Portland, OR

Link to ordinance: https://www.portland.gov/bps/climate-action/decon/deconstruction-requirements

Please note that the below information has been reviewed by a City of Portland Embodied Carbon Analyst in January 2024.

• Building type: Houses and duplexes
• Building age: Original ordinance required that buildings built before 1916 be deconstructed. Amendment brought the year to 1940. Additionally, applies to any house or duplex designated as historic resources, regardless of year built.
• Applicability to renovation: Does not apply.
• Targeted materials: Lumber, roofing, glass (windows and mirrors), doors, wood flooring, lighting, fixtures, appliances, furnaces, wood stoves, cabinets, toilets, hardware
•  Exceptions/exemptions:
  • Determined to be structurally unsafe or hazardous, or most of the material of the building is not suitable for reuse.
  • Accessory structures (garages, accessory dwelling units), commercial buildings or remodeling projects.

The City of Portland has developed a certification for deconstruction contractors. Only Certified Deconstruction Contractors can deconstruct buildings.

Salvage assessment / Pre-Deconstruction Form to be conducted by Certified Deconstruction Contractor.

Link to assessment: grnbldg_cons-waste_mgmt_form_revised.pdf (173.44 KB)

Demolition permit will not be issued without Certified Deconstruction Contractor submitting Pre-Deconstruction Form.

• No. of decon projects: 100 decon projects as of 2022
• No. of decon jobs created: 15 new decon companies as of 2022
• No. of retail store jobs created: 3 new retail stores as of 2022
• Link to more info: [Additional info to be posted.]

Large manufacturing industry, heavily forested city

2008 financial crisis lead to development pressures – heavy demolition, new residential construction, and loss of affordable housing Portland residents organized the United Neighborhoods Reform (UNR) and urged city policymakers to put deconstruction into city policy.

The City of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability convened a Deconstruction Advisory Group (DAG) of deconstruction stakeholders; with their help, the nation’s first deconstruction ordinance was passed.

•  Case study: Deconstruction vs. Demolition: An evaluation of carbon and energy impacts from deconstructed homes in the City of Portland (2019)
  • https://www.oregon.gov/deq/FilterDocs/DeconstructionReport.pdf
• Case study: Deconstruction in Portland: Summary of Activity Deconstruction in Portland: Summary of Activity (2017)
  • https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1032&context=nerc_pub
• Webinar: Navigate to Materials Reuse Forum 4: https://nerc.org/conferences-and-workshops/seminars#recordings

Palo Alto, CA

Link to ordinance: https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/Departments/Public-Works/Zero-Waste/Zero-Waste-Requirements-Guidelines/Deconstruction-Construction-Materials-Management

• Building type: Requires deconstruction for all residential and commercial projects that include a whole structure demolition.
• Building age: N/A
• Applicability to renovation: N/A
• Targeted materials: Lumber, fixtures, doors, cabinets, appliances, bricks, etc.
• Exceptions/exemptions: Projects comprised solely of the demolition of an accessory dwelling unit.

[Additional info to be posted.]

1. Have a city-approved reuse org conduct a salvage survey. As of 2022, the ReUse People is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that is the only currently approved organization to perform the salvage surveys. The survey will itemize the materials and items eligible for salvage and reuse and the estimated weights.

2. Upload salvage assessment to Green Halo to obtain permit for removal of building structure.

Link to assessment: https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/zero-waste/deconstruction-construction-materials-management/deconstruction-residential-salvage-documentation-final.pdf

What happens to the materials:

1. All construction and deconstruction materials must be source-separated for reuse and recycling.
2. Projects are required to utilize GreenWaste of Palo Alto for the collection of all materials if using containers (bins or debris boxes) at project sites. Contractors can continue to self-haul material by using trucks, but must still source separate materials and deliver them to one of the City approved processing facilities listed in Green Halo.
3. The salvaged materials must be received by a reuse organization or third party or other third party approved by the city.

There are currently no reuse centers in Palo Alto or in the surrounding cities, in part because real estate is so expensive in the area. At the moment, most of the materials coming from Palo Alto are donated to reuse centers in Oakland (The ReUse People and Habitat for Humanity).

