King County Correctional Facility
Prison/Incarceration in Seattle, WA · 500 5TH AVE · 98104
At a glance
King County Correctional Facility is a 385,274-square-foot prison/incarceration building at 500 5TH AVE in Seattle, Washington, built in 1985. In its 2025 Seattle benchmarking disclosure it reported a site energy-use intensity of 127.9 kBtu/ft² and 1,586 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions.
Seattle Energy Benchmarking Ordinance (SMC 22.920) · reporting year 2025
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | — |
| Site EUI | 127.9 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 211.9 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 1,586 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 4.7 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 4,409,464 kWh |
| Natural gas | 283,466 therms |
| Gross floor area | 385,274 sq ft |
| Source record | seattle:27:2025 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025latest | — | 127.9 kBtu/ft² | 1,586 tCO₂e | |
| 2024 | — | 117.1 kBtu/ft² | 1,411 tCO₂e | |
| 2023 | — | 140.1 kBtu/ft² | 1,802 tCO₂e | |
| 2022 | — | 143.6 kBtu/ft² | 1,856 tCO₂e | |
| 2021 | — | 135.8 kBtu/ft² | 1,619 tCO₂e | |
| 2020 | — | 141.5 kBtu/ft² | 1,677 tCO₂e | |
| 2019 | — | 147.0 kBtu/ft² | 1,794 tCO₂e | |
| 2018 | — | 141.2 kBtu/ft² | 1,719 tCO₂e | |
| 2017 | — | 140.7 kBtu/ft² | 1,835 tCO₂e | |
| 2016 | — | 124.2 kBtu/ft² | 1,675 tCO₂e | |
| 2015 | — | 132.1 kBtu/ft² | 1,769 tCO₂e |
Compliance context
Seattle Energy Benchmarking Ordinance (SMC 22.920)
Seattle's Building Emissions Performance Standard (adopted 2023) applies to buildings over 20,000 sq ft: benchmarking verification is due 2027–2030 and initial emissions targets 2031–2035, reaching net zero by 2041–2050, with fines for non-compliance.
Ownership
No owning organisation shown. Names of private individuals in the disclosure are not published here.
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Location
- Address
- 500 5TH AVE
- City
- Seattle
- State
- Washington
- ZIP
- 98104
- Coordinates
- 47.60378, -122.32842
Within ~1 km
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See also: most efficient in Seattle · biggest emitters
How does King County Correctional Facility compare with other buildings in Seattle?
The latest disclosures cover 3,871 benchmarked buildings in Seattle. Its site EUI of 127.9 kBtu/ft² is about 169% above the average of 47.6 kBtu/ft² — it uses more energy per square foot than the typical building in that group. Its emissions intensity of 4.7 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 367% above the group average of 1.0 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 385,274 sq ft, it is about 243% above the average floor area of 112,467 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1985, 10 years later than the group's average year built (1975).
How has King County Correctional Facility's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 11 Seattle disclosures for King County Correctional Facility, covering report years 2015–2025. Site EUI moved from 132.1 kBtu/ft² (2015) to 127.9 kBtu/ft² (2025), a 3% decrease. Reported emissions went from 1,769 tCO₂e to 1,586 tCO₂e over the same span (down 10%).
What does a site EUI of 127.9 kBtu/ft² mean?
Site energy-use intensity (EUI) is the energy a building uses on site in a year divided by its floor area, in thousand Btu per square foot — lower is more efficient. King County Correctional Facility's 127.9 kBtu/ft² across 385,274 sq ft works out to about 49.3 billion Btu (14,442 MWh-equivalent) in 2025. Its source EUI of 211.9 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 4,409,464 kWh of electricity and 283,466 therms of natural gas for the year.
Which law requires King County Correctional Facility to report its energy use?
King County Correctional Facility reports under the Seattle Energy Benchmarking Ordinance (SMC 22.920), the legal basis of Seattle's Building Energy Benchmarking program, which publishes each covered building's annual benchmarking results. The record shown here is the report-year 2025 disclosure (source record seattle:27:2025). Seattle's Building Emissions Performance Standard (adopted 2023) applies to buildings over 20,000 sq ft: benchmarking verification is due 2027–2030 and initial emissions targets 2031–2035, reaching net zero by 2041–2050, with fines for non-compliance.
More prison/incarceration buildings in Seattle
Frequently asked questions
What is King County Correctional Facility's energy grade?
King County Correctional Facility did not report an ENERGY STAR score in its 2025 disclosure, but its site energy-use intensity was 127.9 kBtu/ft².
How much energy does King County Correctional Facility use?
Its 2025 site energy-use intensity was 127.9 kBtu/ft² (211.9 kBtu/ft² source) across 385,274 sq ft, including 4,409,464 kWh of electricity and 283,466 therms of natural gas.
What are King County Correctional Facility's carbon emissions?
King County Correctional Facility reported 1,586 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (4.7 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2025.
Where is King County Correctional Facility?
King County Correctional Facility is at 500 5TH AVE, in Seattle, Washington 98104. Its coordinates are 47.60378, -122.32842 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Building Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is King County Correctional Facility and when was it built?
King County Correctional Facility has 385,274 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2025 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1985 as its year built. It is classed as prison/incarceration.
Is King County Correctional Facility covered by the Seattle Energy Benchmarking Ordinance (SMC 22.920)?
Yes — it appears in the 2025 Building Energy Benchmarking disclosure, which lists the buildings reporting under the Seattle Energy Benchmarking Ordinance (SMC 22.920).
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About this data
Source: Building Energy Benchmarking (Seattle Energy Benchmarking Ordinance (SMC 22.920)), as published October 2, 2026. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.
Cite as: BuildingCensus, “King County Correctional Facility, Seattle, Washington — 2025 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/seattle/king-county-correctional-facility-6a965608 (data as of October 2, 2026).