The bill amends title 40 to require the Administrator of General Services to incorporate bird-safe features in public buildings constructed, acquired, or where more than 50 percent of the façade is substantially altered. It also directs the Administrator to develop and disseminate a design guide outlining construction-phase features, operation and maintenance lighting strategies, and a set of best practices with explanations for any omissions.
The act further instructs the Administrator to identify best practices with input from Federal bird-conservation expertise, NGOs, and green-building certifiers, and to update the guide periodically. It provides exemptions for historic properties and iconic federal sites, and requires annual compliance certification and a yearly report to Congress on fatalities and recommendations to reduce risk.
At a Glance
What It Does
Adds a new Section 3319 to Chapter 33 of Title 40, requiring the GSA to incorporate bird-safe features for eligible public buildings and to create a binding design guide. The guide covers construction, operation, maintenance, and best practices designed to reduce bird fatalities from collisions.
Who It Affects
Federal agencies owning or leasing public buildings, GSA staff, facilities managers, architects, engineers, and contractors involved in federal projects.
Why It Matters
Sets a formal, measurable process to mitigate bird fatalities, standardizes design considerations across federal buildings, and creates ongoing oversight through annual reports to Congress.
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What This Bill Actually Does
The Federal Bird Safe Buildings Act of 2025 would require the General Services Administration to include bird-safe design features in federal public buildings that are newly built, acquired, or significantly altered. It directs the creation of a design guide that covers what to implement during construction, how to manage building operations and lighting to minimize bird strikes, and a set of best practices with rationales for any omitted approaches.
The Administrator may select best practices with input from federal bird-conservation experts, NGOs, and green-building certifiers, and must disseminate the guide to agencies with leasing authority and update it regularly.
The Five Things You Need to Know
The bill adds Section 3319 to Title 40 to mandate bird-safe features in eligible federal buildings.
A design guide must be created, covering construction, maintenance, and lighting to reduce bird fatalities.
Best practices may be identified with input from federal agencies, NGOs, and green-building groups.
Annual compliance information must be gathered and reported to Congress, with fatality assessments where feasible.
Exemptions apply to historic sites and certain iconic federal properties such as the White House, Supreme Court, and Capitol grounds.
Section-by-Section Breakdown
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Construction, alteration, and acquisition requirements
This provision requires the Administrator of General Services to incorporate bird-safe features, to the extent practicable, into any public building that is constructed, acquired, or where more than 50 percent of the façade is substantially altered. The mechanism creates a baseline for how new and renovated federal buildings should address bird collisions and sets a concrete trigger tied to construction activity.
Design guide development
The Administrator must develop a design guide that prescribes features to reduce fatalities across all construction phases, including interior, exterior, and site lighting. It also requires practical guidance on how to implement best practices and explains why certain practices are omitted, ensuring decision-makers understand rationales behind design choices.
Identifying best practices
To carry out the design guide, the Administrator may identify best practices with input from federal bird-conservation specialists, NGOs, and representatives of green building certification systems. This provision formalizes expert input into the standard-setting process and helps align federal practice with broader conservation and sustainability efforts.
Dissemination of the design guide
The Administrator must disseminate the guide to all Federal agencies, sub-agencies, and departments with independent leasing authority, ensuring that those responsible for public buildings are aware of the new requirements and standards.
Update to the design guide
The Administrator is required to update the design guide regularly to reflect shifting priorities and the latest knowledge in bird-conservation and building design, maintaining a living set of standards for federal projects.
Exempt buildings
The measure expressly does not apply to buildings or sites listed or eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, the White House and its grounds, the Supreme Court building and grounds, or the United States Capitol and its grounds, preserving the status of these high-profile historic and symbolic properties.
Compliance and certification
Not later than October 1 of each fiscal year, the Administrator—through the Commissioner—must gather information on compliance with the design guide for each qualifying building and certify to Congress that the guide is being used for those buildings.
Annual report to Congress
Not later than October 1 of each fiscal year, the Administrator must report to Congress on guide-compliance information, an assessment (as practicable) of bird fatalities from collisions at buildings occupied by agency heads, and any recommendations to reduce risk.
Table of sections update
A clerical amendment adds 3319 to the table of sections at the beginning of Chapter 33, formalizing the new provision within the United States Code.
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Explore Environment in Codify Search →Who Benefits and Who Bears the Cost
Every bill creates winners and losers. Here's who stands to gain and who bears the cost.
Who Benefits
- General Services Administration (GSA): gains a formal design guide and oversight framework that standardizes bird-safety requirements across public buildings.
- Facility managers and operations staff for federal properties: receive clear guidelines on construction and maintenance practices that reduce bird fatalities and potential retrofit requirements.
- Architects, engineers, and construction contractors working on federal projects: obtain a defined set of bird-safe design requirements and best-practice references.
- Bird-conservation NGOs and experts: have a formal channel to influence federal design practices and promote evidence-based strategies.
- Green-building certification bodies (e.g., LEED-aligned programs): align federal requirements with existing certification frameworks and drive eco-friendly design choices
Who Bears the Cost
- GSA and federal agencies with public buildings: bear costs associated with implementing bird-safe features, updating designs, and maintaining enhanced lighting and materials.
- Contractors and designers: may incur additional upfront costs and longer design periods to meet bird-safety standards.
- Historic property managers for exempt sites may face fewer constraints but could experience pressure to apply bird-safety considerations if applicable in adjacent facilities.
- Taxpayers or agency budgets: bear the financial impact of modifications, retrofits, and ongoing compliance reporting.
Key Issues
The Core Tension
Balancing the goal of reducing bird fatalities with the realities of historic preservation, budget constraints, and varied building contexts is the bill’s core dilemma. Ensuring consistent adoption of bird-safe design across the federal portfolio while preserving iconic sites and avoiding prohibitively costly retrofits represents the central policy challenge.
The bill establishes a clear mechanism to reduce bird fatalities by embedding bird-safe features into federally owned or leased public buildings, yet relies on the phrase ‘to the extent practicable,’ which preserves flexibility in implementation. The design-guide approach centralizes standards but depends on the quality and scope of input from conservation groups and green-building programs.
Operationalizing the guidance across a diverse federal portfolio could present logistical and budgetary challenges, particularly for older structures or those slated for complex renovations. The statutory exemptions for historic and iconic properties protect cultural assets but may create uneven protection and potential gaps in coverage around other public-facing federal facilities.
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