urinals shall not exceed 0.5 gpf 5.303.3.2.2
    DIVISION 5.3
    Water
    Efficiency and
    Conservation
    Mandatory Single showerhead shall have maximum flow rate of 1.8
    gpm (gallons per minute) at 80 psi
    5.303.3.3.1
    DIVISION 5.3
    Water
    Efficiency and
    Conservation
    Mandatory Multiple showerheads serving one shower shall have
    a combined flow rate of 1.8 gpm at 80 psi
    5.303.3.3.2
    **DIVISION 5.
  • CALGreen § 410.2 High relevance — show source text

    410.2||||| |DIVISION 5.4
    Material
    Conservation
    and Resource
    Efficiency
    (continued)|Mandatory|Owner’s or owner representative’s Project Requirements
    (OPR) [N]|5.410.2.1||||| |DIVISION 5.4
    Material
    Conservation
    and Resource
    Efficiency
    (continued)|Mandatory|Basis of Design (BOD) [N]|5.410.2.2|||||

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    APPENDIX A5NONRESIDENTIAL VOLUNTARY MEASURES

    CHAPTER 5
    DIVISIONS
    Col2 SECTION TITLE CODE
    SECTION
    Y N/A O PLAN SHEET,
    SPEC OR
    ATTACH
    (continued)
    DIVISION 5.4
    Material
    Conservation
    and Resource
    Efficiency
    Mandatory Commissioning plan [N] 5.410.2.3
    (continued)
    DIVISION 5.4
    Material
    Conservation
    and Resource
    Efficiency
    Mandatory Functional performance testing [N] 5.410.2.4
    (continued)
    DIVISION 5.4
    Material
    Conservation
    and Resource
    Efficiency
    Mandatory Documentation and training [N] 5.410.2.5
    (continued)
    DIVISION 5.4
    Material
    Conservation
    and Resource
    Efficiency
    Mandatory Systems manual [N] 5.410.2.5.1
    (continued)
    DIVISION 5.4
    Material
    Conservation
    and Resource
    Efficiency
    Mandatory Systems operation training [N] 5.410.2.5.2
    (continued)
    DIVISION 5.4
    Material
    Conservation
    and Resource
    Efficiency
    Mandatory Commissioning report [N] 5.410.2.6
    (continued)
    DIVISION 5.4
    Material
    Conservation
    and Resource
    Efficiency
    Mandatory Testing and adjusting for new buildings < 10,000 sf or
    new systems that serve additions or alterations [A]
    5.410.4
    (continued)
    DIVISION 5.4
    Material
    Conservation
    and Resource
    Efficiency
    Mandatory System testing plan for renewable energy, landscape
    irrigation and water reuse [A]
    5.410.4.2
    (continued)
    **DIVISION 5.
  • CALGreen § 5.4 Medium relevance — show source text

    3||||| |DIVISION 5.4
    Material
    Conservation
    and Resource
    Efficiency
    (continued)|Mandatory|Life Cycle Assessment, Scope, Product GWP compliance –
    prescriptive path, 5.409.3.1 with Exception and Exception
    EQUATION, Verification of compliance and Product GWP
    Limits Table with Footnotes|5.409.1,
    5.409.3,
    5.409.3.1,
    5.409.3.2 and
    Table 5.409.3||||| |DIVISION 5.4
    Material
    Conservation
    and Resource
    Efficiency
    (continued)|Mandatory|Recycling by occupants (with exception)|5.410.1||||| |DIVISION 5.4
    Material
    Conservation
    and Resource
    Efficiency
    (continued)|Mandatory|Recycling by occupants: additions (with exception)|5.410.1.1||||| |DIVISION 5.4
    Material
    Conservation
    and Resource
    Efficiency
    (continued)|Mandatory|Recycling by occupants: sample ordinance
    |5.410.1.2||||| |DIVISION 5.4
    Material
    Conservation
    and Resource
    Efficiency
    (continued)|Mandatory|Commissioning new buildings (≥ 10,000 sf) [N]|5.410.2||||| |DIVISION 5.4
    Material
    Conservation
    and Resource
    Efficiency
    (continued)|Mandatory|Owner’s or owner representative’s Project Requirements
    (OPR) [N]|5.410.2.1||||| |DIVISION 5.4
    Material
    Conservation
    and Resource
    Efficiency
    (continued)|Mandatory|Basis of Design (BOD) [N]|5.410.2.2|||||

