Tier 2 compliance is due July 1, 2027·8 months away·Only 6.7% of covered buildings had complied as of September 2026Start your assessment →
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Tier 2 deadline: July 1, 2027 · about 8 months left

Your building has a State filing due. Our energy managers make sure it is done right.

Commercial buildings between 20,000 and 50,000 square feet, and multifamily buildings over 20,000 square feet, owe the Washington State Department of Commerce a complete compliance package by July 1, 2027. It must be prepared by a designated Qualified Energy Manager. Owners who file are paid by the State from a $150 million fund that is first-come, first-served. Owners who miss the deadline become subject to penalties, and may find the fund already spent.

Request a free building assessment How the incentive works
July 1, 2027Tier 2 compliance deadline set by state law · about 8 months left
$0.30 per sq ftPaid by the State to owners who file, while the fund lasts
$150 millionIncentive fund, first-come, first-served
6.7%Of Tier 2 buildings in compliance as of September 2026, per the Department of Commerce

This is not a form you fill out

A Tier 2 filing is a regulatory submission with parts that belong to different parties.

Twelve months of utility data has to be authorized, retrieved and reconciled in EPA’s Portfolio Manager. The Energy Management Plan and Operations and Maintenance Program have to be written to the Department of Commerce’s reporting-tool specifications. The energy use intensity target is calculated under WAC 194-50. Every owner of record has to sign through Secure Access Washington. Then the Department of Commerce reviews it in the order received and returns incomplete applications for correction.

The person who prepares it must hold the Qualified Energy Manager designation under WAC 194-50-030. Get any one of these wrong and the filing stalls, the incentive is delayed or reduced, and the deadline does not move.

Technician in a hard hat testing an electrical panel

What our team does

We take the entire obligation off your desk. One of our Qualified Energy Managers is designated for your building and leads the work, with the rest of our team behind them on data, documentation and review. You sign where the State requires an owner’s signature; we do everything else.

1

A lead manager for every building

One designated Qualified Energy Manager for the building, or for an entire portfolio, who stays with it from assessment through payment.

2

Filed correctly the first time

Documents built to the reporting tools the Department of Commerce actually accepts, and reviewed by the team before submission.

3

The incentive handled

The incentive application, the utility coordination and, for multifamily owners who qualify, the enhanced-incentive documentation.

4

No upfront cost

We’re paid only when the State pays you. Our fee comes out of your incentive, quoted in writing in advance, and the owner keeps the majority.

5

Compliance that continues

The standard reports every five years. We keep the benchmarking, the plans and the portal current between reports. Ongoing compliance

6

Portfolios on one calendar

Property managers and ownership groups get one data request, one filing calendar and one point of contact across every covered building.

As of September 2026, only 6.7% of Tier 2 buildings had complied, and the Department of Commerce expects roughly 15,000 applications before the July 1, 2027 deadline. Applications are reviewed in the order received. Buildings that file late in the cycle will wait in that queue with the deadline approaching, and the $150 million incentive fund is drawn down first-come, first-served.
Think your building may be exempt? Manufacturing, mostly unconditioned, pending-demolition and some financially distressed buildings can qualify, but exemption applications close January 1, 2027 and must be backed by documentation. We assess exemption eligibility as part of every free assessment.
Testing an electrical panel with a multimeter

Who we work with

Owners and managers of office, retail, medical, religious, educational, hospitality and light-industrial buildings; apartment and multifamily owners; and property management firms responsible for portfolios of covered buildings.

Many of our clients first learned of the requirement from the notification letter the Department of Commerce began mailing in July 2025, and many covered buildings never received one.

Is my building covered?

Program notices

  • September 2026

    The Department of Commerce reports more than $138 million of the Tier 2 incentive fund remains. Applications continue to be processed in the order received.

  • July 2025

    Tier 2 Early Adopter Incentive applications opened. Owner notification letters with Building IDs began mailing.

  • August 2024

    WAC 194-50 amended; Qualified Energy Manager designation formalized.

  • March 2022

    Clean Buildings standard extended to Tier 2 buildings (Chapter 177, Laws of 2022).

  • May 2019

    Clean Buildings Act enacted (Chapter 285, Laws of 2019).

Is your building covered?

Nonresidential 20,001 to 50,000 sq ft, or multifamily over 20,000 sq ft, measured per building excluding parking. Coverage turns on details most owners cannot confirm from their own records.

Request an assessment

Send us the address.

We will tell you, in writing and at no charge, whether the building is covered, what the incentive is worth, and what our fee would be. No upfront cost. We’re paid only when the State pays you.

Request an assessment