Title 24 Requirements for Fireplaces
A masonry or factory-built fireplace in a California home needs closable metal or glass doors over the whole firebox opening, an outside combustion-air intake of at least 6 square inches with a damper, and a flue damper with a readily accessible control. That is Section 150.0(e), and gas fireplaces may not have a continuously burning pilot light.
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What counts as a fireplace
Section 100.1 defines a fireplace as a hearth and fire chamber, or similar prepared place, in which a fire may be made and which is built with a flue or chimney. Factory-built fireplaces, masonry fireplaces and masonry heaters are all included. Two related terms matter here. A decorative gas appliance is designed or installed for visual effect only, cannot burn solid wood, and simulates a fire in a fireplace. A gas log is a self-contained, free-standing, open-flame gas appliance with simulated logs, designed for installation only in a vented fireplace.
The three requirements of Section 150.0(e)
- Doors. Closable metal or glass doors covering the entire opening of the firebox. The CEC's multifamily manual, commenting on the identical rule for apartments, applies it to fireplaces, decorative gas appliances and gas logs alike.
- Outside combustion air. An intake drawing air from outside the building, at least 6 square inches in area, with a readily accessible, operable and tight-fitting damper or combustion-air control device. It is not required where the fireplace sits over concrete slab flooring and is not on an exterior wall.
- Flue damper. A damper with a readily accessible control. Where a gas log, log lighter or decorative gas appliance is installed in the fireplace, the damper is blocked open if the California Mechanical Code or the manufacturer's installation instructions require it.
The same section requires the fireplace to comply with Section 110.5 and with Section 4.503 of CALGreen.
No standing pilot
Section 110.5 lists natural gas equipment that may be installed only if it has no continuously burning pilot light. Indoor and outdoor fireplaces are on that list, alongside fan-type central furnaces, household cooking appliances, and pool and spa heaters. An outdoor gas fireplace on a patio is covered as much as one in the living room.
CALGreen's rule for gas and wood
CALGreen Section 4.503.1 requires any installed gas fireplace to be a direct-vent sealed-combustion type. Woodstoves and pellet stoves must meet U.S. EPA New Source Performance Standards emission limits where applicable and carry a permanent label certifying it, and woodstoves, pellet stoves and fireplaces must also meet local ordinances. HCD's summary of the residential measures applies them to new homes, and to additions and alterations that increase conditioned area, volume or size, within the area of the work. CALGreen is Part 11 rather than the Energy Code; see Title 24 vs CALGreen.
How fireplaces sit with the heating rules
Fireplaces and decorative gas appliances are exempt from the setback thermostat requirement of Section 110.2(c), and ducts and fans integral to a wood heater or fireplace are exempt from the duct requirements of Section 150.0(m)1. On the performance path, the CEC's single-family manual says a gas-vented fireplace that meets the zonal control requirements may qualify for the zonal control credit, and that one with a handheld remote can meet the thermostat requirement for the two-zone credit if it has a manual on control, automatic setback and temperature presets.
Adding a fireplace to an existing home
Section 150.0(e) is among the mandatory measures Section 150.2 carries over to additions and to newly installed equipment in an altered home, so a fireplace put in as part of that work must meet it. Whether the permit needs a full energy report is the building department's call: for residential alterations that need no field verification, Section 10-103(a)1C lets it waive the certificate of compliance or accept simplified documents. The fireplace still has to comply. In apartment buildings, the same three requirements appear in Section 160.1(f).
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
The fireplace rules are mandatory measures, so they apply whenever one is installed as part of permitted work. A stand-alone fireplace permit may not need a full report; the building department decides what documentation it wants.
No. Section 110.5 allows natural gas fireplaces, indoor or outdoor, only without a continuously burning pilot light.
Not if it is installed over concrete slab flooring and is not on an exterior wall. Otherwise an intake of at least 6 square inches with a damper is required.
Where gas logs, a log lighter or a decorative gas appliance is installed, the Mechanical Code or the manufacturer's instructions may require it, and Section 150.0(e) then allows it.