Building Exemption/Waiver Application for Montgomery County Benchmarking Law

Waiver requests must be filed by May 1st of the deadline year. One property per form. One form per benchmarking year. In order to be considered, you must upload documentation that supports your claim in the area below.

Contact Information

First Name *

Last Name *

Title *

Company *

Phone Number *

Email Address *

Covered Building Street Address *

Covered Building City *

State *

Covered Building Zip/Postal Code *

Covered Building Gross Square Footage *

Montgomery County Building ID (MBID) *

This is a unique code assigned to your building's address. You can find your building ID using the Building ID Search. Enter the full ID exactly as it appears. Eight-digit IDs must be entered with the leading zero, e.g., 01234567.

Exemption / Waiver Details

Reporting Year that your benchmarking submission is due:
Reporting Year is the year in which you are reporting previous calendar year data, e.g. 2023 is the Reporting Year for calendar year 2022 submission.

This is a request for a:

Exemptions apply to:

1. A building for which more than 10% of the total gross floor area is used for:

- Public assembly in a building without walls; or,

- Industrial uses where the majority of energy is consumed for manufacturing, the generation of electric power or district thermal energy to be consumed offsite, or for other process loads; or,

- Transportation, communications, or utility infrastructure.

Waivers apply to a building that:

1. Is in financial distress; or,

2. On average, had physical occupancy of less than 50% throughout the calendar year for which benchmarking is required; or,

3. Is newly constructed and has received its certificate of use and occupancy during calendar year for which benchmarking is required.

Please use the the text box below to provide details about your request, if needed.

This is a request for a:

Exemptions apply to:

1. A building that can document that it is a single building less than 25,000 gross square feet.

- For benchmarking purposes, a "building" is any single structure utilized or intended for supporting or sheltering any occupancy, except if a single structure contains two or more individually metered units operating independently that have stand-alone heating, cooling, hot water, and other mechanical systems, and no shared interior common areas. Your building may be exempt if it contains individually owned or leased spaces where:

- each space is less than 25,000 gross square feet, and

- each space does not share and is not connected by any interior space (even hallways), and

- each space has its own energy systems (like HVAC and hot water heating) and there are no shared energy systems between spaces, and

- each space has separate utility meters for all utilities.

2. A building for which more than 50% of the total gross floor area is used for:

- Public assembly in a building without walls; or,

- Industrial uses where the majority of energy is consumed for manufacturing, the generation of electric power or district thermal energy to be consumed offsite, or for other process loads; or,

- Transportation, communications, or utility infrastructure.

Waivers apply to a building that:

1. Is in financial distress; or,

2. On average, less than one full-time-equivalent employee occupied the building during the calendar year being reported; or,

3. Is newly constructed and has received its certificate of use and occupancy during calendar year for which benchmarking is required; or,

4. Was demolished or received its demolition permit during the calendar year for which benchmarking is required.

Please use the the text box below to provide details about your request, if needed.

Request for: *

Type of Exemption Requested:
More than 10% of the total property square footage is used for one of the following (please select the largest exemption use type applicable for your building): *

Type of Exemption Requested: *

Building is less than 25,000 gross square feet

Building contains individual units each less than 25,000 gross square feet that share no interior common area and are not connected by hallways, with no shared energy systems, and individual utility meters for all utilities

More than 50% of the total gross floor area is used for public assembly in walls

More than 50% of the total gross floor area is used for industrial uses where the majority of energy is consumed for manufacturing, the generation of electric power or district thermal energy to be consumed offsite, or for other process loads

More than 50% of the total gross floor area is used for transportation, communications, or utility infrastructure

Type of Waiver Requested: *

New Construction

Demolition

Financial Distress (the building is subject of a tax lien sale or public auction to property tax arrearages; is controlled by a court appointed receiver; or was recent acquired by a deed in lieu of foreclosure)

<50% Occupancy in Calendar Year due to unleased space or property vacancy

<50% Occupancy in Calendar Year due to COVID-19

Type of Waiver Requested: *

Financial Distress (the building is subject of a tax lien sale or public auction to property tax arrearages; is controlled by a court appointed receiver; or was recent acquired by a deed in lieu of foreclosure)

Vacancy (on average, less than one full-time-equivalent employee occupied the building during the calendar year being reported)

New Construction

Demolition

Briefly describe the circumstances of your Exemption/Waiver request: *

Supporting Documents

Please save supporting documents in the following format:

CY2022_MDIB_DoorNumber_StreetName

Example:

CY2022_526786_1350_RockvillePk

Supporting Doc File Type *

I have uploaded a building drawing or diagram (to show building gross floor area and/or space use information, indicating which spaces meet the exemption requirements)

I have uploaded a building occupancy permit (to show new construction during the year to be benchmarked)

I have uploaded a building demolition permit (to show demolition during the year to be benchmarked)

I have uploaded a copy of the building's tax history (to show a tax lien sale/foreclosure)

I have uploaded a copy of the building rent roll or similar documentation (to show building occupancy)

I have uploaded another form of documentation that demonstrates the need for an exemption/waiver

I have described changing operations due to COVID-19 in the comments box below

Supporting Doc File Type *

I have uploaded a building drawing or diagram (to show building gross floor area and/or space use information, indicating which spaces meet the exemption requirements)

I have uploaded a building drawing or diagram and described the energy systems and metering structure in my building (to indicate that individual units within the building have no shared interior space and operate independently, per the definition of a building)

I have uploaded a building occupancy permit (to show new construction during the year to be benchmarked)

Supporting Document 1

Supporting Document 2

Supporting Document 3

Additional Information about Supporting Documents:

If you have any questions or need any further assistance, please contact us at energy@montgomerycountymd.gov or 240-777-7707.

You may also find the answers to your questions by visiting our website at https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/green/energy/benchmarking.html.

Submission

I affirm I am the owner or the owner’s representative of the building covered by the Montgomery County Benchmarking Law. I affirm that I have not falsified, concealed, or covered up by any trick, scheme, or device a material fact related to the request for exemption/waiver from the Benchmarking Law. *

I affirm

Date/Time * +