City guide / Marin County
Title 24 planning in San Rafael
Preparation guidance for energy compliance documentation in San Rafael, California. Remote statewide service; local requirements come from your building department.
Hypothetical example / San Rafael
A growing remodel: preserve the original permit basis and a clear change log
ILLUSTRATIVE ONLY: an owner begins with a window/room alteration and later adds work to more of the single-family home. Several drawing versions circulate before an energy update is requested. The architect identifies the original application, revised work areas and current schedules, then asks San Rafael how the local provision applies to the revised scope. The consultant is not asked to infer the City’s area rules from a filename or use an old report without checking its boundary. The result sought is a traceable coordinated package, not an assumed exemption for an earlier design.
Illustrative scenario only; not a statement about local projects, climate or permit rules.
Scenario checklist
- Retain the original application and accepted report
- Show added and altered areas in each revision
- Confirm local applicability for the actual current scope
- Issue one coordinated drawing/report revision
San Rafael: scope growth and revision control deserve early attention
Project-preparation guidance, not a statement of local requirements. Confirm applicability with your project team and reviewing agency.
The CEC’s verified San Rafael topic
The CEC’s 2025 approved-local-ordinances list, checked November 6, 2026, records approval of San Rafael Ordinance 2052 on January 21, 2026. The listed topic is efficiency improvements for single-family additions and alterations greater than or equal to 500 square feet. That statement identifies the summarized scope and area topic. It does not determine how a revised project’s area is measured, what exceptions exist or which improvements this property needs. Confirm the applicable provisions with the City rather than converting the CEC entry into unsourced local instructions.
An approval date is not a complete application rule
Keep the City’s application record, the statewide edition and the local implementation question separate. The CEC approval date does not automatically decide the local effective date or treatment of an earlier permit. If work was amended, expired or refiled, provide the history and ask the City to confirm the basis. A consultant can identify inconsistent documentation, but cannot establish jurisdictional applicability from the calendar year or an architect’s revision date alone. Retain the answer with the submission record.
A revision register that prevents avoidable ambiguity
For a remodel that evolves, make a short register naming each relevant drawing set, its date, the work it represents and whether it was actually submitted or accepted. Identify the energy report paired with that set. A folder containing several “final” PDFs does not tell the preparer which assumptions the reviewer saw. The register is especially useful when addition and alteration work are both present or different designers update separate sheets.
- Identify the original application and prior accepted energy package; include the full comment list if the request follows plan check.
- Provide current existing/proposed floor plans with dimensioned added and altered areas, not only a whole-house floor-area number.
- List changed openings with U-factor/SHGC, assemblies, insulation and equipment by sheet reference; show retained features so an old assumption is not silently replaced.
- Record City direction on the local area topic and any changed-scope question. Separate confirmed answers from items still awaiting review.
- Name the current coordinated set and each responsible designer. Supply PDF/DWG/ZIP inputs with a readable change summary, not only revision clouds without explanations.
San Rafael building-permit resourcesWhat to send for an energy report
Work the growing-remodel example
In the illustrative project, the preparer first checks whether the supplied report represents the original work or an intermediate design. The architect then marks the current addition/alteration areas and sends the City a clear scope question. This page does not decide whether separate areas are combined or whether earlier work is counted; those interpretations cannot be derived from the approval-list summary alone.
Once the basis is confirmed, the team reconciles glazing, assemblies and equipment against the current plans. A response to plan check identifies the affected comment, sheet and energy record. If a later architectural change rather than a report error caused the mismatch, describe that honestly. A larger model rebuild must not be assumed to fit an ordinary minor-revision scope.
Plan-check corrections and revision scopesAddition/remodel service
Separate permit scope from optional broader modeling
An owner may want to study more of the home than the permit changes. Define whether the request is an early option study, a supported whole-building comparison or the required permit package. The appropriate modeling boundary depends on actual scope and the applicable pathway, not a preference for whichever preliminary result looks better. Label existing-condition uncertainties and have the designer resolve them before final output.
ADUs require identification of new detached construction, attached additions or conversions and the previous conditioning of converted space. A local single-family addition/alteration summary is not a classification ruling for every ADU. Commercial TI work needs its applicable NRCC scope rather than a copied residential form. Ask the responsible designers and City about uncertain boundaries.
Energy-modeling decisionsADU documentationCommercial TI documentation
Use the correct edition and handoff records
The statewide 2025 California Energy Code generally governs permit applications on or after January 1, 2026. Confirm the AHJ-recorded date and treatment of amendments or new applications before changing software/forms. Construction start, permit issuance and plan date do not replace that record. Title 24 Part 6 energy compliance and CALGreen Part 11 are separate scopes.
Where the single-family family applies, CF1R documents design, contractors complete applicable CF2R installation records and qualified ECC-Raters complete required CF3R verification. HERS remains older-cycle/legacy wording, not the current default name. A revised CF1R is not proof of installation or testing; identify those separate participants early.
Prepare a remote project request without promises
Title 24 Lab serves San Rafael remotely, without claiming an office, City affiliation or a professional credential. Review published square-footage pricing, send the scope and identify the requested deliverable. Field testing, acceptance testing, registry fees, CALGreen and AHJ permit fees are separate. Intake is scope review, not production acceptance or a permit guarantee. This educational guide is not legal advice and supplies no parcel climate zone, local fee or City review timeline.
PricingGet a QuoteMarin County guideCorte Madera guideSan Francisco guide
Checklist for San Rafael
- 01Identify which agency reviews permits for your San Rafael 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
Remodel where electrification rules may apply
Read the Marin County guideQuestions
What does the CEC list for San Rafael?
The checked list records Ordinance 2052, approved January 21, 2026, for efficiency improvements to single-family additions/alterations greater than or equal to 500 square feet. The City must confirm complete applicability for the actual project.
Does an earlier report settle a later expanded remodel?
Not automatically. Identify the original application, accepted package and changes. Ask the City about the revised scope, then have the designers and preparer reconcile affected inputs and documents.
Should I send every old plan file?
Send the relevant reviewed set, current coordinated set and a clear revision register. Unlabeled duplicate “final” files make it harder to identify controlling assumptions. Explain what changed and which report went with each submitted set.
Can a revised model replace required field records?
No. A design-document update is separate from installer certification and required ECC verification. The responsible participants must document the actual construction work and applicable tests; a calculation cannot certify either.
Do you have an office in San Rafael?
No. Service is remote and statewide; this page is a planning guide.
Where do I confirm San Rafael requirements?
With the building department that reviews your permit. Many incorporated cities run their own; confirm whether San Rafael or Marin 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 San Rafael’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 San Rafael?
Published flat pricing from $149 residential and $399 commercial. Upload plans privately; no payment is taken online.