An official website of the United States government.

This is not the current EPA website. To navigate to the current EPA website, please go to www.epa.gov. This website is historical material reflecting the EPA website as it existed on January 19, 2021. This website is no longer updated and links to external websites and some internal pages may not work. More information »

Smart Growth

Sustainable Design and Green Building Toolkit for Local Governments

EPA Region 4 developed the Sustainable Design and Green Building Toolkit (2013) to help local governments identify and remove barriers to sustainable design and green building in their permitting processes. The toolkit can also be used by members of the development community, local government "green teams," and other building professionals. 

The toolkit addresses local codes and ordinances that affect the design, construction, renovation, and operation and maintenance of a building and its immediate site. It contains an assessment tool, a resource guide, and a guide to developing an action plan for implementing changes to the permitting process. 

The toolkit's assessment tool is an Excel spreadsheet that local governments can use to evaluate their codes and ordinances. Instructions appear on the opening tab: Excel Tool for Sustainable Design and Green Building Assessment Toolkit(14 pp, 183 K)

You may need a PDF reader to view some of the files on this page. See EPA’s About PDF page to learn more.