Can I renew an expired permit under the old code?

Part 6 applies to renewals filed on or after the effective date of a new edition, and for an expired permit with no work done, the new permit must meet the code in force when it is applied for. Whether a renewal is offered at all is up to the department.

Does my 2022 Title 24 report work for the new permit?

Not if the new application is dated 1 January 2026 or later. The design is modelled again under the 2025 code, usually from the same drawings.

Does the code edition depend on when construction starts?

No. It follows the permit application date, not the day work begins.

Who decides the application date?

The building department. HCD notes that the permit application date is generally established by the local government.

Expired Permit: Which Title 24 Code Applies?

The code in force on the date of the new application. If a permit expired with no work done and you apply again on or after 1 January 2026, the new permit is assessed under the 2025 Energy Code, and energy documents prepared under the 2022 code do not carry over.

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The rule in Part 1

Section 10-103(d)1 covers this case in so many words. Where a permit was issued, there has been no construction under it and it has expired, the building department "shall not issue a new permit" unless it determines in writing that the construction is designed to comply with the Part 6 requirements in effect on the date the new permit is applied for. That written determination must also confirm that the documentation requirements of Sections 10-103(a)1 and (a)2 are met, which means a certificate of compliance prepared to that edition.

The scope of Part 6 points the same way. Section 100.0(a)2 applies it to buildings for which an application for a building permit "or renewal of an existing permit" is filed on or after the effective date of the provisions.

Why it matters this cycle

The 2025 California Building Standards Code, the Energy Code included, applies to permit applications dated on or after 1 January 2026. A permit applied for during 2025 was assessed under the 2022 Energy Code. If it lapses and the owner applies again now, the new application falls under 2025, and the energy work is redone to that edition with software approved for it. Where the CF1R must be registered, the new one is registered and receives its own registration number. The main differences between the editions are on our 2025 code changes page.

The date is set locally

HCD's bulletin on the 2025 code says the permit application date is generally established by the local government, and tells owners and designers to ask the building department how it is set in their jurisdiction. That matters at the edges: whether the department treats your filing as an extension, a reinstatement, a renewal or a new application decides which edition applies.

Expiry periods are not in the Energy Code either. If a permit is close to lapsing, ask the department what its rules are and whether an extension is still possible before the date passes. An active permit keeps the edition it was applied under.

When work had already started

The sentence in Section 10-103(d)1 is about permits with no construction under them. Where work began and the permit then lapsed, the department decides how the rest of the job is handled. Keep Section 100.0(a)2 in mind: it brings renewals filed after a new code takes effect within that code, so do not assume the old report still covers the remaining work.

The CEC's single-family manual gives a parallel rule for a different situation. Buildings damaged or destroyed by a natural disaster must meet the Energy Code requirements in effect when the builder or owner applies for the permit, for the portions being rebuilt.

What to do next

Confirm with the department whether the permit has expired, or can still be extended.
Ask what application date a new filing will carry.
If that date is 1 January 2026 or later, have the energy documents prepared under the 2025 code. The drawings can be reused; the old CF1R cannot.
Check whether anything else changed since the first submittal. A revised window schedule or a different heat pump changes the report regardless of the code edition; see how long a report is valid.