Mayor Brandon Johnson introduced an ordinance on Jan. 24, 2024, setting an indoor emissions standard that would eliminate fossil fuel combustion in all new commercial and residential construction and renovation projects. The ordinance effectively prohibits the use of natural gas appliances and energy systems such as gas stoves and boilers in new construction. The ordinance contains broad exceptions for both commercial and residential buildings.

New residential construction that would be exempted include:

• The construction of an addition where the conditioned floor area is less than 10,000 square feet;
• The construction of an addition where the conditioned floor area is less than 25 percent of the pre-addition floor area.

The following sources of combustion are exempted and may still be used/stored within enclosed areas of residential buildings:  

• Systems intended for emergency backup power;
• Wood burning stoves for cooking purposes;
• Combustion engines used for transportation purposes (i.e. indoor garages are permitted).

Under this ordinance, for example, a natural gas energy system would still be allowed within a newly constructed residential addition if the addition is less than 10,000 square feet or less than 25 percent of the pre-addition floor area. However, it would not be allowed if the addition is independent of building systems serving the existing building or exceeded the floor area limits.

The ordinance provides additional exceptions in commercial construction for industrial production, laundries, hospitals, commercial cooking equipment and others.

To read the full ordinance, click here.