What Is a CF1R Report? California Certificate of Compliance Explained

If you've started researching Title 24 requirements, you've likely run into the term CF1R — short for Certificate of Compliance, Form 1, Residential. It's the primary energy compliance document submitted with most residential building permits in California, and understanding what it actually contains helps demystify the broader Title 24 process.

When Is a CF1R Report Required?

CF1R documentation is commonly required at permit submittal for residential projects involving:

The exact CF1R form and registration process depend on the project scope and compliance approach.

CF1R vs. CF2R vs. CF3R

A CF1R is required for most California residential permits that add or alter conditioned space — new single-family homes, ADUs and JADUs regardless of size, room additions, garage conversions to living space, and many remodels that touch insulation, windows, or HVAC systems. Projects that don't affect conditioned space, insulation, or major mechanical systems often don't need one, though your local building department has final say on what your specific permit requires.

The CF1R documents the specific energy features of your project as designed: building envelope details (insulation levels, window specifications, air sealing), the HVAC system and its efficiency rating, water heating equipment, and applicable mandatory measures like lighting controls and ventilation. The CF1R is the California Title 24 Certificate of Compliance for residential projects, but the process behind it depends on your specific project. Some qualifying prescriptive residential alterations and additions can use applicable non-registered CF1R compliance forms, without full CBECC-Res performance modeling or CHEERS/ECC registration. Projects that require performance compliance, or that include measures needing ECC field verification, follow the applicable state-approved software — CBECC-Res for residential projects — and registration process, confirming the design meets the energy budget for your climate zone.

There's an entire family of related forms worth knowing: the CF1R is the design-phase compliance certificate submitted with your permit application. The CF2R (Certificate of Installation) is completed later, during construction, by the contractor or installer, confirming that the equipment specified in the CF1R was actually what got installed. The CF3R (Certificate of Verification) is completed by a certified HERS rater for any measures that require field verification — confirming, for example, that ductwork was properly sealed or that refrigerant charge was correctly verified.

Together, these three forms create a paper trail from design intent (CF1R) through installation (CF2R) to field-verified performance (CF3R) — though CF2R and CF3R only apply to the specific measures that triggered them in your original compliance approach.

For most homeowners and contractors, the CF1R is the document that matters at permit submittal — it's what the building department reviews before issuing your permit. A complete CF1R package typically includes the compliance forms themselves, supporting documentation showing the calculations behind the numbers, and a clear summary of which (if any) measures will require HERS verification down the line.

To prepare your CF1R, your consultant will need your project address (to confirm climate zone), a dimensioned floor plan, your proposed HVAC system type and efficiency, water heating equipment type, and insulation values for walls, ceiling, and floor. The more complete your plans are upfront, the faster your CF1R can be finalized — incomplete information is the most common cause of delay.

Need a CF1R for your permit? CF1R reports start at $195, and we'll confirm which compliance process — prescriptive or performance — applies to your specific project before we begin. Order online, or call to talk through your project first.

Frequently Asked Questions