Who Is Responsible for the Title 24 Report: Owner, Designer or Contractor?
No one person owns all of it. The permit applicant submits the certificate of compliance, the person responsible for the design signs it, each installer certifies their own work, and the builder leaves the copies for the owner. The code names the signatures but not who pays, so settle that in writing.
- Choose your report
- Upload your plans
- Pay securely
- Permit-ready report by email
Seven steps, seven owners
- Order the report. The code does not say who commissions it. An energy consultant often prepares the CF1R for the owner, builder or designer.
- Prepare and declare. The people who write the certificate sign a declaration that it is accurate and complete (Part 1, Section 10-103(a)1).
- Sign for the design. The person eligible under Division 3 of the Business and Professions Code to accept responsibility for the design signs. If several people share the design, each signs their portion, or the person with chief responsibility signs for all.
- Submit and register. The compliance manual says the owner, builder or contractor applies for the building permit, with the certificate attached. Where field verification is required, whoever is responsible for the certificate also submits it to an ECC-provider registry.
- Install and certify. Each installing contractor signs a certificate of installation for the work, and may delegate the signing only under a written agreement that keeps legal responsibility with them.
- Test. Where the design needs field verification, the builder or installer passes the registered CF2R to the ECC-Rater, who runs the test and signs the verification certificate.
- Hand over. At final inspection the builder must leave copies of the certificates in the building for the owner, and the inspector checks they are there.
Where jobs usually slip
Two gaps are easy to fall into. Nobody books the ECC-Rater because each party assumes another has. And a change order alters equipment with nobody checking the report, although the permit applicant and the building department are responsible for verifying that changes do not compromise compliance. See different equipment than the CF1R.
Questions to ask before signing a contract
- Who will apply for the permit and attach the CF1R?
- Does the price include the ECC-Rater and the certificates of installation?
- Who hands me the registered copies at final?
Credentials are in who can prepare a report, and doing your own shows what an owner can sign. We prepare the report for a residential project, while the design signature stays with the responsible person.
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
The Standards assign signatures and submissions, not payment. The contract between owner, builder and designer decides who covers the report, the installer certificates and the ECC-Rater.
Only through a written authorized-representative agreement signed by both parties, which leaves legal responsibility with the contractor.
Explore Who Needs Title 24?
- How to Choose a Title 24 Consultant
- Builders: Title 24 for a Tract That Spans Two Climate Zones
- What Every California Homeowner Should Know About Title 24
- Title 24 Reports for Homeowners
- Title 24 for HVAC Contractors
View all Who Needs Title 24? guides → · Title 24 Guide · Title 24 guide