Green Building Law Update

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Tag Archives: International Green Construction Code

2018 IgCC to be Adopted in Baltimore City

Last Monday evening an ordinance was introduced in the Baltimore City Council to adopt the 2018 International Green Construction Code. In the realm of green building this is a big deal. In the more than 4,400 code adopting jurisdictions across the country only the town of Gaithersburg, Maryland has adopted the 2018 IgCC. It is … Continue Reading

2018 IgCC Poised to be Adopted for the First Time

By Stuart Kaplow on August 9, 2020 Posted in Green Building, IgCC, LEED, Local Government

Montgomery County, Maryland is on the cusp of being the first to adopt the 2018 International Green Construction Code. The proposed Executive Regulation 12-20 appeared in the Montgomery County Register on August 1. A public hearing will be held on proposed regulation on September 3. And written comments may be submitted until October 5. Montgomery … Continue Reading

2018 IgCC is Not in Use Anywhere. A Detailed Analysis of Why?

By Stuart Kaplow on December 1, 2019 Posted in Green Globes, IgCC, LEED, Local Government

The 2018 International Green Construction Code was released on November 8, 2018 but more than a year later, it has not been adopted anywhere. The 203 page document available from the ICC for sale to the public, .. click here for a free read only copy of the 2018 IgCC, is an entirely new standard … Continue Reading

Maryland Reverting to Certifiable In Lieu of Certified Green Building

By Stuart Kaplow on June 9, 2019 Posted in Green Building, Green Globes, IgCC, LEED

In response to an act of the Maryland legislature in 2018, the state is proposing a watershed revamp of its current mandatory green building requirements for new public school buildings. The public is being invited to comment on the proposal. Existing State Finance and Procurement Section 4-809(f) was amended adding new section (6), providing in … Continue Reading

2018 IgCC – A Fast Paced Deep Dive

By Stuart Kaplow on November 25, 2018 Posted in Green Building, IgCC

The 2018 International Green Construction Code was released on November 8, 2018 by the U.S. Green Building Council, International Code Council, ASHRAE and the Illuminating Engineering Society. Make no mistake, the 203 page document unveiled by the coterie of trade group authors and available from the ICC for sale to the public (.. click here … Continue Reading

Is the 2018 IgCC Doomed to Fail?

By Stuart Kaplow on May 14, 2017 Posted in Codes and Regulations, Green Building, Green Globes, IgCC, LEED

Last week the ICC and ASHRAE issued joint news releases on the status of the “unified green building code that could become the foundation for LEED certification” that will be published as the 2018 version of the International Green Construction Code. This blog regularly advances the postulate that green building is the ideal means of … Continue Reading

The Ramifications of this IgCC Enactment are of National Import

By Stuart Kaplow on October 23, 2016 Posted in Codes and Regulations, Energy, Green Building, IgCC, Local Government

Update. On November 15, 2016, the Montgomery County Council adopted Resolution 18-669, voting to extend time until June 30, 2017 for Council action on Executive Regulation 21-15, Adoption of the 2012 International Green Construction Code (IGCC). A Planning, Housing & Economic Development Committee work session will be scheduled at a later date. On September 28, … Continue Reading

City of Rockville Implementing the IgCC

By Stuart Kaplow on January 31, 2016 Posted in Codes and Regulations, Environmental, Green Building, IgCC, LEED

The City of Rockville, Maryland has adopted the International Green Construction Code 2012 as mandatory for all commercial and multi family building. But what may be most telling about this enactment is that before the change in law the USGBC listed Rockville as having more LEED projects than any U.S. city with a population below … Continue Reading

Montgomery County to Abandon LEED Mandating IgCC for All Building

By Stuart Kaplow on December 6, 2015 Posted in Codes and Regulations, Environmental, Green Building, IgCC, LEED

Montgomery County, Maryland has proposed adopting the International Green Construction Code 2012. At first blush this might sound like a good thing, until one considers that Montgomery County has long had mandatory green building laws for public and private construction, and the County today also offers significant incentives for green building. Many hundreds of LEED … Continue Reading

2015 IgCC Has Been Approved

By Stuart Kaplow on November 28, 2014 Posted in Codes and Regulations, LEED

The 2015 version of the International Green Construction Code (IgCC) has been approved.… Continue Reading

International Green Construction Code Now Mandatory For All Building in Baltimore

By Stuart Kaplow on November 17, 2014 Posted in City

Last evening the Baltimore City Council adopted the International Green Construction Code 2012 as an overlay to the City's building, fire and related codes. .. As progressive as this bill is, it should not be lost that Baltimore is representative of a very limited number of jurisdictions mandating new construction and renovation of both private and public buildings must be green.… Continue Reading

The Green Building Code is Too Confusing

By Chris Cheatham on October 19, 2011 Posted in Codes and Regulations

I have spent just over a year thinking about the International Green Construction Code (IgCC). I know it has been one year because I received my first copy of the code at Greenbuild 2010. My conclusion today about the code is no different than it was one year ago: The IgCC is unnecessarily confusing. Take, for instance, … Continue Reading

Florida Supports Green Building Code

By Chris Cheatham on June 9, 2011 Posted in Codes and Regulations

I was recently forwarded an interesting article written by Helen Mason regarding the International Green Construction Code. She did such a good job reviewing the state of green codes that I wanted to make it available for download (PDF) to my readers and ask her a few follow up questions. Enjoy! Chris: I was fascinated … Continue Reading

Green Building Code Webinar Available Now

By Chris Cheatham on June 7, 2011 Posted in Codes and Regulations

Many of you have been asking about the availability of the webinar on the International Green Construction Code (IGCC) that I completed with Bob Kobet, and Basic Gov. The webinar is now available online, although you will have to sync the powerpoints and audio. If you listen closely, you can hear the panic in my voice … Continue Reading

Series Introduction: Discussing the IGCC

By Kirk Dryer on April 27, 2011 Posted in City, Codes and Regulations, State

If the International Green Construction Code (IGCC) is successful, green buildings will soon become the rule instead of the exception. By codifying green building standards, the IGCC has the potential to make major strides to advance green building practices on a scale that has been unattainable through LEED and other similar voluntary green building standards. … Continue Reading

Free Webinar: The Reality of Implementing Green Building Codes

By Chris Cheatham on February 16, 2011 Posted in City, Codes and Regulations, State

I have been amazed at the immediate interest generated by the International Green Construction Code (IGCC). Despite the fact that the IGCC is still in its infancy, there are a number of states and municipalities closely studying it for adoption. We have already discussed Rhode Island’s adoption of IGCC for public buildings. More significantly, … Continue Reading

IGCC a “Step in the Right Direction”

By Chris Cheatham on February 3, 2011 Posted in City, Codes and Regulations, State

I continue to ponder the importance of the release of the International Green Construction Code public version 2.0 (IGCC). I recently asked Bob Kobet, LEED Faculty member, to provide his thoughts on IGCC. It’s good to see that I am not the only one who thinks the new code is a big step for green building. … Continue Reading

IGCC Provides Alternative Green Building Code Option

By Chris Cheatham on February 2, 2011 Posted in City, Codes and Regulations, State

Back in October 2010, Doug Reiser and I co-presented on the topic of substituting LEED for traditional building codes. As we were finishing our presentation, I reiterated our primary theme that LEED standards should not be used as a building code. One of the audience members raised her hand and asked why weren’t we discussing … Continue Reading