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    APPENDIX A5NONRESIDENTIAL VOLUNTARY MEASURES

    CHAPTER 5
    DIVISIONS
    Col2 SECTION TITLE CODE
    SECTION
    Y N/A O PLAN SHEET,
    SPEC OR
    ATTACH
    (continued)
    DIVISION 5.4
    Material
    Conservation
    and Resource
    Efficiency
    Mandatory Commissioning plan [N] 5.410.2.3
    (continued)
    DIVISION 5.4
    Material
    Conservation
    and Resource
    Efficiency
    Mandatory Functional performance testing [N] 5.410.2.4
    (continued)
    **DIVISION 5.
  • CALGreen § 405.4 Medium relevance — show source text

    4**
    Material
    Conservation
    and Resource
    Efficiency
    (continued)|Tier 2
    Prerequisite|Recycled content for 15% of total material cost|A5.405.4,
    A5.405.4.1 through
    A5.405.4.5||||| |DIVISION 5.4
    Material
    Conservation
    and Resource
    Efficiency
    (continued)|DIVISION 5.4
    Material
    Conservation
    and Resource
    Efficiency
    (continued)|Mandatory|Weather protection|5.407.1||||| |DIVISION 5.4
    Material
    Conservation
    and Resource
    Efficiency
    (continued)|DIVISION 5.4
    Material
    Conservation
    and Resource
    Efficiency
    (continued)|Mandatory|Moisture control: sprinklers|5.407.2.1||||| |DIVISION 5.4
    Material
    Conservation
    and Resource
    Efficiency
    (continued)|DIVISION 5.4
    Material
    Conservation
    and Resource
    Efficiency
    (continued)|Mandatory|Moisture control: exterior door protection|5.407.2.2.1||||| |DIVISION 5.4
    Material
    Conservation
    and Resource
    Efficiency
    (continued)|DIVISION 5.4
    Material
    Conservation
    and Resource
    Efficiency
    (continued)|Mandatory|Moisture control: flashing|5.407.2.2.2|||||

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    APPENDIX A5NONRESIDENTIAL VOLUNTARY MEASURES

    CHAPTER 5
    DIVISIONS
    Col2 Col3 SECTION TITLE CODE
    SECTION
    Y N O PLAN SHEET,
    SPEC OR
    ATTACH
    (continued)
    DIVISION 5.4
    Material
    Conservation
    and Resource
    Efficiency
    Select Three Electives
    (cont’d)
    (continued)
    DIVISION 5.4
    Material
    Conservation
    and Resource
    Efficiency
    Select Three Electives
    (cont’d)
    Mandatory Construction waste management—comply with either:
    Sections 5.408.1.1, 5.408.1.2, 5.408.1.3 or more
    stringent local ordinance
    5.408.1.1, 5.408.1.2,
  • CALGreen § 401.1 Medium relevance — show source text

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    A5 NONRESIDENTIAL VOLUNTARY MEASURES

    DIVISION A5.4 – MATERIAL CONSERVATION AND RESOURCE EFFICIENCY

    SECTION A5.401—GENERAL

    A5.401.1 Scope. The provisions of this chapter specify the requirements of achieving enhanced compliance with material conservation, resource efficiency, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction through reuse of existing building stock and materials; use of recycled, regional, rapidly renewable and certified wood materials; and employment of techniques to reduce pollution through recycling of materials.

    SECTION A5.402—DEFINITIONS

    A5.402.1 Definitions. The following terms are defined in Chapter 2.

    BUILDING COMMISSIONING.

    BUY CLEAN CALIFORNIA ACT (BCCA).

    CRADLE-TO-GRAVE.

    EMBODIED ENERGY.

    EUTROPHICATION.

    LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT (LCA).

    LIFE CYCLE INVENTORY (LCI).

    OVE.

    POSTCONSUMER CONTENT.

    PRECONSUMER (or POSTINDUSTRIAL) CONTENT.

    RECYCLED CONTENT.

    RECYCLED CONTENT VALUE (RCV).

    REFERENCE STUDY PERIOD.

    TYPE III ENVIRONMENTAL PRODUCT DECLARATION (EPD).

