Title 24 Report: What It Is, When You Need One, and How the Process Works

Title 24 reports come up differently depending on who's asking. A homeowner planning an ADU or remodel usually wants to know whether they need one at all, and what it will cost. A contractor coordinating a permit package needs to know what documentation the building department will actually accept, and how it fits into the broader submittal. An architect or designer needs to understand how energy compliance constraints affect design decisions — window sizing, insulation strategy, HVAC selection — early enough to avoid redesigning after the fact. A builder or developer managing multiple projects needs a repeatable, predictable process across different cities and climate zones. This guide is written to answer all of those questions in one place, with links throughout to more detail on specific topics.

What Is a Title 24 Report?

A Title 24 report is the energy compliance documentation required for many California building permits. The name comes from Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations — specifically Part 6, the state's Building Energy Efficiency Standards. The report demonstrates that a specific project's design, as drawn, meets the energy targets set for its location and building type.

In practice, a Title 24 report is generated using state-approved compliance software (CBECC-Res for residential projects, CBECC-Com for commercial ones), which models the building's envelope, HVAC system, water heating, and other energy-consuming systems against a calculated budget for the project's climate zone. If the design meets the budget, it complies. If it doesn't, the design needs to change — more insulation, better windows, more efficient equipment — until it does, or the applicant needs to pursue additional credits to close the gap.

The specific document most people mean when they say "Title 24 report" is the CF1R, or Certificate of Compliance — more on that below. But the report itself is really a package: the compliance forms, the supporting calculations behind them, and documentation of any measures that will require field verification later in construction.

Most projects can pursue compliance through one of two paths. The prescriptive path requires meeting a fixed set of component-by-component requirements — a specific minimum wall insulation value, a specific maximum window U-factor, and so on — with no calculation trade-offs allowed between components. The performance path instead models the building as a whole and compares its total calculated energy use against a budget, which allows a weaker feature in one area (say, a larger window) to be offset by a stronger feature elsewhere (better insulation or a more efficient HVAC system). Performance modeling is more flexible but requires more detailed inputs and more calculation; prescriptive is simpler but less forgiving of design trade-offs. Which path fits a given project depends on the design, not a fixed rule — an energy consultant typically evaluates both and recommends whichever gets to compliance with the least added cost.

It's also worth being clear about who prepares these reports and what "approved" means in this context. Title 24 reports are generated using compliance software specifically approved by the California Energy Commission for the applicable code cycle — CBECC-Res and CBECC-Com are the state's own reference software, and a small number of third-party tools are also CEC-approved. The report itself is typically prepared by an energy consultant familiar with the software and the current code requirements. Field verification, where required, is performed separately by a certified HERS rater — a distinct role from the person who prepares the paper compliance documentation.

When Is a Title 24 Report Required?

Not every project needs one, and it's worth being direct about that rather than implying otherwise. Whether a Title 24 report is required depends on your project's scope and what it touches. As a general pattern:

The exact answer for your specific permit depends on your local building department's interpretation and the specifics of your scope of work. If you're unsure, the safest step is to ask your building department directly or have an energy consultant review your plans before you submit — it's much easier to answer this question before permit submittal than after a plan-check comment comes back asking for missing documentation.

ADUs and JADUs

Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) require energy compliance documentation regardless of size or configuration — detached, attached, or converted from an existing garage. This surprises some homeowners converting a garage, since no new building envelope is being constructed from scratch, but under Title 24 a garage conversion is treated as a change of use: the space moves from unconditioned storage to conditioned living space, which triggers full compliance review of insulation, windows, and HVAC.

Junior ADUs (JADUs) — capped at 500 square feet and required to be built within the existing footprint of the primary residence — aren't exempt either. JADU projects typically use a CF1R-ADD or CF1R-ALT form depending on the specific scope, but the underlying requirement is the same: documented energy compliance before the permit is issued.

The specific compliance approach differs somewhat by ADU type. A detached, newly constructed ADU is generally modeled more like a small standalone home — a complete envelope, independent HVAC system, and its own water heating, evaluated as its own building even though zoning treats it as accessory to the main house. An attached ADU, sharing a wall or roofline with the primary residence, sometimes has a simpler path since some systems may be shared with the main house, though it still requires its own dedicated compliance documentation. A JADU, being required to sit within the existing structure, is typically treated as an addition or alteration to the existing building rather than new construction, which affects which specific form applies but not whether documentation is required at all.

