The Green Building Program

The County of San Diego (County) Green Building Incentive Program (GBIP) helps homeowners and builders use building practices that are good for the environment. The program supports the County’s 2024 Climate Action Plan (CAP) and Strategic Plan by promoting energy efficiency, water savings, electrification, and more resilient buildings in the unincorporated area. These practices help protect natural resources, support healthy communities, and guide responsible development. Eligible participants can receive incentives that make green building more affordable and practical, while also helping to save money over time.

Program Overview

Created in 2003, the GBIP is a voluntary program that helps projects use sustainable design and construction practices that go beyond state and County building code requirements. The program supports new residential and nonresidential development, as well as qualifying renovation projects, by offering incentives such as faster plan check review times and reduced permit fees. The program was updated by the County Board of Supervisors in 2026 to align with the latest State Model Codes, County Building Code, and the 2024 CAP. These updates expand energy-efficiency options and add new pathways for projects that achieve higher building performance.

Projects may qualify for incentives by including sustainable measures in the following categories.

Energy Conservation

Energy conservation incentives help buildings use less energy and produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions. The program allows projects to qualify by meeting advanced energy performance standards through one of the following sustainable building practices:

• CALGreen Tier 1 (or equal energy benchmark), which makes the project eligible for a 7.5 percent fee reduction
• CALGreen Tier 2 (or equal energy benchmark), which makes the project eligible for a 15 percent fee reduction.
• Third-party green building certifications, new technologies, or building science methods that show energy savings equal to CALGreen tiers for energy benchmarking. Approval for this option is up to the Building Official.

Note: Program eligibility would automatically end if any of the voluntary GBIP eligibility requirements become mandatory in the future. This could happen through updates to state or County building codes, or if the requirement becomes necessary as part of a project’s mitigation measures (for example, in the CAP CEQA Streamlining Checklist).

Water Conservation

Water conservation incentives encourage efficient water use in buildings and landscapes. Projects may qualify for a 7.5 percent fee reduction by installing a graywater system. These systems help save drinking water by reusing water for landscape irrigation. A permit for the graywater system is required from the Department of Environmental Health and Quality, in addition to the building permit issued by the Department of Planning & Development Services.

Natural Resource Conservation

Natural resource conservation incentives promote the use of sustainable and recycled building materials. This helps reduce landfill waste, save natural resources, and support more sustainable construction practices. Projects may qualify for a 7.5 percent fee reduction by using straw bale construction for all exterior walls or by using recycled content in the building system. Projects must also do one of the following:

• Show that 20% or more of the main building materials contain at least 20 percent post-consumer recycled content. Any reused materials count towards this requirement; or
• Show that at least one main building material (for example, roofing material) contains 50 percent or more post-consumer recycled content.