• No. of decon projects: 57 projects, as of 2022
  • 92% diversion; 7% of this was reused and the remaining was recycled
• No. of decon jobs created: [Additional info to be posted.]
• No. of retail store jobs created: [Additional info to be posted.]
• Link to more info: [Additional info to be posted.]

Fairly young building stock, rapid development

Very wealthy homeowning population; deconstruction costs are proportionately low.

The City of Palo Alto worked with waste contract company GreenWaste and invested several hundres of thousands of dollars for infrastructure and to keep the deconstruction program running. The city relies on GreenWaste for hauling of materials from all decon projects.

• Related policy/commitments/targets: Palo Alto Zero Waste Plan (2018), CalRecyle Reuse Grant Program
  • Target of 95% diversion of waste from landfills
  • Target of 80% emissions reduction by 2030
• Links: calrecycle.ca.gov/climate/grantsloans/reuse
  

Case study: https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/zero-waste/deconstruction-construction-materials-management/deconstruction-commerical-case-study-final.pdf

Only municipality in North America to effectively ban mechanical demolition

San Antonio, TX

Link to ordinance: https://www.sareuse.com/deconstruction 

San Antonio Office of Historic Preservation

Deconstruction Advisory Committee (2018 - Present)

• Building type: Small-scale residential structures (single family, duplex, triplex, fourplex) and rear accessory structures (garages, carriage houses, accessory dwelling units). On January 1, 2025, the ordinance will automatically expand to include residential structures up to eight units.
• Building age: Applies to buildings built on or before December 31, 1920 or before December 31, 1945 if it is designated as historic. On January 1, 2025, the year-built threshold will be raised from 1920 to 1945 anywhere within the City limits, and from 1945 to 1960 for properties designated historic or located within a Neighborhood Conservation District.
• Applicability to renovation: [Additional info to be posted.]
• Targeted materials: [Additional info to be posted.]
• Exceptions/exceptions: Exemptions apply if (1) The structure has been determined to be a clear and imminent danger to life, safety, or property (2) Certified Deconstruction Contractor requests and exemption and the Office of Historic Preservation determines that a large majority of material in the structure is not suitable for reuse

The City of San Antonio has developed a certification for deconstruction contractors. Only Certified Deconstruction Contractors can deconstruct buildings. Knowing all Decon Contractors helps ensure quality, trust, and efficient data collection.

Deconstruction contractor submits a Post-Deconstruction Form that identifies all reclaimed materials.

Link to assessment: [Additional info to be posted.]

Deconstruction contractor submits receipts for what was salvaged and what was recycled/disposed.

To support the ordinance, San Antonio is running an affordable housing repair program. The majority of salvaged materials is used to repair existing buildings or to turned into furniture and other smaller projects. The city has also been using reclaimed materials to build small designed for disassembly (DfD) structures for public pavilions.

San Antonio does not yet have statistics on quantity of materials being reused instead of landfilled ready to share; estimate is about 40-60% diversion, with mostly going to reuse (see ~1 hour mark in NERC webinar below). 

Demolition permit will not be issued until Post-Deconstruction form is submitted and approved by the Office of Historic Preservation.

Criminal Class C misdemeanor. Not to exceed five hundred ($500) dollars per violation - A civil penalty in an amount not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1000.00) per violation. each day an offense continues shall be considered a new violation for purposes of enforcing this article.

• 23 deconstruction projects, with 34 in queue 
• 35 individuals trained in decon techniques
• Redirected donated materials to 3 affordable housing repair projects, 5 workforce training cohorts, and 2 UTSA architecture studio projects through Material Innovation Center
• 350% increase in material donation requests; 275% increase in material access requests (despite no advertising)
• Thanks to this ordinance, at least 2 projects were converted from demolition to deconstruction to preservation projects (contractor walk-through led to conversation about opportunity for rehab).  

