One of the significant changes to LEED 2009 is the addition of specific Minimum Program Requirements (MPRs) that a project must possess in order to be eligible for LEED certification. These requirements define the types of buildings that the LEED Green Building Rating Systems were designed to evaluate and serve three goals when taken together: give clear guidance to customers, protect the integrity of the LEED program, and reduce complications that occur during the LEED certification process. The requirements apply to all those, and only those, projects certifying under LEED 2009. Projects that upgrade from earlier versions of LEED are also subject to the MPRs. It is expected that MPRs will evolve over time with the LEED rating system, however only those MPRs in place at the time that a LEED project registers or upgrades will apply to that project.

LEED for New Construction, Core & Shell, Schools, and Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance were designed to evaluate commercial, institutional or high-rise residential buildings. As such, any project applying for LEED certification under one of these rating systems must include a building that falls under one of these categories.

LEED for Commercial Interiors was designed to evaluate interior spaces of commercial or institutional buildings. As such, projects applying for certification under LEED for Commercial Interiors must include a space that falls under one of these categories:

1. Must comply with environmental laws.

2. Must be a complete, permanent building or space

3. Must use a reasonable site boundary.

4. Must comply with minimum floor area requirements.

5. Must comply with minimum occupancy rates.

6. Must commit to sharing whole-building energy and water usage data.

7. Must comply with a minimum building area to site area ratio.