Portsmouth, VA Building Safety: Green Building Code (2026)

Sec. 2-310(2), Menu of Resilient Site and Building Features. That menu explicitly credits certified green building performance: meeting minimum Energy Star (or equivalent) criteria for at least 75 percent of residential floor area counts as a Schedule B feature, designing to a minimum LEED Gold certification counts as Schedule A, and designing to LEED Platinum counts as two Schedule A features (Schedule AA). 2-310(1) ties the bonus size to how many Group A or Group B features a project provides: one Group A feature (or two Group B) earns up to a 10 percent density increase, 10 feet of extra residential height (12 feet commercial), a 5 percent building coverage increase, or a 5 percent parking reduction; two Group A features (or four Group B) unlock the maximum bonuses of 20 percent added density, 20 feet residential/24 feet commercial added height, 15 percent more building coverage, or a 15 percent parking reduction.

The bonuses apply only to new development in commercial, industrial, special, Downtown (D1), and UR-M districts, and in the D1 district the bonus is limited to height or residential density. A written bonus request must accompany the development application and is reviewed alongside a Use Permit, Zoning Text/Map Amendment, Site Plan, or Zoning Permit application.