A. The tax credit provided by this section may be referred to as the “2015 sustainable building tax credit”. The 2015 sustainable building tax credit shall be available for the construction in New Mexico of a sustainable building, the renovation of an existing building in New Mexico into a sustainable building or the permanent installation of manufactured housing, regardless of where the housing is manufactured, that is a sustainable building; provided that the construction, renovation or installation project is completed prior to April 1, 2023. The tax credit provided in this section may not be claimed with respect to the same sustainable building for which the 2015 sustainable building tax credit provided in the Income Tax Act [N.M. Stat. Ann. Chapter 7, Article 2] or the 2021 sustainable building tax credit pursuant to the Income Tax Act or the Corporate Income and Franchise Tax Act has been claimed.

Ask a legal question, get an answer ASAP!
Click here to chat with a lawyer about your rights.

B. The purpose of the 2015 sustainable building tax credit is to encourage the construction of sustainable buildings and the renovation of existing buildings into sustainable buildings.

C. A taxpayer that files a corporate income tax return is eligible to be granted a 2015 sustainable building tax credit by the department if the taxpayer submits a document issued pursuant to Subsection K of this section with the taxpayer’s corporate income tax return.

D. For taxable years ending on or before December 31, 2024, the 2015 sustainable building tax credit may be claimed with respect to a sustainable commercial building. The credit shall be calculated based on the certification level the building has achieved in the LEED green building rating system and the amount of qualified occupied square footage in the building, as indicated on the following chart:

LEED Rating Level                    Qualified Occupied Square Footage Tax Credit per Square Foot LEED-NC Silver                         First 10,000                     $3.50 Next 40,000                     $1.75 Over 50,000 up to 500,000                     $ .70 LEED-NC Gold                         First 10,000                     $4.75 Next 40,000                     $2.00 Over 50,000 up to 500,000                    $1.00 LEED-NC Platinum                    First 10,000                     $6.25 Next 40,000                     $3.25 Over 50,000 up to 500,000                    $2.00 LEED-EB or CS Silver             First 10,000                     $2.50 Next 40,000                     $1.25 Over 50,000 up to 500,000                     $ .50 LEED-EB or CS Gold                 First 10,000                     $3.35 Next 40,000                     $1.40 Over 50,000 up to 500,000                     $ .70 LEED-EB or CS Platinum                                     First 10,000                     $4.40 Next 40,000                     $2.30 Over 50,000 up to 500,000                    $1.40 LEED-CI Silver                         First 10,000                     $1.40 Next 40,000                     $ .70 Over 50,000 up to 500,000                     $ .30 LEED-CI Gold                            First 10,000                     $1.90 Next 40,000                     $ .80 Over 50,000 up to 500,000                     $ .40 LEED-CI Platinum                     First 10,000                     $2.50 Next 40,000                     $1.30 Over 50,000 up to 500,000                    $ .80.

E. For taxable years ending on or before December 31, 2024, the 2015 sustainable building tax credit may be claimed with respect to a sustainable residential building.

The credit shall be calculated based on the amount of qualified occupied square footage, as indicated on the following chart:

Rating System/Level                 Qualified Occupied Square Footage Tax Credit per Square Foot LEED-H Silver or Build             Up to 2,000                        $3.00 Green NM Silver LEED-H Gold or Build                Up to 2,000                        $4.50 Green NM Gold LEED-H Platinum or Build         Up to 2,000                        $6.50 Green NM Emerald Manufactured Housing             Up to 2,000                     $3.00.

F. A person that is a building owner may apply for a certificate of eligibility for the 2015 sustainable building tax credit from the energy, minerals and natural resources department after the construction, installation or renovation of the sustainable building is complete. Applications shall be considered in the order received. If the energy, minerals and natural resources department determines that the building owner meets the requirements of this subsection and that the building with respect to which the tax credit application is made meets the requirements of this section as a sustainable residential building or a sustainable commercial building, the energy, minerals and natural resources department may issue a certificate of eligibility to the building owner, subject to the limitations in Subsection G of this section. The certificate shall include the rating system certification level awarded to the building, the amount of qualified occupied square footage in the building and a calculation of the maximum amount of 2015 sustainable building tax credit for which the building owner would be eligible. The energy, minerals and natural resources department may issue rules governing the procedure for administering the provisions of this subsection. If the certification level for the sustainable residential building is awarded on or after January 1, 2017 but prior to April 1, 2023, the energy, minerals and natural resources department may issue a certificate of eligibility to a building owner who is:

(1)     the owner of the sustainable residential building at the time the certification level for the building is awarded; or

(2)     the subsequent purchaser of a sustainable residential building with respect to which no tax credit has been previously claimed.

