Under the Doraville, Georgia buildings and building regulation, the City formally adopts Version 2.2 of the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for New Construction and Major Renovations rating system (LEED-NC), any future amendments thereto will be reviewed by the City before consideration is given to the adoption of such amendments. Doraville is a northern suburb of Atlanta and covers 3.6 square miles with almost 11,000 residents. The area typically has hot humid summers and mild, but occasionally chilly winters by the standards of the southern United States.

Doraville regulations require that all commercial building, office building, industrial building, multiple residence, or senior citizen multiple residence construction equal to or greater than 20,000 square feet of gross floor area must achieve certification under the LEED-NC. This requirement also applies to all new construction of municipal buildings, regardless of size. Upon submission of a building permit application, an applicant falling under these requirements must submit (1) a completed LEED checklist showing that the proposed building will achieve enough points to attain LEED Certified status or Green Globes Certified status, and (2) proof of registration of the proposed project with the USGBC.

The required certification (verified by documentation from USGBC) is a prerequisite to receiving a certificate of occupancy. A temporary certificate of occupancy can be issued after construction upon a satisfactory inspection by the city building inspector and confirmation that all documentation has been submitted for the required certification. Upon issuance of a temporary certificate of occupancy, the applicant shall pay a fee (scaled according to the square footage of the building) to ensure successful completion of the certification. The fee is refunded to the applicant once certification is obtained. The regulations also provide for an infeasibility exemption under certain circumstances, including but not limited to: the availability of markets for recycled material; the availability of green building materials and technologies; and the compatibility of green building requirements with existing building standards.