County Green Building Program

Green Building Program Information

In 2008, Los Angeles County adopted the Green Building Program, which included the Drought-Tolerant Landscaping, Green Building, and Low Impact Development Ordinances (the Ordinances), and created an Implementation Task Force and Technical Manual. In 2010, in response to the mandates set forth in CALGreen (2010 California Green Building Standards Code), the Board of Supervisors adopted the Los Angeles County Green Building Standards Code (Title 31). Subsequently, staff recommended a comprehensive revision to Title 22 and amendments to Title 31. The proposed revisions, which are currently under development, are intended to provide clarity for the development community, ensure consistency with the State and other local agencies, and advance sustainable construction standards in the County.

Recent Activity

An update to the Green Building Program Technical Manual was initiated at a public hearing before the Regional Planning Commission on March 23, 2011. At the hearing, the Commission voted to continue the public hearing and instructed staff to evaluate the County's sustainable construction standards and return with recommendations for an update. The hearing was continued a second time on September 28, 2011. On January 18, 2012, the Commission held a Discussion Item on the Technical Manual Update, and it approved staff’s recommendations for: (1) DPW to proceed with amendments to Title 31 to incorporate the portions of Title 22 that comprise the Ordinances; and (2) subsequently, DRP to proceed with revisions to Title 22 to repeal the original Ordinances.

Next Steps

DPW staff will present its proposal for amending Title 31 to the Board of Supervisors in June. Following that, DRP staff will present its proposal for revising Title 22 to the Regional Planning Commission. Specifically, staff will recommend that the Drought Tolerant Landscaping requirements of Title 22 be repealed and replaced with amendments to Title 31 (Green Building Standards Code); and that, with the exception of the tree planting requirements, all provisions of the Green Building Ordinance be repealed from Title 22 and replaced with amendments to Title 31. The Green Building Technical Manual will also be discussed. Details on the upcoming hearings will be available here, and hearing notices will be issued at least 30 days before the hearings. Interested parties will be invited to attend.

Questions about the Green Building Ordinance Update should be directed to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)or 213-974-6425 Monday through Thursday, 8 AM to 5 PM.

Original Documents (for Reference Only)

Green Building Program Starter Package (PDF)
Drought-tolerant Landscaping Covenant (PDF)
Drought-tolerant Plant List (Excel)
Drought-tolerant Plant List (PDF)
- Water Efficient Turf List (PDF)
- Planting Zones Map (PDF)
Low Impact Development Manual (PDF)
Green Building Program Ordinances Adopted by the Board of Supervisors November 18, 2008 (PDF)
Green Building Program Status Report to the Board of Supervisors (PDF)
Green Buildings Technical Manual, February 2010 Update (PDF)
Draft Technical Manual Update, 2011 Edition (PDF)

Public Outreach

Staff from the Departments of Regional Planning and Public Works hosted public outreach meetings in each of the five supervisorial districts from March 12, 2008 - March 31, 2008. Below are the materials presented at those meetings.