Berkeley, CA Building Safety: Green Building Code (2026)
Key Facts
- Adopted code
- 2025 CALGreen, Title 24 Part 11
- Waste diversion trigger
- Alteration over $100,000 or demolition over $3,000
- Minimum waste diversion
- 65% of nonhazardous C&D waste
- New home EV wiring
- Dedicated 40-amp 208/240V raceway
- Enforcing agency
- Building and Safety Division
Summary
Berkeley enforces the 2025 California Green Building Standards Code (CALGreen) as the Berkeley Green Code under Municipal Code Section 19.37.010, with local amendments at Section 19.37.040 setting the specific projects the state's waste-diversion mandate reaches: any addition or alteration that grows a building's size, any alteration valued over $100,000, and any demolition valued over $3,000 must divert 65 percent of construction and demolition waste.
19.37.010 Adoption of the California Green Building Standards Code. The California Green Building Standards Code (CALGreen), 2025 Edition, as adopted in Title 24 Part 11 of the California Code of Regulations, is hereby adopted and made a part of this Chapter as though fully set forth herein, subject to the modifications thereto which are set forth in this Chapter. A copy of this Code is on file for use and examination by the public in the office of the City Clerk of the City of Berkeley. 301.1.2 Residential waste diversion. The requirements of Section 4.408 shall be required for:
1. Any additions or alterations, which increase the building's conditioned area, volume or size.
2. Any building alterations with a permit valuation over $100,000.
3. Any interior or exterior demolitions valued over $3,000.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 8031-NS, passed July 28, 2026).
Full Breakdown
030 applies the same Building and Safety Division permit process used by every other Berkeley construction code. 408 construction-waste-diversion requirement: any addition or alteration that increases a building's conditioned area, volume, or size; any building alteration with a permit valuation over $100,000; and any interior or exterior demolition valued over $3,000. Covered projects have to recycle or salvage 100 percent of excavated soil and land-clearing debris, 100 percent of concrete, 100 percent of asphalt, and at least 65 percent of remaining nonhazardous construction and demolition waste.
' New multifamily buildings with assigned or unassigned parking equal to or exceeding the number of dwelling units have to install at least one Level 2 EV charging receptacle per unit, and new hotels and motels must equip 40 percent of parking spaces with Level 2 EV receptacles and 25 percent with actual Level 2 EV chargers.
Violations & Fines
CALGreen compliance is verified as part of the building permit process itself: the Building and Safety Division checks a project's waste-diversion and EV-readiness measures against Section 19.37.040 before signing off, and a project that can't document the required 65 percent construction and demolition waste diversion under Section 4.408 doesn't get final approval. Starting covered work without the required permit still draws the standard doubled-fee penalty under Section 19.28.020 (California Building Code Section 109.4).
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Berkeley require construction waste recycling?
Do new Berkeley homes need EV charger wiring?
What green code edition does Berkeley enforce?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Berkeley
California rules heatmap·Compare Berkeley to another location·View the California building safety overview
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Green Building Code in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Alameda County handle green building code.