On December 13, 2025, the Arlington County Board adopted a comprehensive update to its Green Building Incentive Program (“GBIP”). First introduced in 1999, the GBIP is a voluntary incentive program that allows developers to earn bonus density in Administrative Regulation 4.1 Site Plan projects in exchange for enhanced sustainable building commitments.
The recent amendments reaffirm Arlington County’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting high-performance buildings in both new construction and major redevelopment projects.
The updated policy establishes higher standards for energy efficiency and carbon reduction, aligns incentive requirements with performance benchmarks that exceed current building codes, and modernizes how building performance is evaluated.
Among the most significant changes, the updated GBIP requires adherence to LEED Version 5 Gold and modifies the “Minimum Criteria” across all GBIP density tiers. These modifications include increased energy optimization percentages under ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2019, more stringent HERS ratings under EarthCraft Multifamily, and a new requirement that projects seeking the 0.25 FAR density tier provide a minimum of two “Extra List” items.
The policy also streamlines the GBIP’s “Baseline Prerequisites” by removing prior requirements related to ventilation air sealing, equity, diversity, and inclusion, and biophilic design. At the same time, the updated Baseline Prerequisites increase the required percentage of electric vehicle charging stations and electric vehicle-ready infrastructure.
While the GBIP’s “Extra List Options” menu is largely retained, updates eliminate options related to grid harmonization, advanced energy metering, social equity, and affordable housing. (County staff note that many of these removed items have been incorporated into other County policies or regulatory requirements).
The updated policy may be found HERE.
Though the updated policy mentions the creation of a Passive House Institute US (or “PHIUS”) pilot program, it is prospective and included for informational purposes only. It does not form a part of the updated GBIP.
The new GBIP policy is effective immediately. Projects submitted before March 31, 2026 may continue to use the 2020 version of the program. Projects submitted on or after March 31, 2026 must comply with the updated standards.
For more information about how these changes may affect zoning entitlements or development approvals in Arlington County, please contact our team.
