Cambridge BEUDO ComplianceFast, Simple, Guaranteed
Private BEUDO compliance help from Vert Energy Group
If your Cambridge parcel has non-residential buildings of 25,000 covered square feet (Assessor living area) or more, or residential buildings with 50 or more units, BEUDO applies. Report every May 1. Since 2026, existing non-residential properties of 100,000 covered square feet or more must keep emissions at or below 80% of their baseline (2018 to 2019 by default, lower for an approved earlier baseline) under BEUDO's Emission Reduction Requirements, on the way to net zero in 2035.
Inc. 5000 honoree
ENERGY STAR Partner- Trusted across 10,000+ buildings and 8,000+ companies for more than 17 years
Vert Energy Group is a private company. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the City of Cambridge or its BEUDO Help Desk. This page summarizes the ordinance, its regulations and City guidance; the City is the authority.
BEUDO · Municipal Code Chapter 8.67
What is Cambridge's Building Energy Use Disclosure Ordinance?
Cambridge's Building Energy Use Disclosure Ordinance (Municipal Code Chapter 8.67) began in 2014 as a reporting law. The 2023 amendment added Emission Reduction Requirements: non-residential covered properties limit their greenhouse gas emissions against their own baseline. Existing properties of 100,000 square feet or more cut from 2026 and reach net zero by 2035; properties of 25,000 to 99,999 hold at baseline until 2030 and reach net zero by 2050. The Community Development Department enforces it, and the Office of Sustainability runs the program day to day.
- 25,000 sq ft
- Non-residential parcels this size or larger are covered, counted as the Assessor's living area rather than Portfolio Manager floor area. Residential parcels are covered at 50 units. Ch. 8.67.010 · Covered Properties guide (Aug 2026)
- 80%
- The 2026 to 2029 limit for existing non-residential properties of 100,000 sq ft or more: emissions at most 80% of the 2018 to 2019 baseline. Then 40% from 2030, and zero from 2035. Newer buildings follow their own schedule. Ch. 8.67.100
- $234
- The price of one Alternative Compliance Credit, covering one metric ton of emissions over the limit, for 2026 to 2029. It is a way to comply, not a fine. Ch. 8.67.010(2)
- May 1
- Every year: last calendar year's energy and water use, shared with the City in ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager. City of Cambridge · Ch. 8.67.050
Municipal Code Chapter 8.67Cambridge Office of Sustainability
Coverage
Am I covered?
BEUDO covers a parcel, not a building: non-residential buildings on one parcel that together hold 25,000 or more covered square feet, or residential buildings that together hold 50 or more units. Covered square feet are the living area in the City Assessor's records. City-owned properties are covered from 10,000 gross square feet. Ch. 8.67.010(11), (12), (21)
Not covered
- Non-residential parcels under 25,000 covered square feet
- Residential parcels with fewer than 50 units
- Parking garages, balconies and unfinished basements, which do not count toward covered square feet
- Verified electricity for charging electric vehicles, and energy exported off the property, which are not counted as energy use
Worth knowing
Residential covered properties (more than 75% residential) report every year but have no emissions limit yet. Properties that received a Certificate of Occupancy in 2018 or later, or completed a substantial rehabilitation (a change of occupancy classification) in 2018 or later, use their first two full calendar years as the baseline and follow a separate reduction schedule. The City's own BEUDO Help Desk is BEUDO@cambridgema.gov.
The City's Covered Properties ToolThe City's BEUDO development and regulations page
The clock
Key deadlines
Compliance Period 1 begins
Emissions limits apply to calendar-2026 emissions for existing non-residential properties: 80% of baseline for 100,000 sq ft and up, 100% for 25,000 to 99,999. Ch. 8.67.100
Passed
Configuration and baseline forms
Owners choosing a non-default property configuration or an alternative baseline had to submit the Property Configuration Form and Baseline Selection Form by this date. City of Cambridge BEUDO Bulletin, June 30, 2026
Next deadline · 17 days
Long-term and deferral plans
Long-Term Alternative Compliance Plans and Deferral Plans that should apply to 2026 are due. The standing date in later years is July 1. BEUDO Regulations X.E (in effect Apr 13, 2026; unchanged Aug 18, 2026)
What happens if you miss itShort-term plans
Administrative Modifications and Short-Term Alternative Compliance Plans for 2026 are due. The standing date in later years is October 1. BEUDO Regulations X.E (in effect Apr 13, 2026; unchanged Aug 18, 2026)
Annual report and baseline verification
Report 2026 energy and water use under the May 1 rule. Third-party verification of your baseline years and of your 2026 data is due the same day. The City's page applies verification to non-residential properties; the ordinance says owners. The City has not yet published how to submit it. Ch. 8.67.050 · 8.67.110 · Baseline guide (Sept 2025)
Compliance Period 2
For existing non-residential properties, limits tighten to 40% of baseline for 100,000 sq ft and up, and 60% for 25,000 to 99,999. Ch. 8.67.100
Net zero, largest properties
Non-residential properties of 100,000 sq ft or more must reach zero emissions. Ch. 8.67.100(2)(a), (3)(a)
Net zero, 25,000 to 99,999 sq ft
The remaining non-residential covered properties must reach zero emissions. Ch. 8.67.100(2)(b), (3)(b)
Compliance
How to comply
Compliance is measured every year against the property's own baseline. The City calculates emissions from your energy use: its electricity and cogeneration factors differ from Portfolio Manager's, its fuel factors match, so the emissions Portfolio Manager shows are not your BEUDO emissions.
