Healthy, High Performance School Facilities:

Developments in State Policy

Colorado

Citation: Colorado Revised Statutes §§ 24-30-1301, 1305.5 (2007 Co. Senate Bill 07-051)
Effective: September 2007
Available: HERE

This law establishes green building requirements for state agencies controlling the construction or substantial renovation of facilities that are at least 5,000 square feet and that receive state funding equal to at least 25% of the project cost. Covered projects must use a state-approved high performance building rating system and must achieve the highest rating that can be attained with a 15-year payback of any increased initial costs. The law also requires completed projects to report annually to the state on building performance on utility consumption.

The law directs the Office of the State Architect to adopt a rating system and provides general criteria for doing so, but does not specify the rating system. The Office of the State Architect updated its High Performance Certification Program policy to implement the law. The policy establishes LEED-NC as the required guideline generally (with LEED Gold as the targeted certification level), but provides that the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (US-CHPS) is an optional guideline for the K-12 school construction program.

A separate law enacted in 2013 requires that all schools receiving state operating funds ensure that "each project for a new or substantially renovated building or structure is submitted to or verified by the highest energy efficiency standards practicable" (Co. Rev. Stat. § 22-32-124.3).

Back to Healthy, High Performance School Facilities: Developments in State Policy