In December 2024, the San Diego City Council adopted an update to Council Policy No. 900-03, the Zero Emissions Municipal Buildings & Operations Policy (ZEMBOP), which establishes an implementing framework to ensure the City leads by example in decarbonizing the municipal building sector and transitioning to a zero-emissions fleet by 2035. ZEMBOP applies to all municipal facilities and parking lots and is included in all new leases of City-owned property.

With the adoption of ZEMBOP, new construction projects will be required to be all-electric, 10% more efficient than the state code, and designed to include a solar or other renewable energy system plus a battery energy storage system large enough to cover the facility’s electricity load. All fleet parking spaces in associated parking lots must be EV Ready (i.e. wiring to the spaces), and staff and public spaces must meet CALGreen Tier 1 requirements for EV charging infrastructure.

For existing municipal and City-owned leased facilities, the policy is triggered any time a natural gas burning system is being replaced and requires the new equipment to be electric. For City-owned and occupied facilities, the policy is also triggered by what the policy defines as a major renovation: a project that includes improvements to two or more building systems and/or a parking lot repaving. In those cases, project scopes must be expanded so the facility becomes all-electric, meets current state energy-efficiency standards, and includes solar PV, battery energy storage, and has EV charging infrastructure for fleet spaces installed in any associated parking lot. ​

ZEMBOP Compliance Resources
 

• The ZEMBOP Checklist is being replaced with the ZEMBOP Compliance Tool – this will be available soon to provide guidance on which policy requirements apply to individual projects.
• NEW for 2025! The Prescriptive Energy Efficiency Measure Menu is now available to demonstrate compliance for major renovation projects that do not include an energy designer/consultant and an energy model is not being produced.
• The GHG Emissions Compliance Report must be submitted to the City Manager or their designee, with a carbon copy to the Sustainability and Mobility Department Director, before the final building permit inspection.

Alongside ZEMBOP is Council Policy No. 900-14, the Sustainable Buildings Policy, which reasserts the City’s commitment to green and sustainable building practices when it comes to new construction or major renovations that the City owns, occupies or leases.

To help ensure the City Policies stay current and consistent, the December 2024 Council action repealed Council Policy No. 900-02, Energy Conservation and Management and Council Policy No. 900-18, Purchase of Energy Efficient Products.

If you have any questions or concerns about the requirements of C.P. 900-03 or 900-14, please send an e-mail to energy@sandiego.gov