    FACTORY-SPECIFIC EPD.

    INDUSTRY-WIDE EPD (IW-EPD).

    PRODUCT-SPECIFIC EPD.

    SECTION A5.403—FOUNDATION SYSTEMS (RESERVED)

    SECTION A5.404—EFFICIENT FRAMING TECHNIQUES

    A5.404.1 Wood framing. Employ advanced wood framing techniques or OVE, as recommended by the US Department of Energy’s Office of Building Technology, State and Community Programs and as permitted by the enforcing agency.

    A5.404.1.1 Structural or fire-resistance integrity. The OVE selected shall not conflict with structural framing methods or firerated assemblies required by the California Building Code.

    A5.404.1.2 Framing specifications. Advanced framing techniques include the following:

    1. Building design using 2-foot modules;
    2. Spacing wall studs up to 24 inches on center;
    3. Spacing floor and roof framing members up to 24 inches on center;
    4. Using 2-stud corner framing and drywall clips or scrap lumber for drywall backing;
    5. Eliminating solid headers in non-load-bearing walls;
    6. Using in-line framing, aligning floor, wall and roof framing members vertically for direct transfer of loads; and
    7. Using single lumber headers and top plates where appropriate.

    Note: Additional information can be obtained from the US DOE Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) website.

    SECTION A5.405—MATERIAL SOURCES

  • CALGreen § 212.1.1 Medium relevance — show source text

    2**
    Energy
    Efficiency|Elective|Elevators with car lights and fan|A5.212.1.1,
    A5.212.1.1.1||||| |DIVISION 5.2
    Energy
    Efficiency|DIVISION 5.2
    Energy
    Efficiency|Elective|Escalators|A5.212.1.2||||| |DIVISION 5.2
    Energy
    Efficiency|DIVISION 5.2
    Energy
    Efficiency|Elective|Controls that reduce energy|A5.212.1.4||||| |DIVISION 5.2
    Energy
    Efficiency|DIVISION 5.2
    Energy
    Efficiency|Elective|Steel framing|A5.213.1|||||

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    APPENDIX A5NONRESIDENTIAL VOLUNTARY MEASURES

    CHAPTER 5
    DIVISIONS
    Col2 Col3 SECTION TITLE CODE
    SECTION
    Y N O PLAN SHEET,
    SPEC OR
    ATTACH
    DIVISION 5.3
    Water
    Efficiency and
    Conservation
    DIVISION 5.3
    Water
    Efficiency and
    Conservation
    Mandatory Separate meters (new buildings or additions > 50,000 sf that
    consume more than 100 gal/day)
    5.303.1.1
    DIVISION 5.3
    Water
    Efficiency and
    Conservation
    DIVISION 5.3
    Water
    Efficiency and
    Conservation
    Mandatory Separate meters (for tenants in new buildings or additions that
    consume more than 1,000 gal/day)
    5.303.1.2
    DIVISION 5.3
    Water
    Efficiency and
    Conservation
    DIVISION 5.3
    Water
    Efficiency and
    Conservation
    Tier 1
    Prerequisite
    Water reduction Tier 1—12% savings over the “water use base-
    line” in Table A5.303.2.2 or meet Table A5.303.2.3.1
    A5.303.2.3.1
    DIVISION 5.3
    Water
    Efficiency and
    Conservation
    DIVISION 5.3
    Water
    Efficiency and
    Conservation
    Mandatory Water closets shall not exceed 1.28 gallons per flush (gpf) 5.303.3.
  • CALGreen § 602.1 Medium relevance — show source text

    VOLUNTARY MEASURES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . APPENDIX A5-3

    A5.1 Planning and Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . APPENDIX A5-3 A5.2 Energy Efficiency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . APPENDIX A5-13 A5.3 Water Efficiency and Conservation . . . APPENDIX A5-19 A5.4 Material Conservation and Resource Efficiency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . APPENDIX A5-25 A5.5 Environmental Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . APPENDIX A5-35 A5.6 Voluntary Tiers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . APPENDIX A5-41 A5.601 CALGren Tier 1 and Tier 2. . . . . . . . . . APPENDIX A5-41

    A5.602 CALGreen Verification Guidelines Mandatory Measures Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . APPENDIX A5-44

