Rockland County, NY Building Safety: Green Building Code (2026)
Key Facts
- Adopted
- 11-6-2008 by L.L. No. 14-2008
- Applies to
- county facility projects only
- Threshold
- total cost of $1,000,000 or more
- Standard required
- LEED Silver certification sought
- Grandfathered
- design begun before 7-31-2008
- Waiver
- County Executive recommends, Legislature approves
Summary
Rockland County's Governmental Green Building Act (Ch. 220, Art. II) requires every county-owned major facility project costing at least $1,000,000 to be designed and built to at least the LEED silver standard set by the U.S. Green Building Council, with documentation submitted before, during and after construction. The mandate covers only the County's own offices, boards, departments and public higher-education institutions, not private homes or businesses.
MAJOR FACILITY PROJECT A project where, in calculating the cost, the appropriate County department determines that, including all reasonably calculable costs, from the design and construction phases, including architectural and engineering costs, the total project cost would amount to at least $1,000,000. ... All major facility projects of Rockland County shall be designed and constructed, acting in good faith, to at least meet the LEED silver standard. Before, during and after construction of such major facility projects of Rockland County, the County shall submit the appropriate documentation, at the appropriate times, to the U.S. Green Building Council seeking LEED silver standard certification. This provision applies to major facility projects that have not entered the design phase prior to July 31, 2008.
Full Breakdown
Adopted November 6, 2008 by Local Law No. 14-2008 and titled 'The Rockland County Governmental Green Building Act' (Section 220-4), the law responds to legislative findings that rising energy costs and pollution from public buildings can be reduced through high-performance construction, and that Rockland County government should set an example for others in the County to follow (Section 220-5). Section 220-6 defines a 'major facility project' as any County project where the appropriate department calculates total reasonably calculable costs, including design, architectural and engineering fees, at $1,000,000 or more, and defines 'Rockland County' broadly to include every County office, board, commission, committee, bureau, department, or public institution of higher education.
S. Green Building Council seeking that certification at the appropriate stages of design and construction. The requirement reaches only projects that had not entered the design phase before July 31, 2008, so older projects already underway are grandfathered. Section 220-8 gives the County Executive authority to recommend, and the Legislature authority to grant by resolution, a waiver of the article's requirements, but only on a certification that the environmental benefits of waiving outweigh the benefits of compliance, such as where the County is already acting in good faith and in substantial compliance; a detailed report on the relative benefits must accompany any waiver recommendation.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 220 carries no fine or misdemeanor: it is a design-and-procurement standard, not a code enforced against private parties. Compliance is tracked through the County's own capital-project approval process and its submissions to the U.S. Green Building Council for LEED silver certification. The only relief valve is the Section 220-8 waiver: the County Executive must certify that waiving the LEED requirement serves the County's interests, and the Legislature must approve that waiver by resolution, accompanied by a written report.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the LEED silver rule apply to my house or business?
What counts as a 'major facility project' under the law?
Can the County ever skip the LEED silver requirement?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Rockland County
New York rules heatmap·Compare Rockland County to another location·View the New York building safety overview
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