G. Except as provided in Subsection H of this section, the energy, minerals and natural resources department may issue a certificate of eligibility only if the total amount of 2015 sustainable building tax credits represented by certificates of eligibility issued by the energy, minerals and natural resources department pursuant to this section and pursuant to the Income Tax Act [N.M. Stat. Ann. Chapter 7, Article 2] shall not exceed in any calendar year an aggregate amount of:

(1)     one million two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($1,250,000) with respect to sustainable commercial buildings;

(2)     three million three hundred seventy-five thousand dollars ($3,375,000) with respect to sustainable residential buildings that are not manufactured housing; and

(3)     three hundred seventy-five thousand dollars ($375,000) with respect to sustainable residential buildings that are manufactured housing.

H. For any taxable year that the energy, minerals and natural resources department determines that applications for sustainable building tax credits for any type of sustainable building pursuant to Paragraph (1), (2) or (3) of Subsection G of this section are less than the aggregate limit for that type of sustainable building for that taxable year, the energy, minerals and natural resources department shall allow the difference between the aggregate limit and the applications to be added to the aggregate limit of another type of sustainable building for which applications exceeded the aggregate limit for that taxable year. Any excess not used in a taxable year shall not be carried forward to subsequent taxable years.

I. Installation of a solar thermal system or a photovoltaic system eligible for the solar market development tax credit pursuant to Section 7-2-18.14 N.M. Stat. Ann. may not be used as a component of qualification for the rating system certification level used in determining eligibility for the 2015 sustainable building tax credit, unless a solar market development tax credit pursuant to Section 7-2-18.14 N.M. Stat. Ann. has not been claimed with respect to that system and the building owner and the taxpayer claiming the 2015 sustainable building tax credit certify that such a tax credit will not be claimed with respect to that system.

J. To be eligible for the 2015 sustainable building tax credit, the building owner shall provide to the taxation and revenue department a certificate of eligibility issued by the energy, minerals and natural resources department pursuant to the requirements of Subsection F of this section and any other information the taxation and revenue department may require to determine the amount of the tax credit for which the building owner is eligible.

K. If the requirements of this section have been complied with, the department shall issue to the building owner a document granting a 2015 sustainable building tax credit. The document shall be numbered for identification and declare its date of issuance and the amount of the tax credit allowed pursuant to this section. The document may be submitted by the building owner with that taxpayer’s income tax return, if applicable, or may be sold, exchanged or otherwise transferred to another taxpayer. The parties to such a transaction shall notify the department of the sale, exchange or transfer within ten days of the sale, exchange or transfer.

L. If the approved amount of a 2015 sustainable building tax credit for a taxpayer in a taxable year represented by a document issued pursuant to Subsection K of this section is:

(1)     less than one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000), a maximum of twenty- five thousand dollars ($25,000) shall be applied against the taxpayer’s corporate income tax liability for the taxable year for which the credit is approved and the next three subsequent taxable years as needed depending on the amount of credit; or

(2)     one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) or more, increments of twenty- five percent of the total credit amount in each of the four taxable years, including the taxable year for which the credit is approved and the three subsequent taxable years, shall be applied against the taxpayer’s corporate income tax liability.

M. If the sum of all 2015 sustainable building tax credits that can be applied to a taxable year for a taxpayer, calculated according to Paragraph (1) or (2) of Subsection L of this section, exceeds the taxpayer’s corporate income tax liability for that taxable year, the excess may be carried forward for a period of up to seven years.

N. A taxpayer that otherwise qualifies and claims a 2015 sustainable building tax credit with respect to a sustainable building owned by a partnership or other business association of which the taxpayer is a member may claim a credit only in proportion to that taxpayer’s interest in the partnership or association. The total credit claimed in the aggregate by all members of the partnership or association with respect to the sustainable building shall not exceed the amount of the credit that could have been claimed by a sole owner of the property.

