To earn the Innovation credit for having a LEED Accredited Professional, the individual must be a principal member of the project team. This person's role is to guide the design and construction process to meet LEED requirements. The credential must be obtained before the project's preliminary rating is submitted to the LEED for Homes Provider. This timing ensures the AP's expertise has been applied during the critical design and documentation phases that are evaluated at the preliminary rating stage.

B: Requiring the credential prior to project registration is incorrect. Registration often occurs very early, before the full project team is assembled, making this timing impractical and not required by the rating system.

C: The LEED AP is a member of the project team (e.g., architect, builder), not the third-party verification team, which includes the Green Rater and LEED for Homes Provider.

D: This option is incorrect for two reasons: the LEED AP is part of the project team, not the verification team, and the timing requirement relates to the preliminary rating, not project registration.

1. U.S. Green Building Council. (2008). LEED for Homes Rating System. Page 121, ID Credit 2: LEED Accredited Professional. The requirement explicitly states, "The LEED AP must be a principal member of the project team and must have passed the LEED for Homes exam before the project’s preliminary rating is submitted."

2. U.S. Green Building Council. (2016). LEED v4 for Homes Design and Construction Reference Guide. Innovation Category, "LEED Accredited Professional" credit requirements. The guide specifies that "At least one principal participant of the project team must be a LEED AP with a specialty appropriate for the project," confirming the AP's role on the project team, not the verification team. The timing is a procedural requirement tied to the preliminary rating submission milestone.