MINIMUM PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

LAST UPDATED:
January 2011

LEED 2009 Minimum Program Requirements

Apply to LEED 2009 for New Construction and Major Renovations, LEED 2009 for Core & Shell development, LEED 2009 for Schools, LEED 2009 for Commercial Interiors, and LEED 2009 for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance, LEED for Retail New Construction, LEED for Retail Commercial Interiors, LEED for Healthcare Do not apply to LEED for Homes, LEED for Neighborhood Development, or any LEED rating system adopted prior to 2009

Version January 2011

The only change made in this version is the indication that the MPRs apply to recently launched rating systems. These rating systems include: LEED for Retail New Construction, LEED for Retail Commercial Interiors, and LEED for Healthcare

INTRODUCTION
This document identifies the MPRs, or minimum characteristics that a project must possess in order to be eligible for LEED Certification. These requirements define the types of buildings that the LEED Green Building Rating Systems were designed to evaluate, and taken together serve three goals: to give clear guidance to customers, to protect the integrity of the LEED program, and to reduce complications that occur during the LEED certification process. The requirements in this document will apply to all those, and only those projects seeking to demonstrate conformance with the rating systems listed above. Definitions, exceptions, and more extensive guidance relating to these MPRs are available in a separate document titled: LEED 2009 MPR Supplemental Guidance. Terms that are italicized and underlined here are defined in the Supplemental Guidance document (they are marked as such only the first time that they appear). At this time U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. has authorized the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) to confer LEED Certification. GBCI has agreed to consider requests for exceptions to MPRs that are not already defined in the LEED 2009 MPR Supplemental Guidance document on a case-by-case basis for special circumstances. In addition to complying with the MPRs, a project must also demonstrate compliance with all rating system requirements in order to achieve LEED Certification.

1. MUST M CO OMPLY WITH W EN NVIRON NMENTA AL LAWS S

New Construc ction, Core e & Shell, Schools s, Commer rcial Inter riors, Retai il New Co onstruction, Retail Commerc cial Interior rs, Healthc care
The LEED L project building or space, all ot ther real pro operty within the LEED project p bound dary, and all project work k must comp ply with applicable federal, state, and local buildin ng-related env vironmental la aws and regu ulations in place where the e project is loc cated. This condition c must be satisfie ed from the date of LE EED project registration r o the or commencement of schematic design d , whichever comes first, f up and until the date e that es a certificate e of occupanc cy or similar official o indicat tion that it is fit f and the building receive ready for use.

Exist ting Buildin ngs: O&M

The LE EED project building, b all other o real prop perty within th he LEED proj ject boundary y, any project t work, and all normal building b operations occurring within the LEED project p buildin ng and the LE EED project boundary b mus st comply wit th applicable federal, state e, and local building-relate b ed environme ental laws an nd regulations s in place wh here the project is located d. This condition must be e satisfied from m the comme encement of the t LEED pro ojects initial LEED-EB: O&M O perform mance period through the expiration date d of the LEED cation. Certific

All Rating Systems

A laps se in a projec cts complianc ce with a build ding-related environmenta e al law or regu ulation that re esults from an a unforesee en and unavo oidable circu umstance sha all not neces ssarily result in non-compliance with th his MPR. Such lapses shall be excuse ed so long as s they mediated as soon s as feasibly possible. are rem

2. MUST M BE E A COM MPLETE E, PERM MANENT BUILDI ING

OR SPACE
All Rating Systems
All LEED projects must m be designed for, con nstructed on, and operate ed on a permanent on on already y existing land d. LEED pro ojects shall not consist of mobile struc ctures, locatio equipm ment, or vehic cles. No build ding or space e that is desig gned to move e at any point t in its lifetime e may pursue e LEED Certif fication.

New Construct tion, Core & Shell, Sc chools, Re etail New w Construction, Healt thcare
LEED projects mu ust include th he new, ground-up desig gn and cons struction, or major ation, of at lea ast one comm mercial, institutional, or hig gh-rise reside ential building g in its renova entiret ty.

Comm mercial Int teriors, Retail Commercial Int teriors,

The LEED L project scope must t include a complete c inte erior space distinct d from other spaces s within the e same build ding with re egards to at least one of the follo owing charac cteristics: own nership, mana agement, leas se, or party wall w separation n.

ting Buildin ngs: O&M Exist

LEED projects mus st include at least one ex xisting commercial, institutional, or high-rise residential building in its entirety.

