Title 24 Report Cost for an ADU: Area, Units and Scope

02Does this ADU need an energy report?

New detached ADUs and many conversions creating conditioned living space need Energy Code documentation, but the compliance classification matters. The CEC’s ADU FAQs distinguish newly constructed detached buildings, additions of conditioned area and alterations of already conditioned space. Do not decide the pathway from the word “ADU” alone.

For example, converting an unconditioned garage can be an energy addition even when the exterior footprint is unchanged. Repurposing approved conditioned rooms presents a different boundary. Ask the designer and AHJ to establish the existing condition and proposed scope; an energy report does not decide planning eligibility or authorize an independent dwelling.

Where the single-family form family applies, the CF1R is design-compliance evidence. Registration and later installer/verification documentation must be coordinated when required. The service quote should identify the design documents being prepared, not imply that every construction-stage task is included.

Do I need Title 24 for an ADU?Detailed ADU energy guidance

03Use area and units—not an ADU surcharge

The residential table is the same menu used on the pricing page. Identify conditioned square footage included in the requested documentation and explain existing versus proposed units. A detached building is not automatically a separate invented price class, and a small ADU does not establish an exemption from energy requirements.

The published dwelling-unit supplement is $75 for each additional unit beyond the first. Do not silently count every dwelling already on the parcel as a unit included in the new report. Show the site and the requested scope so the preparer can confirm the units and floor area being priced.

A multi-unit proposal may need classification review before assigning a form family. The rate menu does not establish that CF1R is universal to every multifamily configuration. Clarify whether the request covers one ADU, several dwellings or a broader building package.

04Illustrative estimate: two units included in one request

ILLUSTRATIVE ONLY: a scoped residential request includes 1,100 conditioned square feet in total and two dwelling units. With no rush, the shared published-price calculator returns $224: the applicable residential area band plus one additional-unit supplement. This is arithmetic for those stated inputs, not a new ADU rate.

If the actual request instead covers only one new ADU while the main house remains outside the documentation scope, the unit/area inputs need to reflect that confirmed scope. Do not reuse the two-unit estimate simply because two buildings appear on a site plan.

The example does not decide whether the design complies, which analysis boundary is allowed, whether PV provisions apply or which registration/verification tasks are required. Those decisions come from the actual project, applicable code and reviewing agency.

05Prepare the packet before selecting rush

Send the site plan, existing/proposed floor plans, conditioned-area schedule, proposed use/unit count, elevations, sections and relevant assemblies. Include window dimensions and U-factor/SHGC, HVAC and water-heating intentions, and PV/storage information where part of the design. Mark unknowns rather than supplying unsupported values.

State the AHJ-recorded application date. The 2025 Energy Code applies to permit applications on or after January 1, 2026; a garage’s age or an older drawing date does not establish an earlier code cycle. Ask the AHJ about previous unpermitted work or a newly filed application.

Residential rush is +$99 for next-business-day production after complete inputs. It does not include time to resolve missing plans, city review or permit issuance. If you have a target submittal, include it in the request without assuming an unconditional 24-hour promise.

What to send with plansADU/garage-conversion service

06Keep revisions and separate verification in the budget

Our modeling/report error in city plan check is corrected Free. Architectural/design changes after the report are $75 flat; a full remodeled model or larger rebuild needs intake and a custom quote. A conversion changing into a substantially different dwelling design should not be described as an ordinary small revision.

ECC field verification, nonresidential acceptance testing, registry/document-registration fees, CALGreen and AHJ plan-check/permit fees are excluded. Applicable installers certify CF2R records; qualified ECC-Raters handle required CF3R verification. HERS may remain on older-cycle records, but ECC is the current terminology.

Coordinate those participants separately. Uploading a plan set requests scope review; it is not payment, an accepted production commitment or a guarantee of permit approval. A clear request is more useful than assuming every ADU task fits one low headline figure.

CF1R service responsibilitiesPlan-check correction scope

07Four ADU-cost questions

Report-cost hubAddition costRemodel cost

08Turn the estimate into a scoped project request

Use the published menu to budget, then send the actual plans and open questions. Sign-in protects submission and private uploads. No payment is taken online; submitting is not order acceptance, a production commitment or permit approval. Title 24 Lab is a provisional brand. This educational guide is not legal or engineering advice; the AHJ determines applicable requirements.

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