Denver’s Green Building Ordinance requires new buildings, new additions to buildings and existing buildings with a certificate of occupancy that are 25,000 sf to have a cool roof and comply with one other Green Building requirement. Compliance options include green roofs, onsite solar panels, offsite renewable energy purchases, demonstration of decreased energy consumption, select building certifications, green space and renewable energy, green space and offsite renewable energy, and green space and decreased energy consumption.
The compliance option for green space can be achieved by installing a green roof. With this option, the green roof of new buildings must cover 60% of the total roof area; the green roof of existing buildings must cover 18% of the total roof area. Vegetation shall be designed to cover 80% of the vegetated roof within 3 years, or be used for urban agriculture.