City guide / Alameda County
Title 24 planning in Berkeley
Preparation guidance for energy compliance documentation in Berkeley, California. Remote statewide service; local requirements come from your building department.
Hypothetical example / Berkeley
A mixed-fuel remodel: establish the edition before assuming local extras
Illustrative scenario: a homeowner proposes a heat pump while retaining a gas range and changing some windows. The architect separates equipment replacement, ventilation, envelope work and unchanged rooms. A search result about an older policy is not used to assign a current permit requirement. First confirm the recorded application date, then ask Berkeley’s Permit Service Center about applicable local amendments and the current status of any separate reach-code proposals. The energy preparer can evaluate a supported design after that basis is clear; a model does not decide planning or building-policy applicability.
Illustrative scenario only; not a statement about local projects, climate or permit rules.
Scenario checklist
- Record the application history
- Separate changed systems from retained appliances
- Request current City direction, not an old policy summary
- Coordinate the final schedules and energy documents
Berkeley: distinguish adopted requirements from proposals
Project-preparation guidance, not a statement of local requirements. Confirm applicability with your project team and reviewing agency.
What the current CEC list does—and does not—show
Berkeley is not listed on the CEC approved-local-ordinances page for the 2025 Energy Code cycle as checked November 6, 2026. That is a bounded observation about that approval list, not proof that every local amendment, CALGreen provision or other building requirement is absent. Do not describe Berkeley as having a CEC-approved 2025 Part 6 reach code on this evidence. Equally, do not turn the absence of an entry into a promise that a proposed mixed-fuel design will be accepted without additional review. Confirm the current position with the City for the actual permit.
Read dated City material as dated material
Berkeley’s November 18, 2025 building-code adoption report describes the statewide 2025 transition and continuing local amendments. It also explains that separate energy reach-code proposals were being developed for later Council review and were not included in that adoption package. A staff proposal is not an adopted requirement, and a historical statement about future work does not establish its current status. Use the official permit resources to ask what has subsequently taken effect. This page does not infer an ordinance threshold, appliance prohibition or exemption from a report title or older news coverage.
Map a mixed-fuel remodel without assuming a policy outcome
List the actual appliances and systems being retained or altered. A retained gas cooking appliance, a new heating/cooling system and a changed window schedule are separate design inputs. The energy preparer needs that distinction to avoid modeling an all-electric project that the plans do not propose—or silently preserving old equipment assumptions after the design changes. The responsible designers and City determine requirements; the preparer documents the agreed design basis.
For the example above, the useful question is not “does Berkeley require everything electric?” It is which adopted provisions apply to this application and affected scope. Ask for the relevant current City resource or written direction, retain the answer and coordinate the equipment, ventilation and architectural sheets. This is practical preparation, not legal advice about a fuel choice.
Berkeley building permits and Permit Service CenterDated City code-adoption report
Use the application date to choose the statewide edition
Current statewide guidance uses the 2025 California Energy Code for permit applications on or after January 1, 2026. Earlier valid applications may use the 2022 edition. Ask the AHJ to confirm the recorded date, especially if a permit expired, work was refiled or the proposed scope changed. Construction start, permit issuance and the architect’s sheet date do not replace the application record. Local-amendment status needs its own confirmation as well.
A useful Berkeley project-type checklist
Prepare a packet that lets the reviewer and documentation team identify the work without guessing what the project label means.
- For a house remodel, provide existing/proposed plans, retained versus replaced systems and the exact HVAC/ventilation scope; identify which rooms and openings change.
- For an ADU, distinguish a new detached building, attached addition and conversion of previously unconditioned or conditioned space. Include dwelling boundaries and main-house impacts.
- For commercial tenant work, identify lighting, mechanical and envelope changes, room/use areas and any retained shell assumptions; do not substitute a residential CF1R automatically.
- For a correction, send the full City comment letter, reviewed energy output and reviewed plan revision, plus a change summary rather than only the newest PDF.
