Berkeley homeowners selling one- and two-unit homes now face what city officials say is a first-in-the-nation requirement: make climate-friendly upgrades as part of the sale or help fund them for the buyer.
The new rule could add upfront costs for sellers, but local leaders say it is intended to cut pollution from buildings while helping homes become more efficient, comfortable, and cheaper to operate over time.
What’s happening?
On January 1, 2026, Berkeley began requiring sellers of one- and two-unit homes to make emissions-cutting improvements when a property changes hands, The Daily Californian reported. The city says it is the first in the United States to directly tie mandatory green home upgrades to a sale.
The change followed last year’s update to Berkeley’s Building Emissions Saving Ordinance, or BESO. Before that, smaller homes only had to complete an energy assessment identifying possible upgrades…