Performance-based seismic engineering is nowadays adopted for economical design of structures to resist earthquakes and it requires nonlinear static pushover analysis to be performed. In this approach, the energy dissipation due to nonlinear  behavior of the structures is taken into account by obtaining the equivalent viscous damping and this damping is evaluated from the global pushover curve of the structures. However, the global structural damping is basically due to energy dissipation at local joints of the structures deforming beyond yield rotation. This paper presents the methodology of estimating equivalent damping from the local hinge characteristics of the structures at element level by carrying out Pushover analysis of three structures viz 3D six storeyed, 2D two storeyed and a simple column RC structure. This damping is assessed by considering cumulative hysteretic energy dissipated at all the plastic hinges developed in the structures and is compared with that calculated based on formulations given in codes such as FEMA-440 and ATC-40. Damping agrees well with that given in FEMA-440, estimated from global pushover curve of structures for ductility value greater than 3. Also, nonlinear time history analysis is performed for all the structures to validate the structural performance.