Building Energy and Water Scoring

** Commercial covered buildings are defined by ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager. Multifamily buildings include apartments and condominiums three stories or more in height above grade and representing multifamily structures defined by a typical R-2 occupancy by the International Building Code.  Row homes and townhomes are excluded. 

Before submitting your REPORT to the City  

• Enter all energy, water, and space use information in Portfolio Manager. Data should be entered from January 1 - December 31 for the calendar year being reported for each covered building.  
• Ensure that you run Portfolio Manager's tool to check for possible data errors prior to submittal to ensure that you have no errors in your data submission. The Data Quality Checker time frame should align with the calendar year being reported.  

How do I Check Data Quality

The Ordinance includes exemptions to the requirements based on capabilities of Portfolio Manager and unique building characteristics. Covered building owners who do not submit a report are required to apply for one of the following exemptions: 

• Building with average physical occupancy of less than sixty (60) percent 
• Building with demolition permit 
• Building with financial distress 
• Building used for industrial or agricultural processes 
• Building with confidential business practice 
• Building with unique circumstances, if approved by the City Manager’s Office.

The City will review exemptions that are submitted by September 1 prior to the reporting deadline, and will respond to inquiries within 90 days after the September 1 deadline.

To apply for an exemption, please fill out the Exemption Request Form. 

Building owners are required to report if the  building footprint is  equal to or greater than 5,000 SF.  Building owner includes any person or entity including common interest ownership groups that have a legal or equitable interest in real property and the associated asset features of the building(s) located on the parcel.  Review Fort Collins Building Scenarios to learn if you are required to report.

View BEWS Building Scenarios

The Building Energy and Water Scoring program is enforceable under Sec 12-207 of the Fort Collins Municipal Code (including a $1,000 fine for each year of noncompliance), and the failure to comply in any calendar year shall constitute a single violation in that calendar year. Fort Collins staff will send out a Notice of Need to Comply letter followed by a Notice of Violation to any building owner of a covered building who does not comply within 30 days following March 1 of each year, and citations will be issued March 1 of the year following the required reporting year.

Note that Fort Collins staff is available to provide technical assistance and resources to any building owner to help them comply with the ordinance. Contact QnVpbGRpbmdzY29yaW5nQGZjZ292LmNvbQ== or call 970-416-2733 for additional questions.