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If you own or manage a building of 50,000 square feet or more in the City of St. Louis, the Building Energy Performance Standard most likely sets an energy-use target for it. Reports are due every May 1, and most buildings must meet their Cycle 2 target on 2029 data, reported by May 1, 2030.
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BEPS · Ordinance 71132
What is the St. Louis Building Energy Performance Standard?
St. Louis made its Building Energy Performance Standard law in 2020 (Ordinance 71132, now Revised Code Chapter 25.71). It builds on the city's 2017 benchmarking ordinance: every large building reports its energy and water use each year, and at the end of each cycle it must meet a site energy use intensity target set for its property type or use one of the City's alternative paths. The Office of Building Performance runs the program, and the nine-member Building Energy Improvement Board approves the targets.
- 50,000 sq ft
- Each municipal, commercial, institutional or multifamily building of this size or larger is covered. A newly built building starts annual reporting the first full calendar year after it passes 50% occupancy, and must meet a target from the next full compliance cycle. Ord. 71132 · OBP help center
- May 1
- Every year: last calendar year's energy and water use, filed free in ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager. May 1 is the date OBP publishes; the codified ordinance still says April 1. OBP, Submit a report · Rev. Code ch. 25.70
- Site EUI
- Targets are weather-normalized site energy use intensity by property type. For the second cycle, office is 58 and multifamily 48.5 kBtu per sq ft per year. Qualified affordable housing and houses of worship are still in a six-year first cycle that ends in 2027; confirm their target with the City. BEIB, Cycle 2 targets (2026)
- 4 + 1 years
- Most buildings run four-year cycles plus a gap year, so deadlines fall in 2025, 2030 and 2035. Qualified affordable housing and houses of worship run six-year cycles plus a gap year, with deadlines in 2027, 2034 and 2041. Ord. 71132 · OBP help center
- 310 of 628
- Buildings that met their first-cycle target (49.4%), as OBP reported to the Board in February 2026, the newest count the City has published. BEIB minutes, Feb 26, 2026
Coverage
Am I covered?
The standard covers each municipal, commercial, institutional and multifamily building of 50,000 gross square feet or more inside the City of St. Louis. A newly built building starts annual reporting the first full calendar year after it passes 50% occupancy, and must meet a target from the next full compliance cycle. Floor area is measured between the exterior walls. Ord. 71132 (Rev. Code ch. 25.71)
Not covered
- Buildings in St. Louis County; only the City is covered
- Buildings owned by the State of Missouri or the federal government
- Standalone parking garages
Worth knowing
Manufacturing and industrial plants and wastewater treatment plants have no target, but the owner must apply for a benchmarking exemption every year. The City's help center also lists data centers and communications infrastructure among the uses that qualify for a benchmarking exemption. Qualified affordable housing (where most households earn under 80% of the City's Area Median Income) and houses of worship are covered on a six-year cycle; their first cycle ends in 2027. OBP told the Board in June 2025 that it would send a notice to buildings it identifies as qualified affordable housing, so confirm your status with OBP. A benchmarking exemption does not exempt a building from the standard.
The city's covered-buildings listCity limits address validator
The clock
Key deadlines
Passed
Cycle 1 compliance
Most buildings had to meet their first target. About half of the buildings required to comply did, OBP told the Board in February 2026. Ord. 71132 · BEIB minutes, Feb 2026
Passed
Cycle 2 targets set
The Building Energy Improvement Board approved new targets for the second cycle, lower for most property types. City Cycle 2 timeline · BEIB targets (2026)
Next deadline · 229 days
Annual report, 2026 data
Every covered building files 2026 energy and water use. Benchmarking exemption requests are due 30 days before. For qualified affordable housing and houses of worship this is also the end of their first cycle, with verification due June 1, 2027; a BEPS extension or exemption must be requested at least 90 days before May 1. OBP · Verification guide (June 2025)
What happens if you miss itCycle 2 compliance
Most buildings must meet their Cycle 2 target on 2029 data. Third-party data verification is due June 1, 2030. Verification guide (June 2025) · OBP help center
Cycle 3 targets set
Targets reset for the third cycle. City Cycle 2 timeline (May 2026)
Cycle 3 compliance
Most buildings meet their Cycle 3 target on 2034 data, verified by June 1, 2035. Verification guide (June 2025)
Compliance
How to comply
- 01
Performance
Meet the target for your property type. A building that meets it is compliant for that cycle. OBP, Property compliance
- 02
Early Adopter
Meet the target and cut energy use from your baseline: 20% earns compliance for this cycle and the next, 50% for this cycle and the next two. OBP, Property compliance
- 03
Narrow the Gap
Cannot reach the target? Close half the gap between your baseline and the target. Available only in the first two cycles, so Cycle 2 is the last chance to use it, and only with a valid baseline report. OBP, Property compliance
- 04
Custom Alternative Compliance Path
For one of five set reasons: refinancing cycles, major-equipment life cycles, long-term leases, historic preservation, or severe financial hardship. It needs an ASHRAE Level 2 audit or retro-commissioning, a plan of up to five years, and City approval. The City has not published Cycle 2 application dates; the 2023 handbook, now under revision, says to apply at least 26 months before the deadline. OBP help center · BEPS Handbook
We map each building to the path and dates that apply to it.
