California Green Building Standards

California adopted the first version of its Green Building Code in July 2008, effective Aug. 1, 2009. The CALGreen Code does not apply to retail specifically, but does apply to historic buildings, so retail projects in historic buildings may be affected. Other applicable spaces include schools, state-owned buildings, low-rise residential buildings, and hospitals and other healthcare facilities.

The code may have influence outside the state and those specific building segments. The International Green Construction Code (IGCC) drafting c ommittee is using CALGreen as a reference. The committee hopes to have a version of the new code available for public comment in the spring of 2010.

California Building Standards Commission CALGreen The state's official web site on the green code.

2008 California Green Building Standards Code A pdf of the code.

Education and Outreach Training by the California Building Standards Commission.