King County Courthouse
Courthouse in Seattle, WA · 516 3RD AVE · 98104
At a glance
King County Courthouse is a 540,360-square-foot courthouse building at 516 3RD AVE in Seattle, Washington, built in 1916. In its 2025 Seattle benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 56 out of 100 (grade C), a site energy-use intensity of 95.6 kBtu/ft² and 1,712 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 15% of the 2,721 scored buildings in Seattle.
Seattle Energy Benchmarking Ordinance (SMC 22.920) · reporting year 2025
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 56 (band C) |
| Site EUI | 95.6 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 169.1 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 1,712 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 3.2 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 6,190,512 kWh |
| Natural gas | 302,046 therms |
| Gross floor area | 540,360 sq ft |
| Source record | seattle:26:2025 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025latest | 56 | -4 | 95.6 kBtu/ft² | 1,712 tCO₂e |
| 2024 | 60 | ±0 | 93.5 kBtu/ft² | 1,638 tCO₂e |
| 2023 | 60 | -1 | 93.6 kBtu/ft² | 1,622 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 61 | +19 | 95.4 kBtu/ft² | 1,700 tCO₂e |
| 2021 | 42 | -14 | 117.9 kBtu/ft² | 2,023 tCO₂e |
| 2020 | 56 | -4 | 92.1 kBtu/ft² | 1,428 tCO₂e |
| 2019 | 60 | +2 | 87.5 kBtu/ft² | 1,376 tCO₂e |
| 2018 | 58 | +6 | 92.3 kBtu/ft² | 1,516 tCO₂e |
| 2017 | 52 | -24 | 91.0 kBtu/ft² | 1,421 tCO₂e |
| 2016 | 76 | +9 | 83.7 kBtu/ft² | 1,235 tCO₂e |
| 2015 | 67 | 99.3 kBtu/ft² | 1,562 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
- 516 3RD AVE
- City
- Seattle
- State
- Washington
- ZIP
- 98104
- Coordinates
- 47.60265, -122.33051
Within ~1 km
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See also: most efficient in Seattle · biggest emitters
How does King County Courthouse compare with other buildings in Seattle?
The latest disclosures cover 3,871 benchmarked buildings in Seattle. King County Courthouse's ENERGY STAR score of 56 compares with an average of 78 across the 2,721 that report a score. Its site EUI of 95.6 kBtu/ft² is about twice 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 3.2 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 219% above the group average of 1.0 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 540,360 sq ft, it is about 380% above the average floor area of 112,467 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1916, 59 years earlier than the group's average year built (1975). Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, the 178 courthouse buildings average an ENERGY STAR score of 62 and a site EUI of 76.2 kBtu/ft².
How has King County Courthouse's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 11 Seattle disclosures for King County Courthouse, covering report years 2015–2025. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 67 in 2015 to 56 in 2025 (-11 points); its best year on file was 2016, at 76. Site EUI moved from 99.3 kBtu/ft² (2015) to 95.6 kBtu/ft² (2025), a 4% decrease. Reported emissions went from 1,562 tCO₂e to 1,712 tCO₂e over the same span (up 10%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 56 mean?
ENERGY STAR scores run from 1 to 100 and are computed by the EPA's Portfolio Manager as a percentile against similar buildings nationwide, adjusted for climate, size and use: a score of 56 means the building performs better than about 56% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 56 falls in band C — below median (55–69). It sits 19 points below 75, the threshold for ENERGY STAR certification. In Seattle, 69% of scored buildings are at 75 or above.
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 Courthouse's 95.6 kBtu/ft² across 540,360 sq ft works out to about 51.7 billion Btu (15,140 MWh-equivalent) in 2025. Its source EUI of 169.1 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 6,190,512 kWh of electricity and 302,046 therms of natural gas for the year.
Which law requires King County Courthouse to report its energy use?
King County Courthouse 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:26:2025). 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 courthouse buildings in Seattle
Frequently asked questions
What is King County Courthouse's energy grade?
King County Courthouse scores 56 out of 100 on ENERGY STAR — band C, below median (55–69) — in its 2025 Seattle disclosure. Scores are national percentiles against similar buildings; 75+ qualifies for ENERGY STAR certification.
How much energy does King County Courthouse use?
Its 2025 site energy-use intensity was 95.6 kBtu/ft² (169.1 kBtu/ft² source) across 540,360 sq ft, including 6,190,512 kWh of electricity and 302,046 therms of natural gas.
What are King County Courthouse's carbon emissions?
King County Courthouse reported 1,712 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (3.2 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2025.
Where is King County Courthouse?
King County Courthouse is at 516 3RD AVE, in Seattle, Washington 98104. Its coordinates are 47.60265, -122.33051 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Building Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is King County Courthouse and when was it built?
King County Courthouse has 540,360 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2025 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1916 as its year built. It is classed as courthouse.
Is King County Courthouse 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 Courthouse, Seattle, Washington — 2025 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/seattle/king-county-courthouse-2b9636dc (data as of October 2, 2026).