Green Building Certification

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Overview

The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) requires all New Construction, Substantial and Gut Rehabilitation projects (as defined by HPD) receiving funding from HPD, to comply with the current version of the Enterprise Green Communities (EGC) Criteria with NYC Overlay v2.0 or pursue certification with LEED v4 (gold or above).

Enterprise Green Communities Criteria

The Enterprise Green Communities Criteria (EGCC) is the only comprehensive green building framework designed for affordable housing. This Criteria provides proven, cost-effective standards for creating healthy and energy-efficient homes.

The NYC Overlay aligns with HPD’s Design Guidelines. The goal of coordinating our guidelines with the NYC Overlay is to streamline processes and make it easier for providers to navigate, while promoting the health, safety, and prosperity of New Yorkers. the health, safety, and prosperity of New Yorkers.

2026 EGCC Updates

Enterprise has released the 2026 Enterprise Green Communities Criteria. The updates to the Enterprise Green Communities National Program feature several refinements, including streamlined energy criteria, risk-management options for a variety of natural hazards, new and enhanced strategies for site safety, indoor air quality, universal design, and other ways to support health and well-being. Implementation timelines for the new version of the Criteria are as follows:

  • Starting in April 2026, projects can submit new prebuild applications to the 2026 Green Communities Criteria.
  • Between April 2026 and the end of September 2026, projects can choose whether they would like to submit a prebuild application with the 2020 or 2026 Criteria. Any project that does submit a prebuild application with the 2020 Criteria will continue to use that version of the Green Communities Criteria, regardless of its construction schedule.
  • Starting October 1st, 2026, Enterprise will retire the 2020 Criteria from use with new prebuild applications: all first time prebuild submittals from that day forward will only be accepted with the 2026 Criteria.

Review additional information on the EGC Updates, including trainings and recorded webinars, on the Enterprise’s Green Communities Criteria and Certification Program Updates webpage.

HPD Green Building Certification Requirements

Review the Green Building Certification Instructions for all required documentation and a step-by-step guide on how to comply with the Green Building Certification Requirements throughout the project timeline. Green Communities Training is a prerequisite to the certification process. Review all available trainings and additional information on the Green Communities Trainings webpage.

Forms

To ensure you are using the most up-to-date forms, always download from this website at the time of use.

Contacts

Resources for Healthy Building