Does My Project Fall Under the 2022 or the 2025 Energy Code?
Your permit application date decides it. Applications from 1 January 2023 through 31 December 2025 fall under the 2022 Energy Code, and applications on or after 1 January 2026 fall under the 2025 Energy Code, which is in force now. The building department sets that date, so the first step is to ask it.
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Step 1: get the recorded date
HCD’s bulletin on the 2025 code says the permit application date is generally established by the local government, and tells readers to ask the building department how it is set. Ask which date it has recorded for your application and what makes an application count as filed.
Step 2: read it against the editions
The Energy Commission’s 2022 page says buildings whose permit applications are applied for on or after 1 January 2023 must comply with the 2022 Energy Code, and its 2025 page makes the same statement for 1 January 2026. Section 100.0(a)2 of Part 6 ties scope to the application, or the renewal of an existing permit, filed on or after an edition’s effective date.
What does not decide it
The edition does not follow the day work starts, the day the permit is issued or the date on your drawings. What changed in 2025 covers the differences between editions.
What else follows the same date
Compliance software does. The Commission’s 2022 software page says applications between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2025 must use approved 2022 software, and its 2025 page says applications from 1 January 2026 must use approved 2025 software. As of October 2026 that page also says new applications from 18 December 2026 must use CBECC 2025.3.0 or newer. See compliance software.
Cases that move the date
- A permit that expired with no construction under it needs a new application, assessed under the code in force on the new date (Section 10-103(d)1). Expired permits has the detail.
- Amended plans after a change must go back for approval (Section 10-103(a)2B), but that section does not name an edition. Ask the department which one it will review them against.
- A city ordinance stricter than the state code has its own approval, as what a reach code is explains.
The same date rule governs the other parts of Title 24; the parts of Title 24 lists them, and how long a report is valid covers reusing an older 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
If the department recorded the application in 2025, the 2022 Energy Code applies. Confirm the recorded date with the department.
The Commission’s pages tie the edition to the application date and describe no opt-in. Ask the department if you want to raise it.
Explore 2025 Energy Code and 2026 Permits
- Will the Energy Code Change Again? The 2028 Title 24 Code and What It Means for a 2026 Permit
- Title 24 Requirements in California
- What Changed in the 2025 Energy Code?
- How the 2025 Title 24 Calculation Differs From 2022: LSC, Heat Pump Baseline and Testing
- Title 24 Hotline: Who to Ask About an Energy Code Question
View all 2025 Energy Code and 2026 Permits guides → · Title 24 Guide · Title 24 guide