- 01
Cut emissions
Improve efficiency, electrify, and reduce on-site fuel so annual emissions stay under your limit. Ch. 8.67.100 · Baseline guide
- 02
Renewable electricity
Subtract qualifying renewable electricity, shown by retired RECs: City-approved power purchase agreements (including virtual) or Massachusetts Class I eligible RECs from newly built projects, or RECs from on-site systems. The August 18, 2026 regulations, signed as adopted that day with the effective-date line left blank, extend the newly built rule to on-site systems. New renewable electricity contracts need City review and approval, submitted through BEAM by April 1 of the year after the compliance year the RECs will apply to; renewable electricity from purchases the City has not approved cannot be subtracted. REC documentation is due through BEAM by the May 1 reporting deadline. For a 100,000+ sq ft property on the default baseline, City guidance says RECs alone may be enough in 2026 to 2029 if electricity is at least 20% of its emissions. BEUDO Regulations VIII.C · Procedures VIII.A, VIII.D · Hardship guide (Aug 2026)
- 03
Alternative Compliance Credits
$234 per metric ton over the limit for 2026 to 2029, bought before the May 1 deadline for the year they cover. The City plans to publish how payments are made in 2027. Ch. 8.67.010(2) · 8.67.100(6) · City roadmap
- 04
Hardship and deferral plans
The Review Board can approve a hardship plan (for example, financial distress; a parcel split among non-residential condominium owners; a long-term lease without reopeners, signed before June 26, 2023, that explicitly bars the work, with a tenant who will not allow it; utility, permit or renewable-contract delays; technical or historic limits) or defer a requirement for up to five years, if cumulative emissions through 2050 are no higher; after a deferral, credits cover any excess. The property must be current on its reports to apply. Ch. 8.67.100(8), (9) · BEUDO Regulations X
We map each building to the path and dates that apply to it.
Enforcement
Penalties
Missing a report, the third-party verification, or the emissions limit are all violations, handled the same way.
- For a first violation, the City may issue a written warning.
- For any later violation, fines of up to $300 per violation per day, and each day counts as a separate offense.
- In June 2026 the City announced it would begin sending first warning letters to properties still out of compliance; properties with a 90-day extension had until August 1, 2026.
- The regulations' enforcement section is still blank, so the regulations add nothing beyond the ordinance's $300 cap.
- The $234 credit price is a way to comply, not a penalty.
Ch. 8.67.130 · BEUDO Regulations XII
Questions
What owners ask
Is my building covered by BEUDO?
Yes, if your Cambridge parcel has non-residential buildings totalling 25,000 or more covered (Assessor living area) square feet, or residential buildings with 50 or more units. The City's Covered Properties Tool confirms it.
When is my report due, and what do I submit?
By May 1 every year, report the previous calendar year's energy and water use through ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, shared with the City's account. If you use renewable energy certificates to comply, submit the REC documentation through BEAM by the same May 1 deadline.
How much do I have to cut, and by when?
For existing non-residential properties on the default baseline: 100,000 or more covered square feet must stay at or below 80% of the 2018 to 2019 baseline for 2026 to 2029, 40% for 2030 to 2034, and zero from 2035. Properties of 25,000 to 99,999 square feet hold at baseline through 2029, then step down to zero by 2050. A property with an approved alternative baseline carries an additional reduction set by the ordinance (the configuration and baseline selection forms were due July 15, 2026), and buildings first occupied in 2018 or later follow their own schedule.
Do residential buildings have to cut emissions?
Not currently. Residential covered properties (50 or more units, more than 75% residential) report every year but have no reduction requirement.
What if I cannot hit the limit?
Buy qualifying renewable electricity, use Alternative Compliance Credits at $234 per metric ton for 2026 to 2029 (the City plans to publish how to pay in 2027), or apply to the Review Board for a hardship plan or a deferral of up to five years. For 2026, those applications are due October 1 or December 1, 2026, depending on the plan type.
What are the penalties?
After a written warning for a first violation, the City may fine up to $300 per violation per day for a missing report, missing verification, or a missed emissions limit. Each day counts separately.
Do I also have to report to the state?
Massachusetts' Large Building Energy Reporting law covers buildings of 20,000 square feet or more of gross floor area (not Assessor living area); owners report by June 30. A BEUDO owner meets the state duty by claiming the building and submitting the same data to the state. A Cambridge building the state covers and BEUDO does not may still owe a state report.
Is this the City of Cambridge?
No. Vert Energy Group is a private company and is not affiliated with the City. The City and Chapter 8.67 are the authority; this page summarizes them and cites its sources.
Private BEUDO compliance help from Vert Energy Group
Let someone who has read Municipal Code Chapter 8.67 handle it.
Vert maps your buildings against the Cambridge ordinance, tells you what is due and when, and shows you what compliance will cost before you commit to anything.