Permitting Compliance Program and Building Performance Standard Program for the City of Pinole
| Location: | California |
|---|---|
| Posted: | Mar 16, 2026 |
| Due: | Apr 6, 2026 |
| Agency: | City of Pinole |
| Type of Government: | State & Local |
| Category: |
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| Publication URL: | To access bid details, please log in. |
Project ID:
Title: Permitting Compliance Program and Building Performance Standard Program for the City of Pinole
Addenda: 0
Release Date: 3/16/2026
Due Date: 4/6/2026
Post Information
Sealed Bid Process:Yes (Bids Sealed / Pricing Sealed)
Private Bid:No
Summary
The purpose of this Request for Proposal (RFP) is to invite proposals from qualified firms to assist the City of Pinole with development of both a permitting compliance program and building performance standard program. A permitting compliance program will streamline and simplify the permitting process, reduce administrative burden, decrease permitting evasion, and increase convenience for both permit applicants and building staff. A building performance standard program will establish a standard for energy use per square foot in commercial and industrial buildings over 20,000 square feet. The ultimate purpose of this programs is to achieve the Pinole Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP) goals set for community building decarbonization as well as make progress towards achieving carbon neutrality by 2045.
Background
The City of Pinole is advancing community-wide building decarbonization through multiple, coordinated strategies. In 2024, the City launched the Pinole Energy Enhancement Rebate program (PEER) to help offset project cost of various energy-efficiency measures for single-family and multi-family property owners. The City is also developing an all-electric building virtual concierge—a one-stop platform designed to streamline adoption of electrification measures.
In tandem, the City is also pursuing reach codes to establish stronger standards that support long-term decarbonization goals. The City also modernized its permitting systems by launching eTRAKiT for online permitting as well as Symbium for instant approval of solar and, just recently, a suite of energy-efficiency permits, significantly improving efficiency and accessibility. Additionally, the City has allocated funds to issue no-cost permit fees for heat pump water heaters and heat pump HVACs. In tandem, the City is developing a water heater loaner program for homes to make any necessary upgrades to accommodate permanent heat pump water heaters.
The City of Pinole adopted its inaugural CAAP [1] in August 2024 to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045, aligning with State goals and reducing the City’s contribution to global emissions. Building energy consumption from fossil fuels makes up approximately 32% of the Pinole community greenhouse gas emissions with building electrification identified as a key strategy.
Central measures in the CAAP’s Building Energy section include
- BE-1 Electrify 100% of new construction in the City in 2024
- BE-2 Electrify existing residential buildings to reduce natural gas consumption by 26% by 2030 and 100% by 2045
- BE-3 Electrify existing commercial and mixed-use (i.e., combined commercial and residential) buildings to reduce natural gas consumption 18% by 2030 and 100% by 2045
Actions under these measures to make progress towards these goals include
-
BE-2j
Enforce ordinance compliance through a comprehensive permitting compliance program may include, but it is not limited to:
- Providing dedicated time for routine staff training to incorporate into existing building inspections
- Imposing fees for noncompliance to offset staff costs and encouraging voluntary compliance
- Establishing easy-to-understand web-based compliance checklists and permit applications
- Facilitating online permitting
- Providing zero-cost permit fees for heat pump installations
- BE-3d Develop a building performance standard program to meet a specific level of energy use per square foot for all commercial and industrial buildings over 20,000 square feet.
Implementation and compliance support, including resources and tools which will be implemented through four stages:
- Pre-development phase – Stage 1 – Staff to receive technical assistance from the Building Technologies Office in the Federal Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). Per the EERE, technical assistance may take the form of:
▪ Building stock analyses, including analysis of energy and emission impacts associated with building performance standard adoption
▪ Performance target-setting and trajectories
▪ Measure and technology prioritization and packaging
▪ Cost-effectiveness analyses
2. Data collection phase – Stage 2 – All commercial and industrial building owners with floor area over 20,000 square feet report electricity and natural gas data through energy star portfolio manager
3. Retro commissioning phase – Stage 3 – All covered building owners complete a retro commissioning process to identify and correct system inefficiencies while identifying opportunities for electrification and downsizing of oversized equipment.
4. GHG Performance Standard – Stage 4 – Implement a building performance standard that requires buildings to meet a specific GHG performance level
The City was awarded Federal grant funds through the California Energy Commission Local Government Building Decarbonization Challenge to support preparation of these programs. The resulting fixed-fee contract and scope of services will be subject to all grant terms and conditions.
The following tables are being provided to help inform more accurate cost proposals as well as avoid duplicative work in order to ensure efficient spending of public funds. This completed and in progress work must be leveraged where feasible in completion of scope of work.
