City Facilities

The City of Seattle owns more than 650 buildings, totaling 10 million square feet of space. Buildings range from the large Seattle Municipal Tower to smaller community centers and fire stations.

The City is a leader in developing and managing our buildings to increase energy efficiency and to reduce emissions. Our work provides tangible examples of cost-effective pathways to reach net-zero emissions. Since implementing the nation’s first green building policy in 2000, the City has continued to strengthen its approach by:

• Requiring LEED Gold for all new or renovated buildings, as well as tenant improvements (2011)
• Reducing City energy use by 27% over fifteen years (2008–2023)
• Directing all new and renovated buildings operate without fossil fuels (2020)
• Creating a plan to zero out climate pollution from all City-owned buildings by 2042

As building owners across Seattle prepare to comply with the Building Emissions Performance Standard (BEPS), the City will continue to lead by example.