Denver, CO Building Safety: Green Building Code (2026)
Key Facts
- Size threshold
- 25,000+ sq ft gross floor area
- Base requirement
- Cool roof, always required
- Compliance options
- Green space, solar, LEED Gold, or all-electric
- Buyout rate
- $50 per sq ft into Green Building Fund
- Enforced by
- CPD and Office of Climate Action, Sustainability & Resiliency
Summary
New buildings of 25,000+ square feet in Denver must install a cool roof plus green space, solar, or an equivalent green certification under the city's green building ordinance.
an owner constructing a building containing twenty-five thousand (25,000) square feet or greater of gross floor area who has not submitted a formal site development plan application with payment of all applicable fees by 4:30 pm on November 2, 2018 must provide the following green building requirements:(1)A cool roof; and(2)One (1) of the following options:a.Green space covering an area in one (1) of the following amounts, whichever is least:1.Ten (10) percent of the gross floor area of the building;2.Sixty (60) percent of the total roof area on the building.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 147 Update 3).
Full Breakdown
Denver's Article XIII green building ordinance requires any owner constructing a building of 25,000 square feet or more of gross floor area (with limited exceptions for small residential buildings and temporary structures) to install a cool roof and choose one compliance path: green space covering 10% of gross floor area or 60% of roof area, on-site solar panels, an off-site renewable energy purchase, an all-electric building with reduced energy use, or certification such as LEED Gold. Existing buildings trigger the same requirements on major roof replacement. Owners can buy out part of the green space or solar requirement into the city's Green Building Fund at $50 per square foot not provided.
Violations & Fines
Violating Article XIII, including unpermitted roof work, is unlawful; the city can issue a civil penalty up to $50 times 60% of the total roof area, deposited into the Green Building Fund, plus a perpetual lien if unpaid after 180 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Denver's green building code apply to houses?
Can a Denver building owner pay instead of adding green space?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Denver
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