Seattle passes building emissions standards law, aims to cut building emissions by 27%

On the road to net zero carbon emissions by 2050, Seattle’s City Council passed a building emissions standards law Tuesday that aims to reduce building emissions by an estimated 27 percent, and cut the city’s total core emissions by about 10 percent.

It’s the most ambitious plan to reduce building emissions in Seattle history.

“Addressing greenhouse gas emissions is one of the greatest challenges of our time. Future generations will look back to this moment and judge us by what we did today to address our climate crisis. We experience the impacts here in Seattle: extreme heat, drought, and forest fire haze during the summer and even autumn has become normal,” said Councilmember Lisa Herbold about the legislation. “It’s time for us to take big swings and make sure we’re doing everything we can—for ourselves and for all future generations of Seattleites.”

The newly created Building Performance Emissions Performance Standard sets targets and timelines for the city’s large buildings to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The measure—which was crafted in collaboration with the city’s Office of Sustainability and the Environment—was introduced by Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell this summer and transmitted it to city council last month, following the formation of a select committee on climate action, according to a spokesperson for the mayor’s office. The policy was unanimously adopted by the council without any amendments. It was signed into law by Harrell last week.

Buildings over 20,000 square feet will be required to start reducing their greenhouse gas emissions incrementally in 2031, with all covered commercial buildings reaching net zero emissions by 2045 and all multifamily buildings by 2050. The standards are notably performance-based, meaning that owners can choose which investments to make as long as they meet broader reduction targets.

The performance standard is designed to work in tandem with new state regulations to both reduce building energy use and promote energy sources that produce less greenhouse gasses.

“Growing up in Seattle, I watched as our summers became hotter, our skies smokier, and our weather less predictable. Inaction is not an option, and we must urgently combat one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gasses, the buildings we work and live in,” said Councilmember Dan Strauss, co-sponsor of the legislation. “We already passed the strongest energy code in the nation to make new buildings more efficient and now, with this policy, we will ensure the buildings already built help address the climate crisis too.”

A press statement from the Sierra Club notes the emissions law comes weeks after the Washington State Building Code Council finalized a landmark state building code that “almost entirely rules out the use of fossil fuels in new construction in the state.” Building on that, the Seattle law represents “one of the most significant electrification policies to pass since the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals’ … ruling on Berkeley’s clean building ordinance, which has had significant impact on similar policies.”

For more information and to review the standards, visit the city of Seattle’s website.