Enforcement
Penalties
The City enforces the annual report first, and the target at the end of each cycle.
- Not reporting: the City sends a written warning. If the report is still missing 60 days later, the owner commits an offense; the benchmarking ordinance sets fines on conviction of $50 to $200 a day, capped at $1,000 a year.
- If reporting or third-party verification is still missing 60 days after the warning, the BEPS ordinance allows $1 to $500 a day on conviction, up to 90 days in jail, or both.
- Missing a target: the ordinance lets the Building Commissioner require an alternative compliance payment or treat it as a daily ordinance violation, and sets no amount. The City's New User Guide says missing a target can bring fines of up to $1,000 a year.
- The City also lists liens and the loss of occupancy permits.
Ord. 70474 §6 · Ord. 71132 §4, §12 · OBP
Questions
What owners ask
Does my building have to comply?
Yes, if it is a building of 50,000 gross square feet or more inside the City of St. Louis, and it is not owned by the State or the federal government. A newly built building starts annual reporting the first full calendar year after it passes 50% occupancy, and must meet a target from the next full compliance cycle. Standalone parking garages are outside the program. Manufacturing and wastewater treatment plants have no target but must request an exemption each year, and the City's help center also lists data centers and communications infrastructure among the uses that qualify for a benchmarking exemption. Check the city's covered-buildings list; if your building is missing, OBP asks you to book a consult.
My address says St. Louis. Am I in the City?
Not necessarily. Twelve ZIP codes are split between the City and St. Louis County, and County buildings are not covered. The City's address validator settles it for a specific street address.
When are reports due?
Every May 1, covering the previous calendar year, filed through ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager. The May 1, 2027 report covers 2026. For most buildings the next target year is 2029, reported by May 1, 2030 with third-party verification by June 1, 2030.
What is my target?
A weather-normalized site EUI set for your property type. For the second cycle, office is 58 and multifamily 48.5 kBtu per square foot per year. Qualified affordable housing and houses of worship are still in their first cycle, so check your own target with the City before you plan around a number.
What if my building cannot hit its target?
Close half the gap from your baseline (Narrow the Gap, open only through Cycle 2), or apply for a Custom Alternative Compliance Path, which needs a Level 2 audit or retro-commissioning and City approval.
My building missed its Cycle 1 target. What now?
Talk to the Office of Building Performance. Ordinance 71132 lists what an owner below the standard may do: present an alternative compliance plan for the Building Energy Improvement Board to approve, or make an alternative compliance payment to the Building Division or face a daily ordinance violation, as determined by the Building Commissioner. Ask OBP whether a Custom Alternative Compliance Path, which needs City approval, is still open to your building.
Does a benchmarking exemption cover the standard too?
No. Benchmarking exemptions apply only to the annual report, must be requested every year, and do not exempt a building from the performance standard.
Is this the City of St. Louis?
No. Vert Energy Group is a private company and is not affiliated with the City. The Office of Building Performance and the ordinance are the authority; this page summarizes them and cites its sources.
Private BEPS compliance help from Vert Energy Group
Let someone who has read Ordinance 71132 handle it.
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