LEED for Cities Certification

In 2023, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) awarded the City of Issaquah with LEED® Gold certification for its exceptional performance in fostering a sustainable, resilient and equitable community. Issaquah is the first city in Washington state to achieve LEED Gold certification – and one of only five LEED-certified communities statewide. 

LEED enables Issaquah to measure city performance against key metrics within the categories of Integrative Process, Ecology and Natural Systems, Transportation and Land Use, Water, Energy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Materials and Resources, Quality of Life, Innovation and Regional Priority.

With this certification, Issaquah joins a global network of 150+ cities and communities in documenting and tracking performance. This certification also acknowledges decades of efforts by the city and community to advance a commitment to sustainability and equity.  

About LEED for Cities

LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is the world’s most widely used green building rating system, created by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

LEED for Cities helps local leaders create and operationalize responsible, sustainable and specific plans for natural systems, energy, water, waste, transportation and other factors that contribute to quality of life. The LEED framework encompasses social, economic and environmental performance indicators and strategies with a clear, data-driven means of benchmarking and communicating progress.

How Did Issaquah Do?

Issaquah scored 73 points out of 110, achieving LEED Gold certification for its efforts to pursue sustainability and standard of living strategies and solutions. 

The City scored well in natural systems, resilience, energy and greenhouse gas emissions and quality of life. Categories and credits where there are opportunities for improvement include materials and resources, water efficiency, transit-oriented development and smart mobility. 

Issaquah is one of only five communities in Washington state that are certified (Bellevue, King County, Seattle and Tacoma) and is the first to be certified Gold. This certification is the acknowledgement of decades of work on sustainability and quality of life enhancement by the city, businesses, community partners, and community at-large.