O. The department shall compile an annual report on the 2015 sustainable building tax credit created pursuant to this section that shall include the number of taxpayers approved by the department to receive the tax credit, the aggregate amount of tax credits approved and any other information necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of the tax credit. Beginning in 2019 and every three years thereafter that the credit is in effect, the department shall compile and present the annual reports to the revenue stabilization and tax policy committee and the legislative finance committee with an analysis of the effectiveness and cost of the tax credit and whether the tax credit is performing the purpose for which it was created.

P. For the purposes of this section:

(1)     “build green New Mexico rating system” means the certification standards adopted by build green New Mexico in November 2014, which include water conservation standards;

(2)     “LEED-CI” means the LEED rating system for commercial interiors;

(3)     “LEED-CS” means the LEED rating system for the core and shell of buildings;

(4)     “LEED-EB” means the LEED rating system for existing buildings;

(5)     “LEED gold” means the rating in compliance with, or exceeding, the second-highest rating awarded by the LEED certification process;

(6)     “LEED” means the most current leadership in energy and environmental design green building rating system guidelines developed and adopted by the United States green building council;

(7)     “LEED-H” means the LEED rating system for homes;

(8)     “LEED-NC” means the LEED rating system for new buildings and major renovations;

(9)     “LEED platinum” means the rating in compliance with, or exceeding, the highest rating awarded by the LEED certification process;

(10)    “LEED silver” means the rating in compliance with, or exceeding, the third- highest rating awarded by the LEED certification process;

(11)    “manufactured housing” means a multisectioned home that is: (a) a manufactured home or modular home;

(b) a single-family dwelling with a heated area of at least thirty-six feet by twenty-four feet and a total area of at least eight hundred sixty-four square feet;

(c) constructed in a factory to the standards of the United States department of housing and urban development, the National Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards Act of 1974 and the Housing and Urban Development Zone Code 2 or New Mexico construction codes up to the date of the unit’s construction; and

(d) installed consistent with the Manufactured Housing Act and rules adopted pursuant to that act relating to permanent foundations;

(12)    “qualified occupied square footage” means the occupied spaces of the building as determined by:

(a) the United States green building council for those buildings obtaining LEED certification;

(b) the administrators of the build green New Mexico rating system for those homes obtaining build green New Mexico certification; and

(c) the United States environmental protection agency for ENERGY STAR- certified manufactured homes;

(13)    “person” does not include state, local government, public school district or tribal agencies;

(14)    “sustainable building” means either a sustainable commercial building or a sustainable residential building;

(15)    “sustainable commercial building” means a multifamily dwelling unit, as registered and certified under the LEED-H or build green New Mexico rating system, that is certified by the United States green building council as LEED-H silver or higher or by build green New Mexico as silver or higher and has achieved a home energy rating system index of sixty or lower as developed by the residential energy services network or a building that has been registered and certified under the LEED-NC, LEED-EB, LEED-CS or LEED-CI rating system and that:

higher;

(a) is certified by the United States green building council at LEED silver or

(b) achieves any prerequisite for and at least one point related to commissioning under LEED “energy and atmosphere”, if included in the applicable rating system; and

(c) has reduced energy consumption beginning January 1, 2012, by sixty percent based on the national average for that building type as published by the United States department of energy as substantiated by the United States environmental protection agency target finder energy performance results form, dated no sooner than the schematic design phase of development;

(16)    “sustainable residential building” means:

(a) a building used as a single-family residence as registered and certified under the build green New Mexico or LEED-H rating systems that: 1) is certified by the United States green building council as LEED-H silver or higher or by build green New Mexico as silver or higher; 2) has achieved a home energy rating system index of sixty or lower as developed by the residential energy services network; 3) has indoor plumbing fixtures and water-using appliances that, on average, have flow rates equal to or lower than the flow rates required for certification by WaterSense; 4) if landscape area is available at the front of the property, has at least one water line outside the building below the frost line that may be connected to a drip irrigation system; and 5) if landscape area is available at the rear of the property, has at least one water line outside the building below the frost line that may be connected to a drip irrigation system; or

(b) manufactured housing that is ENERGY STAR-qualified by the United States environmental protection agency;

(17)    “tribal” means of, belonging to or created by a federally recognized Indian nation, tribe or pueblo; and

(18)    “WaterSense” means a program created by the federal environmental protection agency that certifies water-using products that meet the environmental protection agency’s criteria for efficiency and performance.