San Jose, CA · Overview
San Jose Energy & Water Building Performance Ordinance (BPO)
San Jose requires annual energy benchmarking for nonresidential and multifamily buildings 20,000 sq ft and larger, filed via ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager®, plus a staggered "beyond benchmarking" performance-verification/audit-style requirement every 5 years. San Jose is a CEC-exempt jurisdiction, so this filing also satisfies state AB 802.
Verified against primary sources
Filing deadline
May 1
Annually, for the prior calendar year
- City fee
- No city fee on file.
- Files via
- ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager® — you respond to the jurisdiction’s data request.
Filing facts
What the registry knows
- Who’s covered
- Commercial and multifamily buildings 20,000 sq ft or larger.
- Deadline
- May 1, annually
- Files via
- ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager® — you respond to the jurisdiction’s data request.
- City fee
- No city fee on file.
- If you miss it
- Penalties reported at roughly $25-$50/day up to $2,500-$5,000/year in secondary sources; not confirmed from a primary city source.
How to comply
Step by step
Confirm the building is nonresidential or multifamily and 20,000 sq ft or larger.
Benchmark the building in ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager® with a "San Jose" Standard ID and respond to the city's data request before May 1.
Track the building's staggered 5-year "beyond benchmarking" performance-verification cycle, which layers additional audit-style requirements on top of annual benchmarking.
FAQ
Common questions
What does "beyond benchmarking" mean for a San Jose building owner?
It is a separate, staggered requirement (by building size) layered on top of annual benchmarking that adds performance-verification or audit-style obligations every 5 years — it is not just a re-filing of the same benchmarking data.
Does filing under San Jose BPO also cover AB 802?
Yes — San Jose is on the CEC's exempted local ordinance list, so a building that files locally does not need to separately file with the CEC under AB 802.
Want San Jose Energy & Water Building Performance Ordinance (BPO) handled for you?
Run the compliance checker to confirm this program actually applies to your building. Sign-up is open today — and the readings behind a filing come back to you as trends you can compare year over year.