• San Antonio is among top 10 largest cities in the US; also one of the fastest-growing cities.
• Averaging 600-650 demolitions per year
• Texas state is relatively hostile to environmental policy; however, San Antonio is more progressive
• Brief history:
  • Demolitions increased particularly in certain neighborhoods with disproportionately higher numbers of residents who are low-income, people of color, and of diverse backgrounds between 2017 and 2018.
  • The San Antonio Office of Historic Preservation convened a Deconstruction Advisory Council (DAC) with diverse stakeholders, starting in 2018. Since inception, the DAC has been involved in numerous initiatives (including a study of local demolitions trends and projected impacts of an ordinance) to set the stage for a successful deconstruction ordinance.  
• Related policy/commitments/targets:
  • City of San Antonio Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP), Under 1 Roof program
  • The Kelly Air Force Base is being converted into a Material Innovation Center to host heritage trades workshops, a tool library, storage spaces, etc.
• Links: [Additional info to be posted.]

Related Initiatives: 

• [IN PROGRESS] Salvage-to-ADU (Accessory dwelling units) Program: Exploring how to build new structural systems for ADUs using reclaimed materials, including possible use of materials passports (QR codes), virtual/augmented reality
• [IN PROGRESS] Shotgun Pilot Project
• Also looking to propose requirement that certain buildings include some small percentage of reused materials .

In addition to quantitative data about C&D diversion weights by material, etc., San Antonio is collecting qualitative info on workforce impact, project challenges, etc.

Treasure in the Walls report - San Antonio state of reuse study: https://www.sanantonio.gov/Portals/0/Files/HistoricPreservation/Deconstruction/Treasure%20in%20the%20Walls.pdf?ver=2021-04-25-115830-417

Opportunity at Risk: San Antonio's Older Housing Stock: https://www.placeeconomics.com/resources/opportunity_at_risk/

Results of preservation/deconstruction poll (2021): https://www.placeeconomics.com/results-of-prespoll-8-deconstruction/

Webinar: Navigate to Materials Reuse Forum 4 and start at time 33:04: https://nerc.org/conferences-and-workshops/seminars#recordings

Boulder, CO

Link to ordinance: https://bouldercolorado.gov/services/sustainable-deconstruction-requirements

Please note that the below information has been reviewed by a City of Boulder Policy Advisor in July 2023.

• Building type: All residential and commercial full structure and major remodeling projects (no sq. ft. minimum/maximum)
• Building age: N/A
• Applicability to renovation: N/A
• Targeted materials: Appliances, bricks, cabinets, carpet squares, ceiling tiles, doors, electronics, fixtures, flooring, metal, sinks, toilets, windows, wood, etc.
• Exceptions/exemptions: The city manager may modify the required diversion percentage if the applicant demonstrates in the deconstruction plan that the percentage is not feasible because the maximum weight of materials that can be reused or recycled is less than the required diversion rate, or due to the presence of materials that are unable to be diverted due to special waste conditions such as environmental hazards.

As of July 2023, the City of Boulder is exploring options regarding deconstruction certification for contractors.

Sustainable Deconstruction Plan is required.

Link to assessment: https://bouldercolorado.gov/media/1537/download?inline

Diversion data must be verified by the city before the refundable deposit is refunded and the building's certificate of occupancy is approved. Refund is determined based on the percent diverted and is proportional to the amount achieved. Additionally, if only one or two materials are diverted (based on a requirement for 3 types), the eligible refund amount is further discounted by one-third or two-thirds.

The forfeiture remedy is cumulative and is in addition to any other action the city manager is authorized to take, including suspension or revocation of a building contractor license or prosecution in the municipal court. Each 2,500 square feet of the demolition or alteration shall give rise to a separate violation, and each violation is subject to a maximum fine of $2,500.

• Total no. of decon projects: 190 (permitted projects since July 1, 2020)
• No. of decon projects per year: 90
• Overall diversion: 73% (July 2020 - April 2023)
• No. of decon jobs created: Unknown
• No. of retail store jobs created: Unknown

  • One new reuse store has opened since Boulder’s deconstruction ordinance has taken effect.

• Link to more info: N/A

• Related policy/commitments/targets: Boulder County BuildSmart, Colorado Climate Action Plan.
• Boulder County BuildSmart is the county's residential green building code. The code has a focus on energy efficiency, landfill waste reduction, and conservation of water and other natural resources, and indoor air quality.
• Links: https://bouldercounty.gov/property-and-land/land-use/building/buildsmart/

Requirements: 

• Create a sustainable deconstruction plan prior to applying for a demolition permit.
• Divert 75% of the materials generated from deconstruction projects, by weight, from the landfill. This includes concrete and asphalt. A minimum of three material types must be diverted (e.g., glass, metal, structural wood and electronics). Alternative documentation and weight estimates for items without weight tickets.
• Submit a refundable deconstruction deposit of $1/sq. ft. (of the structure being taken down), with a $1,500 minimum.
• Pay a $219 non-refundable administrative fee.