Garage Conversions

As noted above, converting a garage to living space — for an ADU, a bedroom, a home office, or any other conditioned use — requires Title 24 documentation covering the conversion's new insulation, window, and HVAC requirements. Because most garages aren't insulated to habitable-space standards as originally built, this often means the compliance calculation drives real, tangible upgrades: wall and ceiling insulation, window replacement if the existing openings don't meet code, and selection of an appropriately efficient HVAC system for the new space (ductless mini-splits are common for garage conversions, since the space is often isolated from the main house's existing ductwork).

Additions and Remodels

Whether an addition or remodel needs a Title 24 report depends on what it touches. Additions that add conditioned floor area — a new bedroom, an expanded living room, a sunroom with HVAC — generally need documentation sized to the addition's scope. Remodels are more variable: a remodel that replaces HVAC equipment, windows, or insulation typically needs to demonstrate that the replacements meet current efficiency standards, while a remodel that's purely cosmetic (new flooring, cabinets, paint) generally doesn't trigger Title 24 review at all. The dividing line is whether the building envelope or energy-consuming systems are being altered — if they are, expect to need documentation; if they aren't, you likely don't.

New Residential Construction

New single-family and low-rise multifamily construction faces the most comprehensive Title 24 requirements of any residential project type. A complete CBECC-Res model is required, covering the full building envelope, HVAC system, water heating, and — under the current 2025 Energy Code for permits submitted on or after January 1, 2026 — solar PV and, in many cases, battery storage sizing and electric-ready provisions for future heat pump equipment. New construction reports are correspondingly more involved than a simple remodel report, both in terms of scope and typically in terms of preparation time, since every energy-consuming system in the building needs to be accounted for rather than just the specific systems being altered.

Multifamily new construction (low-rise, generally up to three stories) is evaluated under largely the same residential framework, though building-wide considerations — shared systems, common-area loads, and per-unit versus whole-building modeling choices — add complexity that a single-family project doesn't have. High-rise residential and larger multifamily developments shift into the nonresidential compliance framework described below.

Commercial Projects

Commercial buildings — retail, office, restaurant, warehouse, and mixed-use — use a separate compliance framework (Nonresidential Energy Compliance, prepared with CBECC-Com rather than CBECC-Res) but the underlying principle is the same: demonstrate that the project's design meets the energy budget for its occupancy type, size, and climate zone. Commercial requirements scale with conditioned square footage and system complexity, and larger commercial buildout projects often involve more back-and-forth with plan check than a typical residential project simply because there's more to review — lighting power density calculations, process loads specific to the business type, and often multiple HVAC zones all factor into a commercial energy model in ways a single-family remodel never has to address. Tenant improvement projects — build-outs within an existing commercial shell — are generally evaluated based on the scope of the specific improvement rather than the entire building, though this varies by jurisdiction and project specifics.

CF1R and Related Compliance Documents

The CF1R (Certificate of Compliance, Form 1, Residential) is the primary Title 24 document for most residential projects. It documents the building's envelope specifications, HVAC system and efficiency rating, water heating equipment, and applicable mandatory measures, generated through CBECC-Res.

Two related forms come into play later in the process, though they're not part of the report itself. The CF2R (Certificate of Installation) is completed by the contractor during construction, confirming that the equipment actually installed matches what the CF1R specified. The CF3R (Certificate of Verification) is completed by a certified HERS rater for any measures that require field verification — see the next section. 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 a given project's compliance approach.

For nonresidential projects, the equivalent form family uses an NRCC prefix (Nonresidential Certificate of Compliance) rather than CF1R, with corresponding installation and verification certificates. The naming differs, but the design-install-verify structure is the same.

HERS Verification

HERS (Home Energy Rating System) verification is a field inspection process, separate from the paper compliance documentation, that confirms certain measures were installed and are performing as the report specified. Not every project triggers HERS requirements — it depends entirely on which compliance credits the specific energy model relies on. Certain prescriptive credits, such as duct sealing to a specified leakage threshold, refrigerant charge verification, and air leakage testing, are only valid if confirmed in the field by a certified HERS rater. If a project's compliance path doesn't use any of these credits, no HERS verification is required at all.

When HERS verification does apply, the practical workflow is straightforward but timing matters: the HERS rater — a separate role from whoever prepared the Title 24 report, though some firms offer both — needs to test at the appropriate construction phase, often before drywall goes up for duct and envelope testing, and at system startup for HVAC-related measures. Scheduling this too late in construction can create real delays, since some tests require access to unfinished walls or ductwork. A well-prepared Title 24 report should clearly flag which measures, if any, will require HERS verification, so it's never a surprise discovered at final inspection — and so the HERS rater can be scheduled at the right point in the construction timeline rather than after the relevant work is already covered up.

