California Benchmarking & BPS Policy News
Building Performance Standards Policies Under Development in California
Refer to our Understanding Benchmarking and BPS Policy in California page for more information on existing benchmarking (and beyond) programs.
Quick links: Building Hub Support Agent | California Benchmarking & BPS Policies
Overview of Policies Under Development
California (statewide) - currently developing a strategy report pursuant to SB54
Berkeley - committed to developing a BPS policy
City of Los Angeles - developing a BPS policy for buildings 20,000 square feet and larger, and preparing to conduct stakeholder engagement
County of Los Angeles - developing a BPS policy and a “County Accelerator” technical assistance program for building decision makers
Sacramento - adopted an existing building electrification strategy that includes a commitment to develop BPS standards
San Diego - has been exploring the development of a BPS policy
San Francisco - currently developing a BPS policy and conducing stakeholder outreach
Santa Monica - has developed a draft BPS ordinance for consideration by the City Council. The draft includes a policy implementation date of June 2026, starting with buildings 50,000 square feet and larger and phasing in buildings larger than 20,000 square feet after five years, with many details to be worked out in a rule making process
West Hollywood - a BPS ordinance has passed a first reading by the City Council. The BPS would cover buildings 20,000 square feet and larger, with many details to be worked out in rule making
Jump to a jurisdiction for more details: Berkeley, Los Angeles (City), Los Angeles (County), Sacramento, San Diego (City), San Francisco, Santa Monica, West Hollywood.
Policies in Detail by Jurisdiction
California
Status: Pre-policy development
Under SB48 (Becker, 2023), the California Energy Commission has been tasked with researching a potential Building Energy Performance Standards policy, conducting stakeholder analysis, and drafting a report for the state legislature by July 2026. They are currently finalizing a draft of the California Building Energy Performance Status Report, expected to be released before the end of 2025. This draft would be open for public comment, with the final report expected to be published shortly before the July 2026 deadline.
Berkeley
Status: Early policy development.
The City of Berkeley has committed to developing Building Performance Standards as a participant in the National BPS Coalition. Benchmarking has been required since 2018, under the Building Emissions Saving Ordinance.
City of Los Angeles
Status: Policy development and stakeholder engagement.
Los Angeles proposes to strengthen its current Existing Buildings Energy and Water Efficiency (EBEWE) ordinance to drive deeper emissions reductions in alignment with the LA Green New Deal and the goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. The standard would apply to privately owned buildings 20,000 square feet or larger and city-owned buildings 7,500 square feet or larger—covering only a small percentage of the city’s building stock but accounting for a significant share of emissions.
In August 2024, the Department of Building and Safety released a report on BPS strategy. In December 2024, the City Council directed the department to continue development of the BPS policy and to conduct stakeholder engagement, with specific instructions to provide time extensions for affordable and rent-stabilized housing, and provide additional recommendations to minimize negative impacts to property owners, small businesses, and tenants.
County of Los Angeles
Status: Early policy development.
Los Angeles County is developing a Building Performance Standard.
The County is also working on a support mechanism for building owners, and released a report in May 2025 on establishing a Retrofit Accelerator program for Los Angeles County. This report was in response to a December 2024 Board of Supervisors motion directing the Internal Services Department to prepare “a program proposal and funding plan for a free technical and financial advisory service administered by SoCalREN that would support building decisionmakers with identifying, planning, and funding energy efficiency, clean energy, heat mitigation, electric vehicle, and water conservation projects.” The Retrofit Accelerator, once launched, may offer services including technical assistance, contractor matchmaking, access to incentive programs, workforce training, and performance verification.
Sacramento
Status: Early policy development.
The City of Sacramento has committed to developing Building Performance Standards as a participant in the National BPS Coalition. Sacramento’s Existing Building Electrification Strategy went into effect in May 2024, outlining a strategy to reach two goals: (1) electrification of all existing buildings by 2030 and (2) net-zero carbon emissions by 2045. This strategy notably includes the development of Building Performance Standards. No draft of the BPS ordinance is publicly available as of 9/17/25, but the Existing Building Electrification Strategy directs a draft to be worked on in 2025-2026.
City of San Diego
Status: Early policy development
A part of the national Building Performance Standards Coalition and in support of their Climate Action Plan, San Diego has been exploring a Building Performance Standard policy through working group meetings. Little information about the details of such policy are currently available online, but the jurisdiction’s progress can be tracked on their climate dashboard.
San Francisco
Status: Policy development and stakeholder engagement.
San Francisco has conducted some initial stakeholder engagement and is currently developing a BPS policy.
Santa Monica
Status: Policy adoption.
Santa Monica is developing a Clean and Healthy Existing Buildings Ordinance (CHEBO), aimed at requiring existing buildings greater than 20,000 sq ft to progressively reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. The policy supports the city's Climate Action and Adaptation Plan, which targets an 80% reduction in emissions below 1990 levels by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050. Energy consumption in existing buildings accounts for 33% of citywide emissions, making this policy a key lever for climate progress. The draft ordinance was expected to be voted on by City Council in September, but the vote was delayed.
The draft includes a policy implementation date of June 2026, with compliance cycles of five years, starting with buildings 50,000 square feet and larger and phasing in buildings larger than 20,000 square feet in the second compliance cycle.
Many details, including the metrics (energy use and/or greenhouse gas emissions) and alternative compliance mechanisms would be solidified in a rule-making process once the ordinance is adopted.
West Hollywood
Status: Policy adoption.
West Hollywood is advancing an Equitable Building Performance Standards ordinance aimed at improving energy performance and reducing GHG emissions in existing buildings 20,000 square feet or larger. Building owners will need to benchmark from 2026 and meet escalating performance milestones—either through upfront compliance or through structured retrofit plans—culminating in an 80% emission reduction target by 2035. Interim performance targets begin in 2024 and every four years thereafter. Condominiums are only required to meet performance goals for common areas and shared appliances.
The ordinance passed a first reading in August, with a second reading (for full adoption) expected in November 2025.
Many details, including the metrics (energy use and/or greenhouse gas emissions) and alternative compliance mechanisms would be ironed out in a rule-making process once the ordinance is adopted.