3. MUST M US SE A RE EASONA ABLE SIT TE BOUNDARY

New Construc ction, Core e and Shell, Schoo ols, Existi ing Buildings: O&M, Retail New N Const truction, Healthcare 1. The LEED project boun ndary must in nclude all con ntiguous land that is assoc ciated
s norm mal building operations for f the LEED D project bui ilding, with and supports including all land that wa as or will be disturbed for the purpose of undertakin ng the ect. LEED proje The LEED project boundary may not t include land d that is owne ed by a party other w owns th he LEED proj ject unless th hat land is as ssociated with h and than that which supports no ormal building g operations for f the LEED project building. LEED proje ects located on o a campus must have pr roject bounda aries such tha at if all the building gs on campu us become LE EED certified d, then 100% of the gross s land area on th he campus would be in ncluded within a LEED boundary. If this requiremen nt is in conflict t with MPR #7, Must Comply with Minim mum Building g Area to Site Area a Ratio, then MPR #7 will take t preceden nce. Any given parcel p of real property may y only be attr ributed to a si ingle LEED project p building. dering of a LE EED project boundary is pr rohibited: the boundary ma ay not Gerrymand unreasonab bly exclude sections s of land to creat te boundaries s in unreaso onable shapes for the sole purp pose of compl lying with prerequisites or credits.

2.

3.

4. 5.

Comm mercial Int teriors, Ret tail Comm mercial Inter riors
If any land was or will w be disturb bed for the pu urpose of undertaking the LEED L project t, then ncluded within n the LEED project bounda ary. that land must be in

4. MUST M CO OMPLY WITH W MINIMUM M FLOOR R AREA REQ QUIREM MENTS

New Construc ction, Core e and Shell, Schoo ols, Existi ing Buildings: O&M, Retail New N Const truction, Healthcare
The LEED project must include e a minimum of 1,000 squ uare feet (93 square mete ers) of f area. gross floor

Comm mercial Int teriors, Retail Commercial Int teriors

The LEED project must include e a minimum m of 250 squa are feet (22 square mete ers) of f area. gross floor

5. MUST COM MPLY WI ITH MINIM MUM OC CCUPANC CY RATE ES

New Construc ction, Core e & Shell, Schools s, Commer rcial Inter riors, Retai il New Co onstruction, Retail Commerc cial Interior rs, Healthc care
Full Ti ime Equivalen nt Occupancy y The LEED L project t must serve e 1 or more e Full Time Equivalent (F FTE) occupa ant(s), calcula ated as an an nnual average e in order to use u LEED in its entirety. If f the project serves s less th han 1 annua alized FTE, optional o cred dits from the Indoor Envi ironmental Quality Q catego ory may not be earned (the e prerequisite es must still be e earned).

Exist ting Buildin ngs: O&M

Full Ti ime Equivalen nt Occupancy y The LEED L project t must serve e 1 or more e Full Time Equivalent (F FTE) occupa ant(s), calcula ated as an an nnual average e in order to use u LEED in its entirety. If f the project serves s less th han 1 annua alized FTE, optional o cred dits from the Indoor Envi ironmental Quality Q catego ory may not be earned (the e prerequisite es must still be e earned). um Occupanc cy Rate Minimu The LEED project must be in a state of ty ypical physic cal occupancy y, and all bu uilding ms must be operating at a capacity nec cessary to ser rve the curren nt occupants, , for a system period that includes s all performa ance periods as a well as at least the 12 continuous c m months diately preced ding the first submission s fo or a review. immed

M CO OMMIT TO T SHAR RING WHOLE-B W BUILDING 6. MUST ENE ERGY AND WAT TER USA AGE DA ATA
All Rating Systems
All cer rtified projects s must commit to sharing with w USGBC and/or a GBCI all available actual a whole-project energ gy and water usage data for f a period of o at least 5 years. y This period p starts on the date that the LEE ED project be egins typical physical p occu upancy if cert tifying uction, Core & Shell, Schools, or Comm mercial Interiors, or the dat te that under New Constru uilding is awa arded certifica ation if certify ying under Ex xisting Buildings: Operatio ons & the bu Mainte enance. Shar ring this data a includes supplying inform mation on a regular basis s in a free, accessible, a an nd secure onli ine tool or, if necessary, n ta aking any action to authoriz ze the collect tion of inform mation directly y from service e or utility pro oviders. This commitment must carry forward f if the building or sp pace changes s ownership or o lessee.

7. MUST M CO OMPLY WITH W A MINIMU UM BUIL LDING ARE EA TO SITE S ARE EA RATIO
All Rating Systems
The gr ross floor are ea of the LEE ED project building must be no less tha an 2% of the gross land area within the e LEED projec ct boundary.