California Climate Zones and Your Report

California is divided into 16 energy climate zones, each reflecting a different combination of temperature, humidity, and solar exposure. Your climate zone determines the specific numeric targets your report needs to meet — required insulation R-values, maximum window U-factors and solar heat gain coefficients, and minimum HVAC efficiency ratings. A design that easily complies in a mild coastal zone might need meaningful upgrades to meet the same energy budget in a hot Central Valley or desert zone.

Broadly, lower-numbered zones tend to correspond to coastal and northern areas with milder, more moderate conditions, where ocean influence keeps cooling loads manageable. Mid-range zones cover transitional and Central Valley areas, where hot, dry summers drive cooling-related requirements higher. The highest-numbered zones represent California's most extreme conditions — the punishing summer heat of the southern San Joaquin Valley, the low desert, and high-altitude mountain communities facing serious winter cold — and generally carry the most demanding compliance targets in the state.

Climate zones don't follow county lines neatly — some counties span two or three zones — so the zone that applies is based on your project's specific address, not just its city or county. This also means a Title 24 report prepared for one address generally can't be reused for a different one, even for an identical floor plan, if the two sites fall in different zones. You can check your zone using the California Energy Commission's official climate zone tool, and it's confirmed against your address as part of preparing any report.

What Information Is Needed to Prepare a Report

The single biggest factor in how quickly you receive a Title 24 report is how complete the information provided is at the start. At minimum, preparing a report typically requires:

For commercial projects, add occupancy type, a lighting plan or fixture schedule, and any process loads specific to the business (commercial kitchen equipment, server rooms, and similar). If equipment hasn't been finalized yet, a consultant can typically recommend a baseline efficiency target to use as a placeholder, to be confirmed before installation.

The Typical Process

While specifics vary by provider, the general shape of the process is consistent across most Title 24 reports:

The consultant reviews the submitted plans and project details, confirms the applicable climate zone, and identifies whether the prescriptive or performance compliance path fits the design better — sometimes running both to see which gets to compliance with fewer required upgrades. Once the calculation is complete, the report is delivered as a signed PDF, formatted for either digital upload to an online permit portal or printing for in-person submittal, depending on what the specific building department requires. If plan check comes back with corrections — whether related to the energy report itself or to a broader plan revision that affects it — the report is updated to match and resubmitted. For most residential projects this entire cycle, from initial submission to receiving the finished report, takes 24–48 hours; it only extends meaningfully when the initial plans are incomplete or the project scope is large enough to require more extensive modeling.

What Affects Pricing

Title 24 report pricing varies by project type, reflecting real differences in the complexity of the underlying energy modeling. As of this writing, typical starting prices for common project types are: residential alterations from $195, ADU reports from $250, JADU reports from $225, new construction from $245, and commercial reports from $350. Same-day rush service, where available, typically adds a flat fee. Complexity beyond the baseline — additions to non-conforming structures, multiple HVAC zones, mixed-use buildings — can move the price beyond the starting figure. See our full pricing page for current rates by service.

What Affects Turnaround Time

Turnaround is driven mostly by plan completeness rather than the calculation itself — modern compliance software runs quickly once inputs are entered, but a consultant working from an incomplete plan set has to go back and forth clarifying details, which is what actually stretches timelines. As a general reference, standard turnaround for straightforward residential projects is commonly 24–48 hours once complete plans are received, with same-day rush options available from some providers for an additional fee. New construction and larger commercial projects typically take longer simply because there's more to model.

Plan-Check Corrections

Plan-check corrections related to Title 24 are common and usually avoidable. The most frequent causes aren't errors in the underlying calculations — they're documentation and plan-matching issues. A mismatch between the floor plan submitted for permit and the floor plan the energy report was based on is probably the single most common cause: if plans get revised after the energy report is completed but before permit submittal, the report needs to be updated to match before it's resubmitted. Missing disclosure of applicable HERS verification requirements, an incomplete mandatory measures checklist, and use of an outdated code cycle or software version are the other common triggers.

A mismatched climate zone is a less frequent but more consequential issue — a report prepared for the wrong zone can pass a cursory review and still be substantively wrong, since the underlying numeric targets would be incorrect for the actual site. Confirming the zone against the specific project address, not just the general area, is a basic check worth insisting on before a report is finalized. Working with a consultant who explicitly confirms plan-set alignment, zone accuracy, and current code-cycle compliance before delivery avoids the large majority of plan-check corrections related to energy compliance.

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