Seattle benchmarking compliance, filed for you
Seattle Building Energy Benchmarking (SMC 22.920) requires covered buildings in Seattle to report energy use every year. We gather the data, check it, and file it — usually within a week.
Who’s covered
Non-residential and multifamily buildings of 20,000 sq ft or more.
Annual deadline
June 1 for the previous calendar year. Seattle has changed its date before — confirm each year.
Verification
No routine third-party verification — but the city runs its own data checks, so accuracy still matters.
Penalties
A single notice of violation 90 days after the deadline: $2,000 for 20,000–50,000 sq ft, $4,000 for larger buildings.
What to report
All energy 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
Leave out backup generator fuel. Note any meters added or removed during the year.
Good to know
- Commercial buildings also need a Building Tune-Up every five years.
- Seattle’s Building Emissions Performance Standard (BEPS) builds on benchmarking data.
- Washington State’s Clean Buildings program may also apply.
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 Seattle OSE 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 from the city
Seattle benchmarking questions
When is the Seattle benchmarking deadline?
Does Seattle benchmarking apply to my building?
What happens if I miss it?
Official program information: Seattle benchmarking website. Requirements change — we confirm current rules for every filing.