    A5.602.1 CALGreen Verification Guidelines

    Tier 1 Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . APPENDIX A5-48

    A5.602.2 CALGreen Verification Guidelines

    Tier 2 Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . APPENDIX A5-55

    APPENDIX A6 VOLUNTARY STANDARDS FOR HEALTH

    FACILITIES [OSHPD 1, 2 & 4] . . . . . . . . . . . APPENDIX A6.1-3 A6.1 Site Planning and Design . . . . . . . . . . . APPENDIX A6.1-3 A6.2 Energy Efficiency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . APPENDIX A6.1-3 A6.4 Material Conservation and Resource Efficiency . . . . . . . . . . . . . APPENDIX A6.1-32 A6.5 Environmental Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . APPENDIX A6.1-33

    INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . INDEX-1

    HISTORY NOTE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HIST-1

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    CALIFORNIA GREEN BUILDING STANDARDS CODE – MATRIX ADOPTION TABLE

    CHAPTER 1 – ADMINISTRATION

    (Matrix Adoption Tables are nonregulatory, intended only as an aid to the code user. See Chapter 1 for state agency authority and building applications.)

    |Adopting

  • CALGreen § 405.4 Medium relevance — show source text
    1. From Division A5.4,

    a. Comply with recycled content of 10 percent of materials based on estimated total cost, or use two products from Table A5.405.4 for at least 75 percent by cost in Section A5.405.4. b. Comply with the 65-percent reduction in construction and demolition waste in Section A5.408.3.1. c. Comply with one elective measure selected from this division.

    1. From Division A5.5,

    a. Comply with resilient flooring systems for 90 percent of resilient flooring in Section A5.504.4.7. b. Comply with thermal insulation meeting 2009 CHPS low-emitting materials list in Section A5.504.4.8. c. Comply with one elective measure selected from this division. 6. Comply with one additional elective measure selected from any division.

    1 Cool roof is required for compliance with Tiers 1 and 2 and may be used to meet energy standards in Part 6, exceed energy standards and to mitigate heat island effect.

    A5.601.3 CALGreen Tier 2.

    A5.601.3.1 Prerequisites. To achieve CALGreen tier status, a project must meet all of the mandatory measures in Chapter 5 and, in addition, meet the provisions of this section.

    A5.601.3.2 Energy performance. For the purposes of mandatory energy efficiency standards in this code, the California Energy Commission will continue to adopt mandatory standards.

    A5.601.3.3 Tier 2. Comply with the energy efficiency requirements in Section A5.203.1.1 and Section A5.203.1.2.2.

    A5.601.3.4 Voluntary measures for Tier 2. In addition to the provisions of Sections A5.601.3.1 and A5.601.3.3 above, compliance with the following voluntary measures from Appendix A5 is required for Tier 2:

    1. From Division A5.1, a. Comply with the designated parking requirements for fuel efficient vehicles for a minimum of 50 percent of parking capacity per Section A5.106.5.1. b. Electric vehicle (EV) charging [N] and Table A5.106.5.3.2 with footnotes. c. Comply with thermal emittance, solar reflectance or SRI values for cool roofs in Section A5.106.11.2 and Table A5.106.11.2.3. [1]

    d. Comply with three elective measures selected from this division.

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    APPENDIX A5NONRESIDENTIAL VOLUNTARY MEASURES

    1. From Division A5.2 comply with TWO of the following:

    2. Outdoor lighting as described in A5.203.1.1.1.

    3. Service water heating in restaurants as described in A5.203.1.1.2.

    4. Warehouse Dock Seal Doors A5.203.1.1.3.

    5. Daylight Design Power Adjustments 5.203.1.1.4.

    6. Exhaust Air Heat Recovery A5.203.1.1.5.

    7. From Division A5.3,

  • CALGreen § 304.8 Medium relevance — show source text

    Exception: Area of the building footprint is excluded from the calculation.

    A5.304.8 Graywater irrigation system. Install a graywater collection system for onsite subsurface irrigation using graywater collected from bathtubs, showers, bathroom wash basins and laundry water. See California Plumbing Code.

    SECTION A5.305—WATER REUSE

    A5.305.1 Nonpotable water systems. Nonpotable water systems for indoor and outdoor use shall comply with the current edition of the California Plumbing Code.

