(a) Green Building Rating Systems.
(1) LEED®. New Construction, Major Renovation, and Tenant Improvement project teams shall use LEED to certify and/or document environmental attributes. Wherever specific LEED prerequisites or credits are cited in this Chapter 7, such references are to LEED version 4.1 (“v4.1”). The U.S. Green Building Council updates LEED from time to time; more recent versions may be used, provided the credits and points achieved are at least as stringent as LEED v4.1. The Director shall adopt by regulation the current applicable versions of LEED pursuant to Section 702(b)(2).
(A) Projects of 10,000 gross square feet or more. The minimum requirement for a project of 10,000 gross square feet or more shall be certified as LEED Gold®. In addition, the following applies:
(i) Conceptual design phase. During the conceptual design phase, the sponsoring City Department shall assemble a project team, which shall include a LEED Project Administrator.
(ii) Schematic design phase. During the schematic design phase, the LEED Project Administrator shall register the Municipal Construction Project with GBCI as a LEED registered project.
(iii) All Design Phases. At the conclusion of each Design Phase, the LEED Project Administrator shall submit to the Department an updated LEED Scorecard for optional review by the Task Force. The Task Force may provide comment on the LEED Scorecard within 35 days of submittal. The LEED Scorecard shall indicate a LEED Gold rating or higher, incorporating all LEED credits referenced in Section 704 and other compatible locally required measures.
(iv) Project Closeout. At the completion of construction, the LEED Project Administrator shall submit LEED documentation to GBCI for certification. Upon achieving certification, the LEED Project Administrator shall submit to the Department a copy of the LEED Gold or LEED Platinum certificate and the final LEED Scorecard for review by the Task Force.
(B) Small Projects. LEED certification is not required and LEED credit documentation is not necessary for a Small Project. Instead, the sponsoring City Department, in consultation with a LEED AP With Specialty, shall prepare and submit to the Department a LEED Scorecard for informational and reporting purposes as follows:
(i) At the conclusion of the conceptual design phase, indicating the maximum LEED credits that are practicable for the project, the sponsoring City Department shall integrate the environmental attributes of these LEED credits throughout the design and construction process.
(ii) Upon receiving a temporary certificate of occupancy or similar indication that the project is substantively complete, indicating all LEED credits that have been or would likely be achieved.
(C) Maintenance. LEED certification, LEED credit documentation, and LEED Scorecard preparation is not required for Maintenance.
(2) Other Green Building Rating Systems. The Department, in consultation with affected City Departments, shall explore the applicability of Green Building Rating Systems for Non-Building Projects and report to the Task Force no later than two years after the effective date of the ordinance in Board File No. 221223, enacting this Chapter 7 and repealing an earlier version of Chapter 7.
(b) Energy Optimization.
(1) Each Municipal Construction Project is subject to compliance with the following locally required measures:
(A) Electric Service To City Departments And Facilities (Administrative Code Section 99.3).
(B) Better Roofs (San Francisco Green Building Code Chapter 5, Section 5.201.1.2).
(2) Commissioning. For each Municipal Construction Project subject to a LEED certification requirement, the LEED Project Administrator shall submit documentation to the Department of Environment verifying that the project achieves the LEED credit Enhanced Commissioning Option 1, Path 2: Enhanced and monitoring-based commissioning.
(3) All-Electric Building. Each New Construction or Major Renovation that includes HVAC system replacement shall be All-Electric, except as follows:
(A) Natural Gas or propane service and plumbing may be installed if necessary for processes or features separate from the operation of systems integral to Building functions, such as vehicle fueling and mechanic shop equipment.
(B) Existing equipment that uses Natural Gas and serves the project area, but is outside the scope of the project, may be retained. Projects which both (i) are served by existing equipment that use Natural Gas and are outside the scope of work, and (ii) include upgrade to electric service in the project scope of work, are encouraged to include sufficient electrical service capacity to, in the future, replace existing systems that use Natural Gas with All-Electric systems.
(C) Emergency backup electricity generation systems may use any combination of technologies permitted under applicable law, including combustion of fossil fuels. Zero-emissions emergency backup electricity systems are encouraged, such as onsite batteries that store electricity from onsite solar photovoltaics.
(4) Electrification of Existing Building Systems.
(A) Each City Department shall conduct an inventory of gas-using equipment in their managed Buildings using a template provided by the Director, and upload the inventory results to the City and County of San Francisco’s online data catalog no later than December 31, 2023.
