Notice on Adjusting the Reward Policy for New Green Building Projects
(Draft for Public Consultation)
To the People’s Governments of all districts, counties (cities), and relevant city-level units:
In order to further promote carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals within our city’s construction industry and accelerate the green transformation of urban and rural development, the municipal government has reviewed and approved adjustments to the incentive policies for new green building projects. The details are hereby announced as follows:
1. Pre-sale Conditions for Green Building Projects
Within the city’s administrative area, real estate development projects that have been evaluated and approved by the national, provincial, or municipal housing and urban-rural development authorities, and have obtained a two-star or three-star green building pre-evaluation rating, may proceed with pre-sale in accordance with current commercial housing pre-sale regulations. The project’s construction progress requirements for pre-sale are:
（1）For two-star green buildings, at least one-quarter of the main structure of multi-story, mid-rise, or high-rise buildings must be completed;
（2）For three-star green buildings and the four specified building types (ultra-low energy consumption, near zero energy consumption, zero carbon, and capacity buildings), the main structure of multi-story, mid-rise, or high-rise buildings must be completed up to ±0.00 level or above.
2. Incentive Policy for Land Transfer Rewards
If any of the following conditions are met, the city or district/county (city) natural resources and planning department may grant a reward equal to 3% of the total construction area during land transfer. This is in addition to strict compliance with the “Ningbo Green Building Special Plan”:
（1）Projects planned as three-star green buildings;
（2）Projects planned as two-star green buildings, where the developer intends to upgrade the building quality to three-star green buildings and one of the four specified building types;
（3）Projects planned as three-star green buildings, where the developer intends to upgrade to one of the four specified building types.
To accelerate green urban and rural development, green buildings and the four specified building types are eligible for a 3% total construction area bonus. Additionally, any increase in external wall thickness due to improved insulation performance (exceeding 240mm, limited to external wall self-insulation) will be excluded from plot ratio calculations and real estate registration building area.
The volume ratio reward policies related to the industrialization of new buildings, such as prefabricated buildings (including prefabricated exterior walls and stacked exterior wall parts), as stipulated in previous documents like the “Notice on Accelerating the Promotion of Industrialization of New Buildings” (Yongzhengbanfa [2015] No. 99), are hereby canceled. If these policies conflict with this notice, this notice shall prevail.
3. Documentation Required for 3% Bonus Implementation
Before land transfer, developers must submit original documents to the housing and urban-rural development and natural resources departments of the city or respective district/county (city) to confirm eligibility for the 3% construction area bonus:
（1）The developer must provide specific commitments including:
- For three-star green buildings: commit to applying for the official three-star green building evaluation label from the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development within one year after completion and delivery, and successfully obtaining the label;
- For the four specified building categories: commit to evaluation by a third-party professional agency authorized by the municipal housing and urban-rural development department;
- Clearly state the green building star rating and key indicators of the four specified building types in the sales contract, along with relevant breach of contract liabilities;
- Ensure all project surveys and designs are updated online through the Ningbo City Drawing Review System. Any changes affecting green building or Class IV building performance indicators must be re-evaluated by the original energy evaluation agency and reviewed by the original drawing review agency, with buyers notified to protect their right to know;
- Ensure the rooftop distributed solar photovoltaic system is integrated through construction, delivery, and operation phases and included in the building’s carbon emission monitoring platform for lifecycle online monitoring.
（2）The developer must first commission qualified insurance institutions to issue effective green building performance insurance and construction project quality potential defect liability insurance, forming a closed-loop mechanism for project quality assurance. The green building performance insurance covers potential defects and lasts from completion and delivery until obtaining the green building evaluation label, with the developer as beneficiary. The construction quality defect liability insurance covers the period from completion and delivery to the end of the warranty period, with the buyer as beneficiary. Developers purchasing both insurances are exempt from paying property warranty fees. Costs for these insurances may be included in construction and installation engineering expenses.
If the developer fails to purchase these insurances or the coverage periods do not meet the requirements above, they will not be exempt from property warranty fees nor eligible for the 3% total building area incentives.
4. Compliance Requirements for Design and Construction
For real estate projects receiving plot ratio rewards:
- Design firms must not issue design changes that reduce green building or Class IV building standards;
- Construction drawing review agencies must not approve design changes lowering these standards;
- Construction units must build according to approved drawings and are prohibited from implementing unapproved design changes;
- Supervision units must prepare and execute supervision plans to monitor compliance with green building and four-type building standards on site;
- Engineering quality supervision departments shall strengthen quality supervision and conduct spot checks on comprehensive construction content.
5. Implementation of Green Building Standards
Starting January 1, 2022, regardless of whether state-owned land transfer contracts or planning and design conditions for housing projects specify green building star ratings, design, energy-saving evaluations, construction drawing reviews, and energy efficiency assessments must comply with the Ningbo Green Building Special Plan (2018-2025) and the Green Building Evaluation Standards (GB/T50378-2019, “new national standard”). For projects with land transfer contracts and planning conditions signed before December 31, 2021, it is encouraged to evaluate according to the new national standard without lowering previous green building star rating requirements.
6. Effective Date and Supersession
These measures take effect on January 1, 2022. Upon implementation, the previous “Notice on Adjusting the Pre-sale Conditions for Green Building Commercial Housing” (YJF [2014] No. 164) issued by the former Ningbo Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development is repealed. New industrialized construction projects, such as prefabricated buildings, that obtained land transfer contracts or allocations before this notice’s effective date may follow the original policy or this notice but cannot receive both reward and subsidy policies simultaneously.
Ningbo Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau
Ningbo Natural Resources and Planning Bureau
Month Day, Year 202
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