Table 1: Current and upcoming resources for permitting compliance program development
|
Resource |
Status |
Description |
|
San Mateo County Comprehensive Report on Heat Pump Water Heater Permitting Streamlining |
Complete (please see attachments) |
The report documents the findings and analysis of in-depth research into current permitting and inspection processes for heat pump water heater retrofit projects across the 21 jurisdictions in San Mateo County |
|
Marin Clean Energy/Cadmus Permitting simplification findings |
Underway |
Marin Clean Energy enlisted the support of Cadmus to conduct a study on streamlining the building permitting process. Cadmus interviewed multiple jurisdictions, including Pinole, to learn about challenges and opportunities from staff. Interviews with applicants to learn about their experience and areas for improvement at these jurisdictions were also conducted. |
|
SPUR Greenlighting Clean Heat Brief |
Complete (please see report in attachments) |
A roadmap for streamlining and standardizing clean heating installations, and hastening building electrification efforts |
|
Marin County Permit Holiday feasibility study |
Complete (please see report in attachments) |
A July 2025 study details the feasibility of implementing a permit feel sale or holiday by weighing the potential benefits, costs, and implementation considerations. |
|
TECH Public Reporting Permitting Pilot |
Complete ( please see this link ) |
This TECH Clean California report identifies permitting timelines and challenges for heat pump water heater issuance and proposes solutions to overcoming them. |
|
Complete |
A comprehensive resources page with no-cost tools, training and resources to comply with the building code. |
|
|
Complete |
This no-cost program provides 60-90 minute trainings for code compliance and enforcement, permit applicant resources, permit staff tools and guides, and more. |
|
|
Underway |
The City currently receives free technical assistance through this program to develop proposed reach code policies for residential and non-residential buildings. Compliance checklist templates for each reach code policy are available through the program. |
|
|
Complete |
The California Energy Commission offers a Energy Code Support Center which houses many resources such as fact sheets, guides, presentation, training classes, and more. |
Table 2: City of Pinole summary of permitting compliance complete and underway work
|
Measure |
Description |
|
Online permitting |
The City offers online permitting and licensing via the eTRAKiT platform. |
|
Instant Permitting |
The City offers a suite of energy-efficiency instant permits powered by Symbium such as heat pump water heaters, heat pump HVACs, electrical panel upgrades and more. |
|
Pinole Energy Enhancement Rebate Program |
The Pinole Energy Enhancement Rebate Program offers rebates on a selection of energy-efficiency projects such as heat pump water heaters, heat pump HVACs, electrical panel upgrades, and more. |
|
Limited, first-come, first-served no-cost permit fees for heat pump water heaters and heat pump HVACs |
The City was awarded grant funding through the California Energy Commission Local Building Decarbonization Challenge. Some of that funding will be allocated towards no-cost permit fees to incentivize heat pump water heater and heat pump HVAC installations. |
|
All-electric building virtual concierge |
Launching soon in April 2026, the all-electric building virtual concierge will be a one-stop platform for residential and commercial building owners to access streamlined support such as rebates, local contractors, technical assistance, and more to simplify the transition to electrification. |
|
Reach codes policy development |
The City is considering reach code policies to meet building decarbonization goals. If adopted, many new and existing building types (residential, mixed-use, commercial) will be subject to policies which will trigger at time of permit application. |
|
Water heater loaner program |
The City is in process of developing a water heater loaner program to offer a temporary solution while homes make any necessary upgrades to accommodate heat pump water heating. The program dovetails with available rebates for homeowners, no-cost permit fees, and a MCE direct rebate to installers. |
|
Building Performance Standard Program |
Bundled into the scope of services for this solicitation, a building performance standard program will establish compliance requirements for commercial and industrial building owners to meet long-term climate goals |
|
Revolving fund for energy-efficiency measures |
The City will explore options to offer a revolving fund program for energy-efficiency upgrades by April 2027 |
|
Average permitting volume |
Building Activity Reports share the 2025 permitting volume was ~700. |
Table 3: Supporting resources and information for building performance standard program
|
Resource |
Description |
|
Building Performance Standards | Building Energy Codes Program |
A resource hub offered by the U.S. Department of Energy which includes technical assistance, implementation resources, financing and more. |
|
This webpage includes resources for both policymakers as well as building owners and managers |
|
|
California Building Performance Hub | Enhance Building Performance Today |
This resource hub is offered by the U.S. Green Building Council California and provides explainers, training materials, policy guides, help desk support, and more. |
|
Building Performance Standards: Overview for State and Local Decision Makers |
A policy toolkit for best practices in developing building performance standards prepared by the Environmental Protection Agency |
|
The California BPS Peer Learning Collaborative is a forum to accelerate and streamline the path to building performance standards. A model BPS policy for California cities and counties is currently under development. |
|
|
Implementing a Building Performance Standard (BPS): A Guide To Mitigating Risks in Your Jurisdiction |
A U.S. Department of Energy compilation of BPS case studies offers guidance on risk mitigation |
|
Developed by the Urban Sustainability Directors Network, this resource is a framework for equitable policies to address existing buildings |
|
|
Building Energy Benchmarking Program | California Energy Commission |
The Building Energy Benchmarking Program requires owners of large commercial and multifamily buildings over 50,000 square feet to report energy use to the California Energy Commission. The webpage offers resources to building owners and policymakers and houses annual benchmarking information for Pinole buildings required to report. |
|
Building Blocks subscription |
Building Blocks is a software recently procured by the City with customizable overlays to support building stock analysis |
|
Building Estimates for City of Pinole | Cost Effectiveness Explorer |
This building estimates explorer approximates 25 commercial and industrial buildings which will be subject to BPS policies and provides other data information which will be helpful in BPS development |
Timeline
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