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Extracted Content

o Species listed as threatened or endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act

or the state’s endangered species act.

o Species or ecological communities classified by NatureServe as GH (possibly

extinct), G1 (critically imperiled), or G2 (imperiled).

o Species listed as threatened or endangered species under local equivalent

standards (for projects outside the U.S.) that are not covered by NatureServe data.

• Water bodies : Areas on or within 100 feet (30 meters) of a water body, except for minor improvements.

• Wetlands : Areas on or within 50 feet (15 meters) of a wetland, except for minor improvements.

• Steep slopes : Protect 40% of the steep slope area on the site (if such areas exist) from all development and construction activity.

o For unstable, undeveloped slopes between 15% and 25%, protect 40% from all

development.

o For unstable, undeveloped slopes steeper than 25%, protect from all development

and construction activity 60% of the steep slope area on the site.

REQUIREMENTS EXPLAINED

This credit rewards teams for considering their project’s impact on the local community and ecosystems by selecting sites that minimize disruption and protect sensitive areas, such as previously developed locations. Teams pursuing this credit can still achieve points for building on locations not previously developed; however, that location must not be on prime farmland, floodplains, habitat with threatened or endangered species, waterbodies, wetlands, or steep slopes.

Option 1: Previously Developed Sites

Previously developed land is any land where infrastructure has been constructed and buildings on the site do not further disrupt sensitive land. Building on previously developed sites helps to conserve undeveloped land from development and construction activity within the project boundary and is essential for maintaining a diverse ecosystem and compact land development patterns, maintaining biodiversity and sustaining ecosystems that provide services such as water filtration and soil stabilization, and keeping existing ecosystems intact and preserving their ecological resilience. This supports ecosystems that are more resilient against future environmental changes and disturbances.

U.S. Green Building Council LEED v5 Reference Guide for Building Design and Construction, April 2025 Launch Edition 54