Pittsburgh benchmarking compliance, filed for you
The Pittsburgh Building Benchmarking Ordinance requires covered buildings to report energy and water use every year. We gather the data, check it, and file it — usually within a week.
Who’s covered
Non-residential buildings over 50,000 sq ft, including the non-residential part of mixed-use buildings when that part is 50,000 sq ft or more.
Annual deadline
June 1 for the previous calendar year.
Verification
No routine third-party verification — but the program runs its own data checks, so accuracy still matters.
Penalties
The city follows up with owners who don’t report and can issue citations — contact us if you’ve received a notice.
What to report
All energy and water used by the whole building — including tenant spaces — for January 1 to December 31:
- Electricity — every meter serving the building
- Natural gas
- District steam, hot or chilled water, if you have it
- Delivered fuels (oil, diesel, propane) — all delivery receipts for the year
- On-site solar production, if any
- Water — whole-building water use
Leave out backup generator fuel. Note any meters added or removed during the year.
Good to know
- Low-performing buildings must complete an energy audit or retro-commissioning study every five years.
- Exemptions exist for low occupancy, demolition, hardship and primarily industrial use.
What we’ll need from you
- Building address, plus any utility service addresses that differ from it
- Gross floor area for the whole building and each use (office, retail, residential…), number of units and year built
- Your Pittsburgh Building ID (we can look it up)
- Utility data for the full calendar year, January 1 – December 31 (usually 13 months of bills)
- If tenants pay their own utilities: whole-building (aggregated) data from the utility, or signed tenant authorization forms
- Access to your ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager account, if you have one
- Any notice or letter you received about this law
Pittsburgh benchmarking questions
When is the Pittsburgh benchmarking deadline?
Does Pittsburgh benchmarking apply to my building?
What happens if I miss it?
Official program information: Pittsburgh benchmarking website. Requirements change — we confirm current rules for every filing.