Addenda and Interpretations

LEED Rating System and Reference Guide Addenda

Addenda to the rating systems incorporate changes and improvements to LEED 2009 resources, in order to help clarify, correct, interpret or provide alternative language to help project teams better implement LEED. Addenda are subject to committee review and are published quarterly.

Project teams must follow rating system addenda based on their project’s registration date. It’s strongly recommended that project teams also follow reference guide addenda.

Substantive changes to LEED content include corrections, interpretations and alternative compliance paths that may substantively change the way a given requirement is achieved or meant to be achieved.

1. Corrections fix unintentional inaccuracies, errors and/or omissions in content.
2. LEED Interpretations define or expand upon existing content to provide clarity where a misunderstanding of language has occurred.
3. Alternative Compliance Paths (ACPs) provide additional options to achieve credits that address unique project needs and advancements in science and technology.

Non-substantive changes to LEED include grammatical and typographical changes in content that further refine or correct unclear wording and do not substantively change the way a given requirement is meant to be interpreted.

LEED Interpretations

LEED Interpretations are official answers to technical inquiries about implementing LEED on a project. They help project teams understand how their projects can meet LEED requirements and provide clarity on existing options.

• Precedent-setting: LEED Interpretations are to be used by any project certifying under an applicable rating system. All project teams are required to adhere to all LEED Interpretations posted before their registration date. This also applies to other addenda. Adherence to rulings posted after a project registers is optional, but strongly encouraged.
• Published online: LEED Interpretations will be published in a searchable database on usgbc.org.
• Subject to consensus-based review: LEED Interpretations undergo review by USGBC member-selected volunteer LEED committees.

The Benefits of LEED Interpretations

• Can be applied to multiple projects: a LEED Interpretation can be used for all projects certifying under the rating systems that it applies to, as indicated in the LEED Interpretations and Addenda database.
• Part of the LEED conversation: a LEED Interpretation is an opportunity to contribute to the LEED conversation in a significant way. This is in addition to opportunities such as commenting and voting during the new rating system creation process, suggesting addenda, volunteering on a USGBC committee, etc.
• Reviewed by USGBC committees: a LEED Interpretation is reviewed by LEED committees comprised of member-selected green building practitioners and USGBC staff.

LEED Interpretations are not an avenue for making significant changes or new requirements to the LEED rating system. LEED Interpretations are also not the intended path for fixing errors in the LEED rating systems and reference guides. USGBC publishes clarifications (also called addenda) to address those issues.