Madison, WI Building Safety: Green Building Code (2026)

40, the Building Energy Savings Code, splits into two duties. Energy Benchmarking (Subsection (3)) applies to commercial buildings of 25,000 square feet or more (non-residential portions count separately in mixed-use buildings); manufacturing-classified parcels and buildings with no installed heating or cooling system are exempt. Owners must benchmark whole-building energy use via ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager and report to the Administrator (the Sustainability and Resilience Manager) by June 30 each year, phased in by size: buildings of 100,000 sq ft or larger by June 30, 2024; 50,000-99,999 sq ft by June 30, 2025; and 25,000-49,999 sq ft by June 30, 2026.

Owners may request a compliance exemption for a non-occupied, demolished, or largely vacant building, or a 90-day extension for good cause such as a recent purchase, technical difficulty, or financial hardship. Building Tune-Ups (Subsection (4)) apply to commercial buildings of 50,000 sq ft or more: a tune-up specialist reviews base building systems (envelope, HVAC, domestic hot water, electrical/lighting) and performs corrective actions such as operational adjustments and minor repairs, but not new equipment installation. Initial tune-ups are due by October 31, 2026 for buildings 100,000 sq ft or larger and October 31, 2027 for buildings between 50,000 and 99,999 sq ft.

Tenants in covered buildings must give owners reasonable access to systems and energy data, and individual benchmarking and tune-up reports are protected from public release except as required by state or federal statute; the City may only publish aggregated data.