Case study: N/A

Other notes: 

• Enforcement mechanism: Deconstruction deposit/refund program
• Education  & Outreach Activities: Deconstruction working group; annual contractor ordinance outreach session
• Administrative Costs: 1.5 FTE
• Contact info: CDWastePermits@bouldercolorado.gov

Milwaukee, WI [ORDINANCE CURRENTLY PAUSED]

Link to article about status of ordinance Oct 2023): https://urbanmilwaukee.com/2023/10/25/tentative-deal-would-salvage-milwaukees-deconstruction-program/

Link to ordinance: https://city.milwaukee.gov/DNS/Inspections_Sections/Decon

• Building type/age: Full removal of all primary dwelling structures built in 1929 or earlier, designated historic structures, and structures in historic districts.
• Applicability to renovation: [Additional info to be posted.]
• Exceptions/exemptions: Exemptions apply if (1) The structure has been determined to be a clear and imminent danger to life, safety, or property (2) Certified Deconstruction Contractor requests and exemption and the Office of Historic Preservation determines that a large majority of material in the structure is not suitable for reuse

The City of Milwaukee has developed a certification for deconstruction contractors. Only Certified Deconstruction Contractors can deconstruct buildings.

Link to assessment: [Additional info to be posted.]

This deconstruction ordinance has had a hard time getting off the ground due to several reasons:

• There are few reclaimed material buyers, and it has been difficult to offset the cost of deconstruction
• The city gave preference to new businesses as part of its Residents Reference Program (RPP) and Emerging Business Enterprise (EBE) program, and not as much to existing, experienced deconstruction contractors. This resulted in widely varying cost estimates, businesses unable to complete their contracts, etc.

Rust Belt City; population has been on the decline since 1960. City has been removing “blighted” structures.

Related policy/commitments/targets: [Additional info to be posted.]
Links: [Additional info to be posted.]

City/Region

Vancouver, Canada

Link to ordinance: https://vancouver.ca/home-property-development/demolition-permit-with-recycling-requirements.aspx Demolition By-Law.

https://bylaws.vancouver.ca/11023c.pdf

Stated motives for developing ordinance

[Additional info to be posted.]

Entity enforcing ordinance

City of Vancouver Chief Building Official

Scope

• Building type: Residential single-family and multi-family structures.
• Building age: Heritage-listed houses or a house built before 1950. Approved funding to support creation of a Deconstruction Hub.
• Exceptions/exemptions: Determined by the Chief Building Official to be:
• Structurally unsafe or hazardous
• Most of the material of the building is not suitable for reuse.

Year enacted

2014

Deconstruction certification program

[Additional info to be posted.]

Use of salvage assessment

[Additional info to be posted.]

What happens to materials

For pre-1950 houses, a minimum of 75% of materials by weight must be reused or recycled, If deemed a character house, a minimum of 90% of materials by weight. The minimum wood salvage requirement is 3 metric tonnes (6500 lbs or 2150 board feet).

Regional incentives for compliance

[Additional info to be posted.]

Penalties for non-compliance

A fine of no less than $250 and no more than $10,000 for each offense.

Outcomes

• No. of decon projects: [Additional info to be posted.]
• No. of decon jobs created: [Additional info to be posted.]
• No. of retail store jobs created: [Additional info to be posted.]
• Link to more info: [Additional info to be posted.]

Context of region

[Additional info to be posted.]

Additional notes

Requirements: 

• Must submit a compliance report confirming that the building was demolished and that the building materials were reused, recycled, or salvaged in accordance with the demolition permit and By-law. Original records of the removal, reuse, recycling, salvage, and disposal of building materials, including payment receipts, donation receipts, weigh bills and inspection reports.
• Fee/security deposit: $400.00 before a green demolition permit may be issued  Security in the form of cash or other legal instrument of $14,650