Carport Conversion Title 24 Requirements
Enclosing a carport into a room or ADU is an addition under Section 150.2(a), and almost the whole shell is new, because an open carport has no walls to keep. Solar is not required for the conversion, but demolishing the carport and building a new unit on its footprint changes that answer.
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An open carport has nothing to keep
Conditioned floor area is measured at the outside of the walls enclosing conditioned space (Section 100.1), and a carport has none. The relief for existing garage siding mostly disappears. New framing takes U-0.048, or U-0.065 in zones 6 and 7, and only a wall that extends an existing wood-framed wall may keep its depth with R-15 or R-21 cavity insulation.
- Roof. At 700 square feet or less, R-38 (zones 1, 2, 4 and 8 to 16) or R-30 (zones 3 and 5 to 7) below a ventilated attic, with a radiant barrier in zones 2 to 15, or R-22 in an enclosed rafter ceiling. Additions must also meet the cool-roof rule unless they are 300 square feet or less: a one-car footprint of about 200 clears that line, a two-car one of 400 does not.
- Slab. No perimeter insulation in zones 1 to 15; R-7 in zone 16.
- Glass and doors. Glass in a closed-in side counts against the cap of 75 square feet or 30 percent of floor area at 400 or less. Doors are U-0.20.
Convert or rebuild: solar flips
Photovoltaics are not required for additions (Exception 6 to Section 150.2(a)). For a newly constructed building, which has never been occupied, Section 150.1(c)14 counts carport and other new roof space toward the solar access roof area. So a carport kept and walled in is an addition. A carport demolished and replaced by a new detached unit is new construction, and PV applies unless an exception does, such as a calculated size under 1.8 kWdc.
State ADU law is why the choice comes up: HCD says no replacement parking may be required when a carport is converted, and no setback applies to an ADU built in a new structure at the same location and dimensions as an existing one. Those are planning matters.
Open carports are on patio covers, a similar shell is patio enclosure, the garage case is garage conversion ADUs, and ADU solar is on ADU solar. See our residential reports.
Common Title 24 Questions
- When is Title 24 required for a home?
- Does a remodel need Title 24?
- Does a room addition need Title 24?
- What plans are needed for a residential Title 24 report?
- How much does a residential Title 24 report cost?
- How long does a residential Title 24 report take?
Frequently Asked Questions
Not as a conversion, because PV is not required for additions. A new detached unit built after demolition is assessed for PV unless an exception applies.
The envelope rules attach to conditioned space, so an open carport is outside them. Lighting fixed to a building is regulated, and the department decides what it wants to see.
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