A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT allowing counties to provide building permit fee reductions or rebates to encourage construction of buildings using sustainable design principles to achieve energy performance standards.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 153A‑340 is amended by adding a new subsection to read:
"(i)	A county may provide for reductions or partial rebates of building permit fees for buildings to encourage their construction using sustainable design principles and achieving the energy performance standards provided by this subsection. To receive the benefit of the reduction or rebate, the building must be built to:
(1)	A Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification or higher rating as adopted by the U.S. Green Building Council;
(2)	A Green Globes USA rating of one globe or higher, as adopted by the Green Building Initiative;
(3)	A similar rating to those provided by subdivision (1) or (2) of this subsection by another nationally recognized rating system with equivalent rating; or
(4)	The building must exceed the State energy code by at least thirty percent (30%). Achievement of the energy performance standard shall be determined by a qualified licensed engineer, architect, or contractor, not related to the building owner, who shall certify to the reasonable satisfaction of the inspection department that he or she is qualified to provide the certification.
This subsection applies only to counties with a population of 650,000 or over according to the most recent decennial federal census."
SECTION 2.  This act is effective when it becomes law.