Developers who use solar panels, recycling and other environmentally sound materials and techniques will soon be able to save time and money when they build in unincorporated Ventura County.

Under a new set of building codes introduced to the County Board of Supervisors this week and due to be adopted next month, the county Building and Safety Division will offer free "expedited plan review" for projects that carry a "green building" certification. The program would go into effect Jan. 1.

"Expedited review" means building officials will process their initial check of a project's plans in 10 or fewer business days. That plan check typically takes 15 to 18 working days, said Building and Safety Director Jim MacDonald.

It may not sound like much, but those extra days are valuable, MacDonald said. They come at the beginning of the approval process, so a week's delay can translate to a much longer holdup down the line.

To get an expedited review now, developers must pay a fee equal to 35 percent of the standard plan check fee, which is tied to the project's value. On a commercial building worth $1 million, a developer would have to pay an extra $2,285 for expedited review.

With a green building certification, the speedy review will be automatic.

To qualify, the project must be certified by a legitimate organization, such as the U.S. Green Building Council. The county's Building and Safety Division has not drawn up its list yet of which certifications will qualify, MacDonald said.

Some of the elements in any certification, he said, include recycling construction materials, using recycled materials, cooling with natural ventilation, using solar panels or other renewable energy sources, and situating the building to minimize water runoff.

Buildings will be inspected to make sure they actually include the planned green elements. If they don't, the developer will have to pay the expedited review fee.

MacDonald will be able to suspend the program if it means standard applications are taking longer than 20 days to process.

Ventura County Supervisor Steve Bennett said the green building program is part of the county's overall strategy on climate change.

"The way state law is written, we can't be more aggressive, we can't mandate green building, but we will do what we can to encourage it," he said.