This originally appeared on the U.S. Green Building Council’s Green Home Guide website.

LEED homes are built to be healthy, providing clean indoor air and incorporating safe building materials to ensure a comfortable home. Using less energy and water means lower utility bills each month. And in many markets, certified green homes are now selling quicker and for more money than comparable non-green homes. More than 112,000 residential units have earned LEED certification, which is the designation offered from the U.S. Green Building Council.

1. Register

  • Visit LEED online
  • Check minimum program requirements to confirm project eligibility
  • Select the rating system: Homes & Multifamily Lowrise (1-3 stories) or Multifamily Midrise (4+ stories)
  • Register your project
  • Pay registration fee

2. Assemble the team

Who’s who:

  • LEED for Homes Provider is the organization that will oversee the certification process.
  • Green Rater works under the LEED for Homes Provider and is responsible for onsite verification.
  • Energy Rater is the individual qualified to do the performance testing on the home (usually the Green Rater).
  • Quality Assurance Designee (QAD): works under the LEED for Homes Provider and is responsible for reviewing the work of the Green Rater.

3. Schedule a kick-off meeting

  • The Green Rater will schedule a meeting with your project team during the design phase to explain the rating system and next steps toward certification.

4. Onsite verification

  • The Green Rater/Energy Rater will coordinate with the project team to perform onsite inspections at both the pre-drywall and final construction phase.

5. Certification

  • After the Green Rater has performed the onsite inspections, they will review your submittal package and submit the project to GBCI for certification via the Quality Assurance Designee.
  • Finally, GBCI will review the project, confirm the certification, and notify the project team!

Looking for more resources? View the full guide to certification to access a number of resources and tools to support you during the process of LEED certification.

Discover home certification resources.