Construction Typologies

Substantial and Moderate Rehabs

Given that the scope of work on existing buildings can vary widely (from minor repairs to gut rehabs), we have defined two levels of rehabs to guide project team planning.

While Substantial and Moderate Rehabs are defined as specifically as possible below, each project will most likely have more nuance than can be captured here. Please use these definitions as the start of this guidance, strive for the most inclusive level of integrating the Criteria, and note that compliance with the energy-performance requirements of criteria 5.2a and 5.2b often is the factor that places a project in the New Construction pathway (possible for some gut rehabs), Substantial Rehab pathway, or Moderate Rehab pathway, or precludes Certification all together.

A Substantial Rehab is defined as a project where the work area exceeds 50% of the aggregate area of the building: an International Code Council level 3 alteration scope of work, according to the most recent version of the International Existing Building Code published at the time of project Prebuild application.

  • Aggregate area of the building includes anything within the surrounding exterior walls, including covered exterior spaces, e.g., balconies that have a roof or floor above (does not include roof, outdoor space, etc.)
  • Work area is defined as the area on the plans that will be considered reconfigured, addition or removal of a window or door, or reconfiguration or extension of any system, or installation of a new system.

A Moderate Rehab is defined as a project where the work area does not exceed 50% of the aggregate area of the building (the work scope is less than an ICC level 3 alteration), yet is still able to comply with the energy-performance requirements of Criterion 5.2b Energy Performance: Rehabilitation.

Rural/Tribal/Small Town

Projects that meet one or more of the four criteria below qualify for the Rural/Tribal/Small Town pathway in the 2026 Criteria.

  1. A statistical geographic entity delineated by the Census Bureau that does not meet the definition of an urbanized area contained in the Office of Management and Budget’s 2010 Standards for Delineating Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas, 75 FR 37252 (June 28, 2010). That is, a rural area is an area that is not a statistical geographic entity delineated by the Census Bureau, which would consist of densely settled census tracts and blocks and adjacent densely settled territory that together contain at least 50,000 people. To determine whether the area where the project is located qualifies as rural, enter the ZIP code or city at www.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html to confirm eligibility. Areas shaded pink are not eligible geographies.
  2. Projects located on Native American Reservations, Hawaiian Homesteads, and land owned by Native Alaskans
  3. Projects located in colonias communities as defined by HUD and certified by one of the four border states: Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California
  4. Projects eligible for funding under USDA Rural Housing Services (RHS) programs. https://eligibility.sc.egov.usda.gov/eligibility/welcomeAction.do