(B) Where a gas-using equipment or system integral to building functions is removed from a Building other than a hospital and/or new equipment is required for a Municipal Construction Project, electric equipment or system must be installed, and:
(i) If new equipment can be supported by existing electric service capacity, no upgrade to electric service infrastructure is required by this subsection 704(b).
(ii) If new equipment requires an increase from existing electric service capacity, the upgraded electric service infrastructure must be sufficient to accommodate the new equipment, future replacement, and electrification of the Building’s remaining gas-using equipment.
(5) Energy Resilience. This provision shall apply to any Municipal Construction Project for which the initial appropriation request, either whole or partial, is submitted to the Board of Supervisors after the effective date of the ordinance in Board File No. 221223, enacting this Chapter 7 and repealing an earlier version of Chapter 7.
(A) Critical Community Institution: For New Construction and Major Renovation that includes HVAC system replacement and electrical system upgrade:
(i) Calculate the battery storage capacity and photovoltaic array size sufficient to ensure ongoing operation of the Building’s Tier 1 Emergency Loads to be met by battery storage and solar resources in the event of disaster or other disruption to electrical power, using a typical operational 3-day cycle in March as a basis of design; and
(ii) install battery storage and photovoltaics consistent with daily ongoing delivery of Tier 1 Emergency Loads and functions specified in Section 704(b)(5)(A)(i).
(B) All other Buildings: For New Construction and Major Renovation, other than at Critical Community Institutions, that includes HVAC system replacement and electrical system upgrade, comply with at least one of the following:
(i) Battery storage and photovoltaics sufficient to sustain ongoing Tier 1 Emergency Loads as specified in Section 704(b)(5)(A)(i); OR
(ii) Annual site zero net energy; OR
(iii) Design energy use intensity (EUI) 50% better than the national median site EUI; OR
(iv) For a Building with process loads that are at least 50% of the Building’s total energy use, exceed requirements of ASHRAE 90.1-2019 by 10%.
(c) Responsible Production and Consumption.
(1) Building Material Management.
(A) Each Municipal Construction Project located within the nine counties surrounding the San Francisco Bay must comply with the Construction and Demolition Debris Recovery Ordinance (No. 27-06) and Environment Code Chapter 14.
(B) For each Municipal Construction Project, the contract between the City Department and the Contractor shall require the Contractor responsible for construction and/or demolition (C&D) debris management to:
(i) Conduct a site assessment to estimate the types of material discards that will be generated during the project, including packaging and/or shipping materials.
(ii) Write and implement a Material Reduction and Recovery Plan (MRRP) in accordance with regulations promulgated under this Chapter 7 to guide onsite material management procedures for waste prevention and material reuse and recycling.
(iii) At a minimum, source-separate for reuse or recycling concrete, metal, clean solid wood, clean and unpainted drywall, and carpet and carpet padding. Other C&D debris must either be source-separated or placed in a C&D debris box for transport to a registered facility to maximize material recovery. The Director may adjust the materials to be source-separated by regulation under Section 702(b)(2) based on the Director’s assessment of infrastructure and markets available.
(iv) If needed, maintain dedicated separate bins for recyclable, compostable, and trash materials as required by Environment Code Chapter 19 Mandatory Recycling and Composting.
(C) For each Tenant Improvement subject to a LEED certification requirement, the LEED Project Administrator shall submit documentation verifying that the project achieves the Interior Design + Construction – Commercial Interiors LEED credit Construction and Demolition Waste Management Option 2: Waste Prevention (1 point).
(2) Material Reuse. City Departments are encouraged to prioritize source reduction and onsite reuse through whatever means practicable. To the extent permitted by law, City Departments shall list in the Virtual Warehouse all unwanted furniture, fixtures, equipment, computers, and supplies purchased with City and County of San Francisco funds. Before buying any new furniture, fixtures, equipment, computers, or supplies, City Departments shall check the Virtual Warehouse for available items that meet their needs.
(3) Material Recovery.
(A) City Departments shall ensure that all City-Owned Properties and City Leaseholds have adequate, accessible, and convenient areas for the collection, storage, and loading of 100% of recyclable, compostable, and refuse materials. Design and/or construction contract documents shall incorporate requirements of Environment Code Chapter 19 Mandatory Recycling and Composting, and ensure that the designed and designated areas are sufficient to accommodate containers consistent with both current methods and projected needs when zero waste goals are met, as well as allow for easy access by a collector’s vehicle.
(B) City Departments are required to recycle used fluorescent and other mercury-containing lamps, batteries, and universal waste as defined by California Code of Regulations Section 66261.9.
(4) Embodied Carbon.
