LEEDing the Way Forward: Revised LEED Pricing

As of December 1st 2016, U.S. Green Building Council has updated the pricing schedule for LEED registration and certification across all active programs & versions.

–Project Registration Fee: $300 increase from $900 to $1,200 for USGBC Silver members

–Project Review Fee: New minimum fee thresholds by project gross floor area

If a project was registered on LEED Online before December 1st 2016, a building team has until March 1st, 2017 to submit for certification or prepay the certification review fee using the pre-December 1st 2016 pricing schedule. After March 1st, the new pricing schedule will apply to all projects including building submissions on the LEED Dynamic Plaque/ Arc platform.

The new pricing schedule applies to all projects registered after December 1st, 2016.

As part of the new pricing schedule roll-out, USGBC introduced a minimum fee threshold by project size. Think of it as a stairwell, with each landing representing the minimum review fee and the stairs representing the scaling cost as soon as you clear the minimum fee value (see above image). There are now four different rates for Building Design + Construction, Interior Design + Construction and Operations & Maintenance projects that change depending on project size (Under 250,000 SF; 250,000 to 499,999 SF, 500,000 SF to 750,000 SF; Over 750,000 SF). Building teams working on projects over 750,000 square feet are asked to contact USGBC for pricing.

We have included a sample cost comparison table for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance projects under the old and new pricing schedules:

With the new pricing schedule, Interior Design + Construction projects experience an overall lower review fee compared to the old pricing schedule. The overall rate has decreased significantly, so larger projects (> 250,000 SF) should experience the greatest reduction in the review fee.

However, Building Design + Construction and Operations & Maintenance projects experience an overall higher review fee compared to the old pricing schedule. While all project sizes will notice the increase in the review fee, smaller projects (< 250,000 SF) should experience the greatest increase in the review fee.

Do you have a project already registered on LEED Online? Do you have upcoming LEED projects? We are here to help you better understand what this pricing change means for your project. Do you have a project already registered on LEED Online but cannot prepay the certification review fee before the March 1st, 2017 deadline?

We are here to help! For further information on specific projects or other LEED programs, please contact us directly at info@codegreensolutions.com or 1-800-921-4262.