- For every scope, include the address, AHJ-recorded application date, area/unit information, window U-factor/SHGC and supported equipment/assembly schedules; mark unknowns as provisional.
Keep the form stages and responsibilities separate
Where the single-family family applies, CF1R records design compliance, CF2R records installation and CF3R records required ECC verification. A commercial package may instead need affected NRCC design records and its applicable construction-stage forms. Confirm classification before choosing the family. HERS is legacy terminology on older-cycle records, not the default current name for residential field verification.
Report preparation is not mechanical design, installer certification or a field test. Field testing, acceptance testing, registry fees, CALGreen and AHJ permit fees are separate. If the design changes from the mixed-fuel assumptions originally supplied, obtain a coordinated review rather than asking the installer to certify an obsolete schedule.
CF1R documentation serviceADU scope supportCommercial TI documentationPlan-check correction support
Request remote help with a clear scope
Title 24 Lab offers remote California report preparation; this page is not a Berkeley branch or a City-affiliation claim. Review the published square-footage pricing and exclusions, then send the plans and unresolved questions through intake. Saving a request is not payment, production acceptance or a permit guarantee. This guide assigns no parcel climate zone, local fee or City turnaround. Recheck official sources when preparing the actual application.
PricingGet a QuoteWhat to sendAlameda County guideOakland guideFremont guide
Sources
- CEC approved local ordinances exceeding the 2025 Energy Code — checked November 6, 2026
- City of Berkeley building permits and Permit Service Center
- Berkeley November 18, 2025 building-code adoption report: Energy Code and separate reach-code proposals
- CEC Building Energy Efficiency Standards: statewide editions and resources
Checklist for Berkeley
- 01Identify which agency reviews permits for your Berkeley parcel (city, county or other).
- 02Confirm the building climate zone for the exact address using the CEC tool.
- 03Ask which Energy Code cycle applies to your application date.
- 04Ask whether local amendments or reach codes apply to your scope.
- 05Ask how energy forms should be included: on plan sheets, uploaded separately, or both.
County guide: another example
Duplex: heat pump in one unit, new windows in both
Read the Alameda County guideQuestions
Is Berkeley listed as CEC-approved for the 2025 cycle?
Not on the CEC list checked November 6, 2026. That statement is limited to this list and date. Ask the City about current adopted requirements; absence from the list does not establish that all local building or green-code provisions are absent.
Can I treat the staff reach-code proposal as adopted law?
No. The dated adoption report distinguishes separate proposals from that package. Verify subsequent Council action and current implementation with the Permit Service Center before making a design assumption.
Does retaining a gas range determine the whole remodel’s energy path?
No. Identify each retained or altered system and the applicable edition. The cooking appliance, HVAC work, ventilation and envelope changes need coordinated scope review; this guide does not determine the City’s fuel-policy requirements.
Can I reuse a report from a nearby Berkeley project?
Do not assume identical scope, inputs, application dates or local direction. Supply the actual property plans and records. A similar layout or equipment choice does not establish compliance for a different permit.
Do you have an office in Berkeley?
No. Service is remote and statewide; this page is a planning guide.
Where do I confirm Berkeley requirements?
With the building department that reviews your permit. Many incorporated cities run their own; confirm whether Berkeley or Alameda County reviews your parcel.
How to use the official resources
Government links below are starting points for identifying the authority for the actual property and scope. They are not evidence of an affiliation, an office or approval of this service. Start at Berkeley’s city site for city department navigation; the county link provides separate county context.
The CEC climate tool supports a location-specific lookup; this guide assigns no climate zone. The CEC Energy Code Support Center separates edition-specific forms and building categories. Confirm the applicable edition, document family and any registration or verification requirements before using a form.
CEC Energy Code Support Center: forms, FAQs and trainingNext step
Preparing a project in Berkeley?
Published flat pricing from $149 residential and $399 commercial. Upload plans privately; no payment is taken online.