This credit comprehensively addresses practices for maintaining your project site. Because this credit covers so much ground, it’s important for teams to thoroughly review all requirements and get a clear understanding of who is responsible for overseeing the different operational areas.
In some instances, a single requirement may be especially challenging to meet, and may end up being a deal-breaker for pursuing the credit. For example, projects that experience harsh winters may have trouble meeting the deicer requirement.
Familiar requirements, with some changes
Many of the best practices outlined in this credit are similar to the related Sustainable Sites credits in LEED v4. However, teams should do a close read of each requirement as there are minor adjustments that can be easy to miss. See the What’s New in LEED v4.1 section below for tips.
Required site assessment
In addition to setting requirements for environmentally preferred site management practices, this credit includes a mandatory site assessment to document natural areas that provide habitat. This can be a beneficial exercise for projects with larger site areas. Teams are not required to make any changes or improvements to the project site based on the assessment.
Integrated pest management
This credit requires teams to develop an integrated pest management (IPM) plan. We recommend looking to the LEED v4.1 EQc3 Integrated Pest Management Plan template for an example.
Site management plan
USGBC released a site management plan template in July 2020. Using this template can help you develop a compliant plan that addresses the many best practices included in this credit. See the Documentation Toolkit to download a copy.
What’s New in LEED v4.1
- This credit now focuses on site management practices being used, rather than comparing performance against a policy
- LEED v4 performance requirements for limited turf area / all manual or electric powered equipment / reduction in emissions from site management equipment have been removed
- A site assessment must be conducted
- An integrated pest management plan must be developed
- The snow and ice requirements are now better aligned with the SITES rating system
- Fertilizer requirements are now better aligned with the LEED v4 Site Management Policy prerequisite and offer more flexibility for meeting the intent
- Irrigation systems must have automatic controls
- Organic matter mulch must be applied to vegetation annually
Should I upgrade?
This v4 prerequisite has changed into a credit under v4.1 Some requirements have been removed, clarified, or streamlined—but new requirements have also been added. We recommend taking a close look at the requirements to determine which version is better for your project.