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King County C-PACER Program
A financing tool for more efficient, resilient commercial and multi-family properties
Are you ready to make your building more efficient and safer, and lower your operating costs?
Apply now for C-PACER financing!
Step 1: Talk to a PACE lender and consult with your legal and financial advisors to see if C-PACER is right for you.
Step 2: Work with your lender to complete an application.
Step 3: Submit your application materials with each document as a separate attachment to cpacer@kingcounty.gov.
What is C-PACER?
Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy + Resiliency (C-PACER) is an innovative financing mechanism to help commercial, industrial, agricultural, and multi-family buildings become more efficient and resilient .
C-PACER does not use any government funds, it is a loan agreement between a private lender and the property owner, like a mortgage or home improvement loan. The unique part about C-PACER financing is that the county records the loan as a lien on the property, which means that if the property owner sells the building, the assessment stays with the building (unless the payoff is part of the sale agreement).
Examples of projects that can be financed using C-PACER include:
- Energy and water efficiency
- Electrification improvement (eliminates fossil fuel combustion)
- Renewable energy
- Electric vehicle charging
- Seismic hardening
- Fire detection and suppression
- Flood readiness
- Stormwater management
- Energy storage
Benefits of C-PACER financing
- Property owners can save money by lowering utility bills and energy costs
- Longer loan payback terms can make PACE-funded projects cash-positive sooner than traditional loans
- PACE loans rarely require cash up front, making them more accessible to property owners than other loans
- Lower interest rates on PACE financing makes loans more affordable
- Creates local jobs and spurs economic activity through the funding of new efficiency and resiliency projects
Learn more about making C-PACER work for you!
Clean buildings King County video series
How does C-PACER financing work?
C-PACER program steps
(Click or tap for an Acrobat pdf version.)
Text version
- Property owner develops energy generation, energy efficiency, water conservation or resiliency project.
- Property owner identifies capital provider for their project.
- Property owner submits application materials to program administrator.
- Program administrator reviews application.
- Program administrator approves application or requests additional information.
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- Capital provider closes financing.
- King County records lien agreement.
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- Capital provider funds work.
- Contractor implements project.
- Post-implementation: property owner repays loan over term to capital provider.
C-PACER key parties
(Click or tap for an Acrobat pdf version.)
Text version
- Property Owner
An owner of a qualifying eligible property. This is the owner listed on the building's title (may be an individual person, business, corporation, or nonprofit). - Program Administrator
King County or a third-party program administrator that accepts the property owner's application and ensures that all steps of the loan/lien process are completed. - King County
King County records the lien on the property. - Capital Provider (Lender)
A registered C-PACER capital provider. This can be a corporation, bank or credit union, or another private entity. - Existing Lien Holder
The lender that holds the building's existing mortgage or other loans. All existing lien holders on a building must approve the property owner's C-PACER application. - Contractor
Licensed and bonded contracting business or businesses that will complete the qualified C-PACER improvements to the building. - Project Certifier
A licensed professional engineer or other qualified individual or firm that certifies that the improvements are qualified for C-PACER financing.
C-PACER application forms
- Program guide
- Application attachment 1: Application checklist
- Application attachment 2A: Lien holder consent
- Application attachment 2B: Notice of Proposed C-PACER Assessment and Request for Consent of Lien or Other Obligation Holder to C-PACER Assessment and C-PACER Lien
- Application attachment 3: Certification of improvements
- Application attachment 4: Capital provider qualification
- Application attachment 5: Certificate of improvements completion
- Application attachment 6: Assessment agreement
- Application attachment 7: Notice of assessment interest
- Application attachment 8: Assignment notice of assessment interest
For more information about the King County C-PACER Program, please contact CPACER@kingcounty.gov.
King County resources
- Jan. 27th Stakeholder Workshop slideshow
- Jan. 27th Stakeholder Workshop video
- C-PACER basics
- Save money with C-PACER
- Fund a resiliency project
External resources
- Clean Buildings Early Adopter Incentive
- C-PACE Alliance Member List
- U.S. Dept. of Energy
- Better Buildings Solutions Center Lender List
- ShiftZero
- PACENation
Utility incentives
Related information
- King County climate action
- Commercial and multi-family permits
- Agriculture in King County
- Environmental stewardship