What Does "Permit-Ready" Mean for a Title 24 Report, and What Does It Not Promise?
Permit-ready means the report is complete enough to be judged: it follows the Energy Commission format, carries both signatures, matches your plans in name and location, and is registered where field verification applies. It does not mean approved. Only the building department can approve it; installers and an ECC-Rater add their own certificates later.
- Choose your report
- Upload your plans
- Pay securely
- Permit-ready report by email
A claim about the document, not the outcome
Only the building department can approve a report. Part 1, Section 10-103(a)2A has it approve the certificate of compliance by stamp or authorized signature before the permit issues, and Section 10-103(d)1 bars the permit without a written determination that the design complies with the Part 6 in force on the application date. Read the phrase as "ready to be judged".
What the phrase should cover
- The Commission-approved format, with signatures from both the documentation author and the person responsible for the design (electronic where registered).
- A project name and location that match the other sheets, plus the registration number where registration applies.
- A declaration that the features listed agree with the plans and specifications.
A certificate missing one is incomplete however good the model. The checklist before permit submittal turns them into eight checks.
What no report can promise
The compliance manual says plan check looks first at fire, life and safety, then at energy, so a faultless report can sit in a set returned for something else. Later steps are not the report writer's: installers sign certificates of installation, an ECC-Rater (the new name for a HERS rater since 1 January 2026) signs certificates of verification, and for an R-3 dwelling the final inspection is not complete until the inspector has matched them to the approved plans.
If the department returns it anyway
The plans examiner compares the CF1R with the drawings and flags vague, missing or incorrect information; the applicant corrects it and resubmits, with the registered copy where registration applies. Our residential reports include revisions until the project complies. The order of steps for a revision is on its own page.
Ready today may not be ready next month
If a specification changes before construction ends so the building may no longer comply, amended plans and certificates go back to the department. For some small jobs a department may require no certificate at all; see the compliance letter page. Signers are covered in who can prepare a report.
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
No. The department approves the certificate by stamp or authorized signature, and issues the permit only after a written determination that the design complies. A permit-ready report removes avoidable reasons for a return; it cannot decide the outcome.
Installers sign certificates of installation for the features they install, and an ECC-Rater signs certificates of verification where testing applies. The inspector checks all of them against the approved plans at final.
Explore Permit-Ready Reports
- Why Does the Plan Checker Say Title 24 Does Not Match the Plans?
- 2025 Residential Mandatory Measures: A Section 150.0 Checklist
- 12 Things to Know Before Ordering a Title 24 Report
- Title 24 Checklist: What to Have Ready Before You Order
- Who Supplies What for a Title 24 Report: Designer, Window Supplier, HVAC Contractor and Installers
View all Permit-Ready Reports guides → · Reports and Calculations · Title 24 guide