How to: Explore the Green Communities Criteria
The checklist offers a high-level understanding of the mandatory and optional criterion while the full criteria goes into greater detail and offers additional tools and resources.
Don’t forget to use the filters embedded in the table of contents to view different pathways and point configurations in real-time. You can also filter by theme to help you accomplish your goals related to energy, health, and resilience. For a tour of the website and the sorting functions, watch the Live Demo: Introducing the 2026 Criteria webinar.
P.S. You can still access the 2020 Green Communities Criteria and tools here.
How to: Submit an Application
Application Portal
All application materials are collected within the Green Communities Certification portal.
Certification Process Overview and Timeline
Certification involves a two-step online submission and review process: Prebuild and Postbuild. Project teams submit their Prebuild application near the end of the design phase, at least 30 days prior to the start of construction. Project teams submit their Postbuild application no more than 60 days after receiving the Certificate of Occupancy.
The standard review window for all PreBuild and PostBuild applications is 30 days. After a thorough application review by the Green Communities team, project teams will either receive notice that the application has been approved to move forward, or a request for additional information and documentation. If additional information is requested, the project team should address all open comments and resubmit the application for rereview.
Enterprise Green Communities does not require any credentialing to administer an application. Any member of the project team may submit a certification application by going through the required application steps and demonstrating they’ve met the mandatory requirements for their respective property through the application process in the green portal. That being said, within the criteria, there are requirements that necessitate engagement with a third-party practitioner (typically an energy rater) to ensure compliance with the project’s energy performance standard (see category 5 for details).
Review Types
Our standard review window, for all first time and re-reviews, is 30 days.
Focused review (formerly itemized review)
A focused review is recommended for most projects. A focused review ensures that projects meet the bare minimum of the Green Communities requirements. Once minimum compliance is verified, surplus points that cannot be verified by the Green Communities review team are stripped from the application to allow for approval.
Expansive review (formerly traditional review)
An expansive review is recommended for projects required, usually by a funder, to achieve compliance above and beyond the Green Communities’ minimum requirements. This includes projects required to earn Certification Plus. In an expansive review, every criterion (surplus or not) must be verified by the Green Communities review team before the application can advance. If a criterion cannot be verified, the application will be recalled, requesting additional details or documentation before resubmission.
Expedited reviews
At this time expedited reviews are limited to projects located in New York City. Project teams can request an expedited review in the application portal. These reviews will be completed within ten business days of submission. Please note, a fee of $250 will be collected for each expedited review or re-review.
How to: Understand Program Requirements
Read each Enterprise Green Communities Criterion in full to review compliance pathways and detailed requirements. Each criterion also includes a rationale explaining the impact, recommendations that go beyond the minimum requirements, and resources with links to information that may be of use to teams as they consider and implement each strategy.
Review the 2020 and 2026 Documentation Instructions on the Certification Tools and Templates page. The Documentation Instructions excel workbook specifies requirements for each criterion at prebuild and postbuild. Enterprise Green Communities Templates can also be found on the Certification Tools and Templates page.
Finally, read through the Requirements and Eligibility page for information about project characteristics, program fees and waivers.