Stratford, CT Building Safety: Green Building Code (2026)

In the Town of Stratford, the only green building language in the Code of the Town of Stratford and the Zoning Regulations is tied to the Transit-Oriented Overlay District (TOD), the zone around the Stratford Train Station. It appears as the Sustainability item in the design guidelines of Section 3.7.1(E), adopted by the Zoning Commission as part of the Stratford Zoning Regulations effective 1-1-2025.

The guideline says the proposed development or redevelopment shall utilize current best practices to promote environmental sustainability. The list that follows is open-ended: green building or green infrastructure elements, brownfield remediation, permeable surfaces for parking areas, walkways, patios or similar areas, and techniques to reduce the consumption of energy. The clause names no energy-use number, no rating system and no certification level, so what counts as a best practice is worked out between the applicant and the Zoning Commission during the Special Permit review that Section 3.7.1(F) requires under Section 7.3.4.

The Zoning Regulations define GREEN BUILDING ELEMENTS as measures incorporated into building design and construction that are intended to minimize impacts to the environment through conservation of natural resources, increased energy and efficiency and improved indoor air quality. They define GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE as best management practices for stormwater management that infiltrate or otherwise reuse stormwater, with green roofs, rain gardens, bioretention areas and vegetated swales as examples. The statement of purpose for the Zoning Regulations also calls for energy-efficient patterns of development and the use of renewable forms of energy and energy conservation.

Outside the TOD, a project in the Town of Stratford follows its underlying zoning district. Construction itself is still reviewed by the Building Department for permits under the building construction chapter.