Can my consultant write a letter instead of a CF1R?

No. Section 10-103(a)1 requires a certificate in the Commission’s format with a declaration and two signatures, so a letter does not stand in for it. Ask whoever requested the letter whether a copy of the CF1R will do.

Is the final inspection sign-off the compliance letter?

It is the department’s own record. Final inspection for a house is not complete until compliance is verified, and a final certificate of occupancy waits for the same check, but the certificates remain the compliance documents.

My department says my water heater swap needs no paperwork. Do I need anything?

The department may require no certificate or use simplified documentation. Allowing that does not authorize work that breaks the code, so keep whatever the department gives you.

What Is a Title 24 Compliance Letter?

The Energy Code names no document called a compliance letter. It names certificates, and a request for a “Title 24 compliance letter” nearly always means one of them: the CF1R before the permit, or the installation and verification certificates after the work. The building department’s approval is the stamp or signature on the permit, not a separate letter.

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What the Standards name

Part 1, Section 10-103 lists four kinds of certificate: compliance, installation, acceptance and verification. A letter is not among them. Each follows a format approved by the Energy Commission and carries a declaration signed by the people the Standards name. Where field verification applies to a low-rise residential project, the certificate is also registered, and its registration number is printed on it.

Who is asking, and what to give them

A building department, before the permit: the CF1R, which the department approves by stamp or authorized signature (Section 10-103(a)2A).
An owner or buyer wanting proof the work was finished to code: the CF2R from each installer and, where testing applied, the CF3R. At final inspection the builder must leave copies of these in the building for the owner (Section 10-103(b)1A).
A lender or any other outside party: ask which of these it wants, because the code gives it no letter to ask for.
Someone told no paperwork is needed: for residential alterations that need no field verification, and for additions under 300 square feet that need none, the department may require no certificate or accept its own simplified form (Section 10-103(a)1C). The work must still comply, so ask what it will accept.

Why a consultant’s letter is not a substitute

Section 10-103(a)1 requires the certificate itself to follow the Commission’s format, carry a project name and location consistent with the plans, and be signed by both the documentation author and the person responsible for the design. Where registration applies, the copy submitted must be the registered one. A letter stating that a design complies does none of this. If a provider offers a letter, ask for the certificate as well; who can prepare a Title 24 report explains the two signatures and CHEERS registration explains the registry.

The department’s own record

The department’s sign-off is separate from the certificates. Section 10-103(d)1 treats a permit approved with its usual stamp as its written determination that the design complies, and Section 10-103(d)2 bars a final certificate of occupancy until compliance is verified. If you need copies of what was filed, read how to find a copy of your Title 24 report. If none was ever prepared, what happens with no report explains the options.

Common Title 24 Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

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