Change of Use Title 24: Retail to Restaurant
Changing a shop to a restaurant triggers nothing by itself; the Section 141.0(b) requirements for the new occupancy attach to whatever the project alters. The effects show in lighting, where the retail 0.95 watts per square foot allowance falls to between 0.40 and 0.45 in dining areas, and in ventilation rates that follow the restaurant use.
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The change and the work are separate triggers
The Energy Commission manual says a change of occupancy alone, with no tenant improvements or other changes, requires no action under the Energy Code. Once alterations are made, the alteration or addition rules apply for the new occupancy, and Part 6 says the same in Note 1 to Section 141.0. The 2025 manual defers to its 2022 predecessor on this point. The general rule is on the change of use page.
Lighting: the budget drops with the use
Table 140.6-C allows retail merchandise sales 0.95 watts per square foot. Dining is 0.45 for bar, lounge and fine dining and for cafeteria and fast food, 0.40 for family and leisure; a kitchen is 0.95. The Complete Building Method offers a restaurant one figure of 0.65 where that use is at least 90 percent of the tenant space. Luminaires left untouched are not held to the new figure, but altering 10 percent or more of the luminaires in an enclosed space triggers Section 141.0(b)2I. A shop relight is the usual overage.
Ventilation follows the people
Table 120.1-A defaults retail sales to 17 people per 1,000 square feet and 0.2 cfm per square foot, and restaurant dining rooms to 33 people and 0.15. At 15 cfm per person under Equation 120.1-F, those defaults work out to roughly 255 cfm per 1,000 square feet of sales floor and 495 for a dining room, before any higher figure the designer states. A kitchen is rated at 3 people per 1,000 square feet and brings its own exhaust, covered on the commercial kitchen page. The rates apply to the ventilation work done. For a restaurant remodel overall, see restaurant remodel.
Check the shell history first
If the retail space was never occupied, a first-time fit-out can be classified as new construction by the building department, which changes the starting point. Separately, an unconditioned bay brought into use is newly conditioned space and an addition. Your plans can be sent from the commercial Title 24 reports page for a project-specific scope.
Common Title 24 Questions
- When does a commercial project need Title 24?
- Does an office tenant improvement need Title 24?
- Does a restaurant remodel need Title 24?
- Does a retail tenant improvement need Title 24?
- What plans are needed for a commercial Title 24 report?
- What is an NRCC certificate of compliance?
Frequently Asked Questions
Not by the change alone. Work that alters lighting, ventilation or conditioning is assessed against the restaurant occupancy, and lighting power and controls follow once 10 percent or more of luminaires change.
Often not. Retail sales is 0.95 watts per square foot and dining areas are 0.40 to 0.45, so a relight usually needs a recalculation on NRCC-LTI-E.
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