Title 24 Reports in Escondido

Escondido is climate zone 10, the inland zone it shares with San Marcos, while Vista, one city further west, is already zone 7. Here the City itself hands ADU applicants the Title 24 calculations for its pre-approved plans.

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Pre-approved ADUs arrive with their calculations

Escondido's Pre-Approved ADU programme offers four plan sets for detached, single-storey units, free to download: a 484 square foot studio or one-bedroom, a 644 square foot two-bedroom, an 851 square foot two-bedroom and a 1,000 square foot two-bedroom that can become a three-bedroom. The City states that the plans comply with its zoning, energy and building codes, and its guidance says it provides the Title 24 calculations for the plan selected. What is left to the applicant is registration: the calculations go into CHEERS, the Energy Commission's compliance registry, and an ECC-Rater, the role formerly called a HERS rater, is hired for the final inspection, with the results uploaded there too.

Two limits apply. The size, shape and configuration of a plan cannot change, but the FAQ lets applicants alter select features, windows and doors among them. Glazing area and window performance are inputs to the energy calculations, so a changed window is worth checking against the City's calculations before anything is registered. The programme also covers new detached units only; a garage conversion or an attached unit is not eligible and is documented on its own terms.

Old Escondido reviews the window first

In the Old Escondido Historic District, established in 1989 with about 900 homes, every homeowner needs a Certificate of Appropriateness before exterior changes, window replacement included, whether or not the house is on the historic register. The City's design guidelines discourage vinyl or aluminium replacements where the original windows are wood, and advise against swapping historic multi-paned sash for thermal sash with false muntins. A new ADU there has to take on the style of the main house. Whatever window survives that review is the one the energy calculations describe.

Growth written into the plans

Escondido's share of regional housing need is 9,607 units for 2021 to 2029. The East Valley Specific Plan, adopted in July 2023, allows roughly 6,164 homes, and the Downtown Specific Plan plans another 5,275. Apartment buildings in those areas are measured against the Energy Code's multifamily standards, which since the 2022 code have covered low-rise and high-rise buildings alike.

Submitting in Escondido

The Building Division accepts plans only in electronic form. Re-roofs, water heaters, HVAC work, solar, alterations, ADUs and tenant improvements are among the permits that must go through the Escondido Portal, and new projects since March 2024 are reviewed in ProjectDox. The City adopted the 2025 codes in December 2025 without technical amendments, and it has said it will not extend plan check on applications submitted before 1 January 2026. Escondido has no ordinance on the Energy Commission's list of local energy codes. Clean Energy Alliance has bought the city's power since 1 April 2023, with SDG&E still delivering it, and the 2025 fire hazard map grades parts of the city Moderate, High or Very High.

Common Title 24 Questions in Escondido

Escondido projects fall in California climate zone 10. The zone drives the envelope and equipment requirements a report has to meet, and a single city can span more than one, so it is confirmed per address.

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