Suffolk County, NY Building Safety: Green Building Code (2026)
Key Facts
- Covers
- LEED certified/silver/gold/platinum work
- Minimum construction cost
- $10,000
- Exemption length
- Up to 10 years, sliding scale
- Filed with
- Town Assessor's office
- Authority
- Suffolk County Code § 775-49
Summary
Suffolk County exempts LEED-certified construction from county property tax increases for up to ten years, with certified/silver, gold, and platinum projects earning different phase-out schedules under Local Law 7-2013.
Real property, which is certified under a LEED certification standard for the categories of certified, silver, gold or platinum as meeting green buildings standards, as determined by a LEED-accredited professional, shall be exempt as provided below for the respective percentages, provided that a copy of the LEED certification for a qualified category is filed with the appropriate Assessor's office and is approved by the Assessor as meeting the requirements of § 470 of the New York Real Property Tax Law and this article. Such exemption shall be to the extent of any increase in assessed value resulting from the construction or reconstruction of a property meeting LEED certification.
LEED Exemption Year Certified/Silver Gold Platinum 1 100% 100% 100% 2 100% 100% 100% 3 100% 100% 100% 4 80% 100% 100% 5 60% 80% 100% 6 40% 60% 100% 7 20% 40% 80% 8 0% 20% 60% 9 0% 0% 40% 10 0% 0% 20%
B. No such exemption shall be granted unless:
(1) Such construction of improvements was commenced on or after the first day of January, 2013;
(2) The value of such construction exceeds the sum of $10,000; and
(3) Such construction is documented by a building permit, if required, for the improvements, or other appropriate documentation as required by the Assessor.
C. For the purpose of this article, the term "construction of improvements" shall not include ordinary maintenance and repairs.
Full Breakdown
Under § 775-49 of the county code, real property improvements certified under LEED (certified, silver, gold, or platinum) are exempt from county property tax and special ad valorem levies to the extent of any resulting increase in assessed value. The exemption phases out over ten years: full exemption for years one through three, then declining percentages that fall away sooner for lower certification tiers. Owners must have spent over $10,000 on construction commenced after January 1, 2013, document it with a building permit, and file certification with their town Assessor for approval; the county issues no building code standard of its own, since building permits and construction codes are administered by the ten towns and villages.
Violations & Fines
Claiming the exemption on ineligible work risks denial and clawback by the town Assessor; there is no separate building-permit penalty since LEED certification here is a tax matter, not a construction-code mandate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Suffolk County have its own green building code?
How long does the LEED tax exemption last?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Suffolk County
New York rules heatmap·Compare Suffolk County to another location·View the New York building safety overview
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