What Is LEED Online? The Platform & Arc, Explained [2026]
A. Togay Koralturk
Last updated on August 03, 2026
5 min read
Search for LEED Online and you will find a login page, which answers nothing if your actual question is what the platform is and whether your project needs it. The short version: LEED Online is where LEED certification paperwork has traditionally lived, and its role is changing as the rating system moves forward. Which platform your project uses now depends on the version it registered under. This guide explains LEED Online: what the platform does, how it relates to Arc under LEED v5, what project teams actually do inside it, and what exam candidates need to know about it.
What is LEED Online?
LEED Online is the web platform at leedonline.com where project teams have traditionally managed the LEED certification process: registering the project, assembling the documentation for every prerequisite and credit, submitting it, and responding to GBCI's review, all in one place. It is a project-management tool, not a public resource.
The easiest way to place it: LEED certification is a documented, third-party-reviewed process, and that documentation has to live somewhere. LEED Online is that somewhere for projects registered under earlier versions of the rating system: the team's forms, calculations, and uploads sit in the platform, organized credit by credit, and GBCI's reviewers read and respond to them there. Access comes with a project: team members are invited to a registered project rather than signing up independently, which is why the site greets visitors with a login page rather than an explanation. USGBC's support center covers the mechanics, including how projects are registered in LEED Online.
LEED Online vs. Arc: which platform does your project use?
Under LEED v5, new projects register and manage certification on Arc, per USGBC's certification process overview; LEED Online continues to serve projects registered under earlier versions of the rating system. The version your project registered under decides the platform.
This split is the part most older articles miss. LEED v5 is the current version of the rating system, and with it, Arc became the platform where new projects register, track their data, and manage certification. LEED Online did not disappear: thousands of projects registered under earlier versions continue their certification work there, and their teams will finish where they started. In practice, the question "which platform do I use?" answers itself: your project's registration determines it, and a team joining an existing project simply uses whichever platform the project already lives on. For a new project starting today, the certification process runs through Arc from registration onward.
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What do project teams do inside the platform?
Inside the platform, the team assigns prerequisites and credits to responsible members, uploads the documentation each one requires, submits the application for GBCI review, and responds to the reviewer's comments until the certification is finalized. It is the administrative backbone of the certification.
The daily reality is document management with structure. Every prerequisite and credit on the project's scorecard has its required forms and evidence, and the platform organizes those requirements so the right engineer, architect, or consultant can own each one. When the documentation is submitted, GBCI's review happens through the same platform: reviewers mark what is anticipated, request clarifications where the evidence is thin, and the team responds in rounds until the outcome is settled, the rhythm our certification process guide walks step by step. The fees associated with registration and certification are also handled along the way, which makes the platform the single administrative record of the whole effort.
Do exam candidates need LEED Online?
No: exam candidates never need a LEED Online or Arc account, because the exams test the certification process itself, not the software it runs on. Knowing what the platforms do, and which serves which projects, is the exam-relevant knowledge.
Exam tip: For exam purposes, know the concept: certification runs through USGBC's online platforms, with Arc serving LEED v5 projects and LEED Online serving projects registered under earlier versions. The exams test the process — registration, documentation, review — not the platform's screens.
If you are preparing for the LEED Green Associate exam, the platform knowledge above is all the platform knowledge you need, and your study time belongs on the rating system itself. That is what our best-selling LEED Green Associate study guide teaches, with the certification process covered exactly at the depth the exam tests it.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is LEED Online used for?
It is the web platform where project teams manage LEED certification for projects registered under earlier versions of the rating system: registering the project, uploading documentation for each prerequisite and credit, submitting for review, and responding to GBCI's comments.
What is the difference between LEED Online and Arc?
The rating system version decides it: LEED v5 projects register and manage certification on Arc, while projects registered under earlier versions continue on LEED Online. The certification process is the same in structure; the platform hosting it differs.
How do I get access to LEED Online?
Access comes through a project: team members are invited to a registered project by its administrator. There is no reason to create standalone access, because the platform only has content in the context of a registered project.
Is LEED Online free?
The platform itself is not something you purchase, but the certification it manages carries registration and certification fees based on the project's size and rating system. The fees are paid as part of the process the platform administers.
Do I need to know LEED Online for the LEED Green Associate exam?
Only conceptually. The exam tests the certification process: registration, documentation, third-party review, and award. Know that the process runs through USGBC's online platforms, with Arc serving v5 projects, and spend your study time on the rating system itself.
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