(A) Each Municipal Construction Project of 10,000 gross square feet or more shall submit to the Department an embodied carbon reduction strategies checklist on a form provided by the Director for informational and reporting purposes as follows:
(i) At the conclusion of the schematic design phase, as an assessment of the maximum embodied carbon reduction strategies that are practicable for the project. The sponsoring City Department shall prioritize the integration of these strategies throughout the design and construction process.
(ii) Upon receiving a temporary certificate of occupancy or similar indication that the project is substantively complete, explaining the embodied carbon reduction strategies that have been successfully integrated into the design and/or construction process.
(B) For each New Construction or Major Renovation subject to a LEED certification requirement, the LEED Project Administrator shall submit documentation verifying that the project achieves the LEED credit Building Life-Cycle Impact Reduction Option 2: Whole-Building Life-Cycle Assessment, Path 3 by addressing at least three product categories or building assembly types. For each Tenant Improvement subject to a LEED certification requirement, the LEED Project Administrator shall submit documentation verifying that the project achieves the LEED credit Interiors Life-Cycle Impact Reduction Option 1: Interior Furniture and Nonstructural Elements Reuse (1 point) or Option 3: Building Interiors Life Cycle Assessment (2 points).
(C) For each Municipal Construction Project subject to a LEED certification requirement, the LEED Project Administrator shall submit documentation verifying that the project achieves the LEED credit Environmental Product Declarations (1 point).
(d) Human and Environmental Health.
(1) Indoor Air Quality. For each Municipal Construction Project subject to a LEED certification requirement, the LEED Project Administrator shall submit documentation verifying that the project achieves the following LEED credits:
(A) Enhanced Indoor Air Quality Strategies (1 point);
(B) Low-Emitting Materials (5 product categories);
(C) Construction Indoor Air Quality Management Plan (1 point); and
(D) Indoor Air Quality Assessment Option 2: Air Testing (2 points).
(2) Toxics Reduction and Pollution Prevention.
(A) For each Municipal Construction Project subject to a LEED certification requirement, the LEED Project Administrator shall submit documentation verifying that the project achieves the LEED credit Building Product Disclosure and Optimization - Material Ingredients (1 point) using reporting methodologies that inventory content of a product’s homogeneous materials to at least 1,000 ppm.
(B) For all Municipal Construction Projects and for purchases made by or on behalf of City Departments for these projects, product categories including but not limited to furniture, countertops, door hardware, paints, ceilings, and flooring shall comply with regulations promulgated under this Chapter 7 pertaining to the following attributes, subject to verification by the Department of the Environment:
(i) Added flame retardant chemicals;
(ii) Antimicrobial chemicals;
(iii) Fluorinated chemicals;
(iv) Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) content or emissions.
(v) Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) content;
(vi) Recycled content and recyclability;
(vii) Sustainably grown and harvested wood; and
(viii) Other environmental attributes, consistent with this Chapter.
(3) Biodiversity and Wildlife Habitat. Each Municipal Construction Project shall follow the City and County of San Francisco’s Biodiversity Guidelines.
(e) Water Conservation. A Municipal Construction Project located outside of the City and County of San Francisco may be subject to the following locally required measures if the project is not mandated by the local agency having jurisdiction to meet equivalent requirements:
(1) Construction Site Runoff Ordinance (Public Works Code Sections 146-146.11).
(2) Stormwater Management Ordinance (Public Works Code Sections 147-147.6).
(3) Indoor Water Use Reduction. (Green Building Code, Section 5.103.1.2). For each Municipal Construction Project subject to a LEED certification requirement, the LEED Project Administrator shall submit documentation verifying that the project achieves the LEED credit Indoor Water Use Reduction (30% reduction minimum).
(4) Water Efficient Irrigation Ordinance (Administrative Code Chapter 63).
(Added by Ord. 38-23, File No. 221223, App. 3/24/2023, Eff. 4/24/2023)
(Former Sec. 704 added as Sec. 709 by Ord. 88-04, File No. 030679, App. 5/27/2004; renumbered and amended by Ord. 204-11, File No. 110854, App. 10/11/2011, Eff. 11/10/2011; Ord. 52-17, File No. 161287, App. 3/17/2017, Eff. 4/16/2017; repealed by Ord. 38-23, File No. 221223, App. 3/24/2023, Eff. 4/24/2023)
(Former Sec. 704 added and previous Sec. 704 repealed by Ord. 88-04, File No. 030679, App. 5/27/2004; repealed by Ord. 204-11, File No. 110854, App. 10/11/2011, Eff. 11/10/2011)