    A5.305.2 Irrigation systems. Irrigation systems regulated by a local water efficient landscape ordinance or by the California Department of Water Resources Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO) shall use recycled water.

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    CALIFORNIA GREEN BUILDING STANDARDS CODE – MATRIX ADOPTION TABLE

    APPENDIX A5 – NONRESIDENTIAL VOLUNTARY MEASURES

    DIVISION A5.4 – MATERIAL CONSERVATION AND RESOURCE EFFICIENCY

    (Matrix Adoption Tables are nonregulatory, intended only as an aid to the code user. See Chapter 1 for state agency authority and building applications.)

    Adopting agency BSC BSC-
    CG
    SFM HCD Col6 Col7 DSA Col9 OSHPD Col11 Col12 Col13 Col14 Col15 BSCC DPH AGR DWR CEC CA SL SLC
    Adopting agency BSC BSC-
    CG
    SFM 1 2 1/AC AC SS 1 1R 2 3 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
    Adopt entire CA chapter X
    Adopt entire chapter as
    amended (amended
    sections listed below)
    Adopt only those sections
    that are listed below
    Chapter/Section

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    A5 NONRESIDENTIAL VOLUNTARY MEASURES

    DIVISION A5.4 – MATERIAL CONSERVATION AND RESOURCE EFFICIENCY

    SECTION A5.401—GENERAL

  • CALGreen § 213.1 Medium relevance — show source text

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    APPENDIX A5NONRESIDENTIAL VOLUNTARY MEASURES

    SECTION A5.213—ENERGY EFFICIENT FRAMING

    A5.213.1 Steel framing. Design steel framing for maximum energy efficiency. Techniques for avoiding thermal bridging in the envelope include:

    1. Exterior rigid insulation;
    2. Punching large holes in the stud web without affecting the structural integrity of the stud;
    3. Spacing the studs as far as possible while maintaining the structural integrity of the structure; and
    4. Detailed design of intersections of wall openings and building intersections of floors, walls and roofs.

    Note: Authority: Sections 25213, 25218, 25218.5, 25402 and 25402.1, Public Resources Code. Reference: Sections 25402, 25402.1, 25402.4 and 25402.8, Public Resources Code.

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    CALIFORNIA GREEN BUILDING STANDARDS CODE – MATRIX ADOPTION TABLE

    APPENDIX A5 – NONRESIDENTIAL VOLUNTARY MEASURES

    DIVISION A5.3 – WATER EFFICIENCY AND CONSERVATION

    (Matrix Adoption Tables are nonregulatory, intended only as an aid to the code user. See Chapter 1 for state agency authority and building applications.)

    Adopting agency BSC BSC-
    CG
    SFM HCD Col6 Col7 DSA Col9 OSHPD Col11 Col12 Col13 Col14 Col15 BSCC DPH AGR DWR CEC CA SL SLC
    Adopting agency BSC BSC-
    CG
    SFM 1 2 1/AC AC SS 1 1R 2 3 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
    Adopt entire CA chapter X
    Adopt entire chapter as
    amended (amended
    sections listed below)
    Adopt only those sections that
    are listed below
    Chapter/Section

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    A5 NONRESIDENTIAL VOLUNTARY MEASURES

Frequently asked questions

Are Divisions A5.3–A5.4 mandatory for all projects?

No — Appendix A5 contains voluntary nonresidential measures. However, several A5 provisions are used as prerequisites or electives for CALGreen Tier 1 and Tier 2 compliance, so they become binding when a project pursues a tier path or when a local jurisdiction adopts specific A5 sections .

Where do I find the fixture limits and water‑reuse rules?

Fixture and flow limits (toilets, urinals, showerheads, etc.) are published in Division A5.3 (see § A5.303.3.1 and § A5.303.3.3.1). Graywater systems for subsurface irrigation and nonpotable water system requirements are in § A5.304 and § A5.305 and reference the California Plumbing Code for implementation details .

How does A5.4 address embodied carbon and waste?

A5.4 provides multiple paths: recycled content and product sourcing requirements, electives for bio‑based/rapidly renewable/reused materials, concrete and cement options, whole‑building life‑cycle assessment (LCA) provisions, and construction waste management (including high diversion targets and documentation in § 5.408 and LCA rules in § 5.409) to reduce embodied impacts and improve material stewardship .

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