News on this has been trickling out for a little while now, but I wanted to put up an official information announcement here on LEEDuser: parking garages are specifically excluded from eligibility for LEED certification, as of a LEED Interpretation issued on May 9, 2011. That means that any parking garages registered before that date are fine to proceed, but anyone trying to register after that date are out of luck.

Parking garages are defined as "buildings that dedicate more than 75% of floor area (including areas not covered, enclosed, or conditioned) to the parking and circulation of motor vehicles."

More useful parking garage info from the LEED MPR Supplemental Guidance:

Parking garages may not be included in the gross floor area of the LEED project building.

Parking garages may be included within the LEED project boundary—if parking is within, connected to, or on the site of the LEED project building.

Does this news affect your project? What do you think of it?