Construction and Real Estate Sector Information
Overview
The construction and real estate sector primarily includes establishments that:
- Conduct site preparation, real estate development, and building construction (NAICS 236);
- Subdivide real property and construct energy, water, transportation, and other infrastructure (NAICS 237);
- Perform specialty activities such as new work, additions, alterations, maintenance, and repairs (NAICS 238).
Additional establishments that relate to the construction and real estate sector include businesses that underwrite insurance for construction and development projects (NAICS 524), finance building and infrastructure projects (NAICS 525), and manage constructed buildings and facilities (NAICS 531).
Basic EPA Regulatory Information
In addition to EPA, the primary federal agencies that regulate the environmental activities of the construction and real estate sector include the Army Corps of Engineers, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Fish and Wildlife Services, and Occupational Safety and Health Administration. State, local, and tribal governments also have significant regulatory and permitting authority over construction and real estate development projects.
The following links are intended to be helpful to Smart Sectors partners and the public who are interested in learning more about how EPA works with the construction sector.
- Construction (NAICS 23)
- Land Revitalization
- Refrigerants and Hazardous Materials
- Water Quality Management
EPA maintains a list of state and territory permit programs where additional information is available.
EPA Resources
Voluntary Programs
- Indoor AirPLUS — Voluntary partnership and labeling program that helps new home builders improve indoor air quality by requiring construction practices and product specifications that minimize exposure to airborne pollutants and contaminants.
- WaterSense — EPA’s WaterSense label makes it simple to find water-efficient products, new homes and programs that meet EPA’s criteria for efficiency and performance.
- SmartWay Transport — Program that helps companies advance supply chain sustainability by measuring, benchmarking, and improving freight transportation efficiency.
Site Selection Tools
- NEPAssist — Facilitates the environmental review process and project planning in relation to environmental considerations by providing immediate screening of environmental assessment indicators with EPA data for a user-defined area of interest.
- Cleanups in My Community — Maps and lists hazardous waste cleanup locations and grant areas to better understand detailed EPA Brownfield, Superfund and RCRA corrective action property data.
- Smart Location Database — Nationwide geographic data resource for measuring location efficiency with more than 90 attributes.
- Smart Location Calculator — Simple tool for exploring how workplace location affects worker commute travel to identify efficient places for retail and office investment.
Sustainable Construction and Real Estate Development Resources
- Sustainable Materials Management Prioritization Tools — Free, life cycle-based tools that offer a starting place to establish priorities for environmental improvement, focus limited financial and human resources where action could offer greater holistic benefit, and consider key industries for collaboration.
- Land Revitalization Toolkit — EPA guides and tools to help a community through each stage in the process of redeveloping a contaminated site.
- Smart Growth — This website offers a wide variety of tools and resources to help communities learn about and implement creative and sustainable development approaches.
- Green Infrastructure — Uses natural processes of filtration, infiltration, and evapotranspiration to treat and soak up rainwater where it falls. This approach can deliver multiple environmental, social, and economic benefits beyond stormwater management alone.
- Water Infrastructure and Resiliency Finance Center — One-stop source for financing information to help local decision makers make informed decisions for drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure to protect human health and the environment.
Other Tools and Resources
- Transportation Control Measures (TCMs) — TCMs are strategies that reduce transportation-related air pollution and fuel use by reducing vehicle miles traveled and improving roadway operations, with potential implications for land use and real estate development.
- Debris and Damaged Buildings — Resources to safely demolish and remove debris to minimize or prevent the environmental impacts of mismanaged wastes.