LEED Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield LEED facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. Which LEED EA prerequisite specifically requires projects to track and report actual energy and water data for at least 5 years? → EA Prerequisite: Building-Level Energy Metering
2. Under LEED's Bicycle Facilities credit, which amenity is required to serve short-term bicycle users such as visitors? → Short-term bicycle racks or equivalent
3. During the LEED integrative process for a new school project, the team is performing a preliminary energy analysis. What is the main purpose of this analysis? → To inform the building's orientation, massing, and envelope design to reduce HVAC loads.
4. In LEED, what occupancy type is used to calculate the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) occupants for water use baseline? → 8-hour occupancy per person per day for FTEs, with transient occupants at fractional hours
5. How many credits are needed for a LEED Silver Rating? → 33-38
6. Which metric is typically set during the discovery phase of an integrative process to guide energy-related design decisions? → Energy use intensity (EUI) reduction target
7. Which of the following LEED EA credits specifically addresses the long-term operational energy performance of a building after occupancy? → EA Credit: Advanced Energy Metering
8. Under LEED v4 EA Prerequisite: Fundamental Commissioning and Verification, at what project phase must the commissioning process begin? → During the pre-design or early design phase
9. A project earns the LEED Tenant Design and Construction Guidelines credit. What does this credit specifically require? → The base building owner must publish LEED guidelines for future tenant build-outs
10. What distinguishes 'regionally extracted and manufactured' materials in LEED's Materials and Resources category? → They are sourced and processed within 100 miles of the project site
11. What percentage of landscape area must consist of no-irrigation-required or temporarily-irrigated plants to fully comply with LEED's no-irrigation option? → 100%
12. Which SMACNA publication does LEED reference for Construction Indoor Air Quality Management Plans during the construction phase? → SMACNA IAQ Guidelines for Occupied Buildings Under Construction, 2nd edition
13. Which metric is used to measure outdoor irrigation water efficiency in LEED's Outdoor Water Use Reduction credit? → Landscape water requirement (LWR) relative to baseline
14. Under LEED, which fixture type is NOT typically included in the indoor water use baseline calculation? → Irrigation controllers
15. What is the minimum number of LEED points required to achieve LEED Platinum certification? → 80
16. Which strategy would contribute most directly to achieving LEED's 'Building Life-Cycle Impact Reduction' credit? → Reusing an existing historic building structure rather than demolishing and rebuilding
17. A contractor excavates 500 tons of soil on-site and reuses it for landscaping grading. How does LEED treat this material in waste calculations? → It is excluded from waste calculations as land-clearing debris reused on site
18. Which LEED BD+C credit or prerequisite requires that buildings be protected from tobacco smoke contamination? → Environmental Tobacco Smoke Control Prerequisite
19. What is the primary intent of the LEED Quality Views credit? → To give building occupants a direct line of sight to the outdoors through vision glazing
20. A project team is selecting paints for interior walls. To earn credit under LEED's Low-Emitting Materials category, which property must the paints meet? → Low volatile organic compound (VOC) content limits
21. What is the baseline irrigation requirement used to calculate outdoor water use reduction in LEED? → A calculated mid-summer peak-week irrigation demand
22. A building achieves 50% potable water reduction compared to baseline. Which LEED category does this contribute to? → Water Efficiency
23. Which LEED Water Efficiency credit addresses water used in food service equipment such as commercial dishwashers? → Indoor Water Use Reduction – Process Water
24. Which LEED credit category specifically addresses strategies that contribute to improved occupant health and well-being? → Indoor Environmental Quality
25. Which LEED rating system does NOT include a standalone Outdoor Water Use Reduction credit because outdoor water use is not applicable? → ID+C: Commercial Interiors
26. Which LEED EA credit requires a project to commission systems beyond those required by Fundamental Commissioning? → Enhanced Commissioning
27. A LEED project team wants to reduce water use in their medical sterilization equipment. Under which credit category should they document this reduction? → Indoor Water Use Reduction – Process Water
28. Under LEED, which type of transportation access is rewarded by the Location and Transportation category? → Access to diverse transit options, bike facilities, and walkable destinations
29. Under LEED Location and Transportation, 'infill development' refers to building on a site that is: → Surrounded on at least 75% of its boundary by previously developed land
30. Which of the following is considered a hard cost? → Labor