Mecklenburg County - Green Permit Rebate Program

May 17, 2010

Summary

Mecklenburg County offers an incentive for new homes and businesses to be constructed according to certain sustainable guidelines. For new commercial projects completed after January 1, 2008, which are certified under LEED or Green Globes, the county will issue a rebate of up to 25% (up to $100,000) for the cost of a permit. New homes can receive a permit rebate if they are certified under, LEED for homes, EarthCraft House, NC HealthyBuilt Homes, and the NAHB National Green Building Program. The certification programs are point-based, rewarding points for a variety of sustainable measures. The technologies referenced above are not eligible for stand-alone incentives from Mecklenburg County, but instead they are technologies which earn points toward certification. To be eligible for the county rebate, the project owner must submit a written application for a "Green Permit Rebate" to Documents & Inspections at Code Enforcement prior to the certificate of occupancy being issued. Upon receipt of the application, the Department will list that project in pending status. Upon achieving either LEED or Green Globes certification the Owner will submit the Green Permit Rebate certification form to Documents & Inspections. The rebate will be awarded if funds are available after Documents & Inspections approves the application at the following levels:

Certification	10%	15%	20%	25%
LEED	Certified	Silver	Gold	Platinum
Green Globes	1 Globe	2 Globes	3 Globes	4 Globes
HealthyBuilt Homes	Certified	Bronze	Silver	Gold
EarthCraft Homes	-------	Certified	Gold	Platinum
NAHB Green	Bronze	Silver	Gold	Emerald

The program will be funded by the initial start-up funds of $1,150,000 plus an annual 2%-5% maximum set aside of the previous year's building permit fees. This amount will be agreed to annually with the Building Development Commission (BDC) and the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) as a part of the annual budget process. If all funding is exhausted, the qualifying projects will be allowed to re-apply the following budget year by submitting a new certification Form.