Sec. 18A.13. Department of Environmental Protection – Office of Sustainability.
Montgomery County, Md., Code § 18A.13 (2026)
Sec. 18A.13. Department of Environmental Protection – Office of Sustainability.LinkCopy Citation
(a)
Created. There is an Office of Sustainability in the Department of Environmental Protection.
(b)
Duties. The Office must:
(1)
promote residential energy efficiency and renewable energy programs through direct collaboration with homeowners, renters, property managers, real estate agents, and others to support:
(A)
auditing and assessment of residential properties, including evaluating whether the County should require a Home Energy Score to be conducted before the sale of single-family home;
(B)
energy efficiency retrofits;
(C)
utilization of available incentives from government, utilities, and the private sector;
(D)
utilization of clean energy technologies and purchasing of clean energy; and
(E)
healthy indoor air education programs;
(2)
promote commercial and multi-family energy efficiency and renewable energy programs through collaboration with commercial and multi-family property owners, managers, and industry associations to support:
(A)
benchmarking and assessment of commercial and multi-family properties;
(B)
energy efficiency retrofits;
(C)
utilization of available incentives from government, utilities, and the private sector, including alternative financing programs such as the Property Assessed Clean Energy program; and
(D)
utilization of clean energy technologies and purchasing of clean energy;
(3)
support green business development by:
(A)
expanding the Montgomery County Green Business Certification Program;
(B)
evaluating and promoting other robust third party green certification and reporting programs;
(C)
connecting residents and businesses to providers of green products and services; and
(D)
fostering green business market opportunities;
(4)
support tree and forest programs by:
(A)
developing overall and individual tree canopy and planting goals to serve as a baseline for measuring success;
(B)
connecting and informing the public about the County’s tree planting, preservation, and programs and providing information on tree planting techniques, tree care, species selection and related activities, through a website created for this purpose;
(C)
developing and implementing a public engagement strategy to encourage community and individual tree planting on private and public lands and cultivating new partnerships in support of these activities; and
(D)
compiling and disseminating information on the status of the County’s tree and forest resource on a regular basis;
(5)
promote partnership development and civic engagement by:
(A)
maintaining and leveraging partnerships with local community groups, civic organizations, HOAs and businesses to expand the County’s environmental educational reach
(B)
organizing community-based environmental activities and outreach programs; and
(C)
promoting the environmental programming and events of Montgomery County Public Schools, local colleges and universities, and other educational institutions in the County;
(6)
provide data analysis and research in support of County sustainability goals and objectives by:
(A)
maintaining data on County greenhouse gas emissions and building fuel energy consumption;
(B)
reporting progress on meeting the greenhouse gas reduction goals in the 2009 Climate Protection Plan;
(C)
evaluating options for a broader Countywide sustainability reporting framework;
(D)
providing research on and analysis of emerging sustainability issues;
(E)
providing any other data and analytical efforts in support of County’s sustainability objectives; and
(F)
every 2 years, beginning on February 1, 2015, applying a scoring system designed to compare the County to other local jurisdictions on energy efficiency policies and programs; and
(7)
prepare an annual report, as required in subsection (c).
(c)
Annual report. By February 1 each year, the Office must submit to the County Council an annual report on:
(1)
its activities, accomplishments, plans, and objectives;
(2)
actions taken to implement the Climate Protection Plan, and whether the County is meeting the goals identified in the Climate Protection Plan as required under Section 18A-15;
(3)
its activities to enhance tree canopy in the County; and
(4)
the score established under paragraph (b)(6)(F).