City guide / Los Angeles County
Title 24 planning in Los Angeles
Preparation guidance for energy compliance documentation in Los Angeles, California. Remote statewide service; local requirements come from your building department.
Hypothetical example / Los Angeles
Junior unit carved from an existing bedroom wing
Suppose an owner wants to convert two bedrooms and a bath inside the existing house into a separate junior unit with a small efficiency kitchen. No square footage is added, but a new cooking area, possibly a new water heater, and new lighting are introduced. Before documentation, the owner can ask the reviewing department how an interior conversion is classified, whether the existing HVAC will serve the unit, and which lighting and water heating changes need forms.
Illustrative scenario only; not a statement about local projects, climate or permit rules.
Scenario checklist
- Mark the unit boundary on the existing floor plan
- State whether HVAC is shared or separate
- List new kitchen and bath fixtures
- Ask how interior conversions are classified
ADU design changes: keep the report and drawings aligned
Project-preparation guidance, not a statement of local requirements. Confirm applicability with your project team and reviewing agency.
Start with the legal project description
For an illustrative ADU project, separate a detached new unit, a conversion and work to the existing dwelling in the scope narrative. A shared property address does not make these scopes interchangeable. Give the preparer the current floor plans and any prior submitted energy package, clearly marked as reference material rather than assumed approval for the new work.
Maintain a change log
Record changes to window area, orientation, water heating and equipment location after the first calculation. Before resubmittal, ask the preparer which changes affect the documented inputs or verification measures. Start with the Los Angeles city government source for city contacts; do not assume the Los Angeles County website represents the same permitting authority. Confirm the actual property and agency before applying any submittal instructions.
Checklist for Los Angeles
- 01Identify which agency reviews permits for your Los Angeles 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
Identifying the right reviewer for a hillside ADU
Read the Los Angeles County guideQuestions
Can an ADU report be reused after moving windows?
Only after the preparer checks the revised geometry and inputs. A change that looks small on a floor plan can still affect documentation. The applicable agency decides what revisions must be submitted.
Do you have an office in Los Angeles?
No. Service is remote and statewide; this page is a planning guide.
Where do I confirm Los Angeles requirements?
With the building department that reviews your permit. Many incorporated cities run their own; confirm whether Los Angeles or Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles’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 Los Angeles?
Published flat pricing from $149 residential and $399 commercial. Upload plans privately; no payment is taken online.