The local branches of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties, NAIOP SoCal and NAIOP California State Council, also support the new code. NAIOP members provided technical suggestions and feedback throughout the code development process.

"The Governor has set very high standards for our industry and we are up to the challenge to build the most sustainable facilities in the nation. We look forward to the next phase of the process to determine which of the initial green building features will become a permanent part of the code," says James V. Camp, senior vp at Voit Development Co., Legislative chair for NAIOP SoCal and chair of the NAIOP California State Council, in a statement.

Current construction will be unaffected, code experts say, giving architects and contractors time to adapt designs. "Anything permitted after a certain date will have to comply," says Gene Boecker, a registered architect and project manager for St. Louis-based Code Consultants Inc.

This situation likely won't be unique. Though California is the first state to adopt its own "green" code, cities such as New York and Chicago have their own sustainability requirements, and some associations are pursuing national standards. The International Code Council has been working with the National Association of Home Builders to develop a national standard for Green Homes, and the American National Standards Institute also is working on a standard as well.

"What California has done is not an ICC code," notes Steve Daggers, vp of communications for the ICC, Washington, D.C. "Until something is adopted, it's just a piece of paper." It also should be remembered, Daggers said, that any new code is a baseline, rather than a ceiling.

Despite its move in sustainability, Daggers says, California was the last major state to adopt the International Building Code as its own standard. The International Code Council Board recently approved the creation of a Sustainable Building Technology Committee to develop proposed code changes and analyze and respond to related changes proposed for the Code Council family of codes and standards.

Even so, California's actions should always be examined, particularly because it is a state with a strong central government. "A lot of what takes place in California is subject to a lot of scrutiny," Boecker says. "And you have to give them credence."