Can Title 24 Be Done From Preliminary Plans?
A compliance run can start from preliminary plans and it is worth doing, but treat it as a draft. The certificate filed with the permit must agree with the final drawings, so it is signed, and registered where testing applies, once the design is complete.
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What a preliminary set can answer
Three numbers do most of the early work. In the performance method the standard design copies your window area up to 20 percent of the conditioned floor area, and anything beyond is budgeted at 20 percent, so glass beyond that is not matched in the budget. The prescriptive table caps total glazing at 20 percent in all 16 climate zones, with west-facing glazing held to 5 percent in zones 2, 4 and 6 to 15. The third is the heat pump baseline, which a gas furnace has to overcome elsewhere in the design.
What a draft cannot do
The compliance manual says the inputs must correspond to the final approved plan set, and it places the compliance documents after the design is complete and before the permit application. The certificate must also carry a project name and location consistent with the plans (Section 10-103(a)1A) and two signatures: the documentation author and the person responsible for the design. A preliminary run has neither.
If the lot orientation is open
The performance method has a multiple orientation alternative. The energy use is calculated facing north, east, south and west, and one CF1R covering all four is enough for each unique or reversed plan in a climate zone. The efficiency measures must be identical in every orientation.
What to fix in the sketch
- Conditioned floor area and volume.
- Window area on each wall.
- Wall, roof and floor assembly types.
- The heating, cooling and water heating system types.
Everything else can be an assumption, as long as it is listed and confirmed before filing. See what plans a residential report needs and 12 things to know before ordering. Equipment questions are on the final HVAC equipment page, and later drawing changes are in when the architect changes the plans. Glazing limits for additions are on room additions. Our residential Title 24 reports can start at design stage.
Common Title 24 Questions
- What is Title 24?
- Do I need a Title 24 report?
- How much does a Title 24 report cost?
- How long does a Title 24 report take?
- What is included in a Title 24 report?
- What plans do I need to upload?
Frequently Asked Questions
Only if the final plans match it. The certificate has to be consistent with the plans submitted for the permit, so most projects re-run the model on the final set.
Yes. It shows whether glazing, orientation or system choices put the design at risk while they are still cheap to change.
Explore Permit-Ready Reports
- Title 24 Checklist Before Building Permit Submittal
- What Is a Title 24 Compliance Letter?
- Title 24 for a Project With No Existing Plans
- What Must the Plan Set Show for Title 24?
- What Does "Permit-Ready" Mean for a Title 24 Report, and What Does It Not Promise?
View all Permit-Ready Reports guides → · Reports and Calculations · Title 24 guide