California CF1R Reports & CF2R / CF3R Handoffs

Who does what: design, installation and ECC verification

Title 24 Lab is a provisional brand for California energy-documentation support. Where the single-family form family applies, a homeowner or architect needs CF1R design documentation for the applicable permit scope; the builder then needs the installation and verification handoffs during construction. These are separate responsibilities, not three names for one report. Our service prepares applicable design-phase CF1R documentation and a clear coordination record; it does not certify work we have not installed or tested. The CF1R versus CF2R versus CF3R guide explains the broader document sequence.

1. CF1R — Certificate of Compliance: the proposed design

   The energy-documentation preparer uses supplied plans and confirmed design inputs to prepare the applicable design compliance documents. The responsible design party and other required signatories retain their certification responsibilities. CF1R records proposed features and required measures; it is not proof that windows, insulation or equipment have been installed. The applicant submits the appropriate final documentation with the permit package, including a registered copy when registration is required.

2. CF2R — Certificate of Installation: the work installed

   The responsible installing contractors certify the applicable installations. The builder coordinates trades and document handoffs so actual products and systems can be compared with the approved design. There may be different applicable installation documents for different measures; a generic contractor statement does not necessarily replace them. Title 24 Lab can identify the expected handoff from the design documents, but report preparation does not authorize us to sign another party’s installation certification.

3. CF3R — Certificate of Verification: required field measures

   A qualified ECC-Rater performs and documents the applicable required verification. Whether a measure requires verification follows the project’s edition, design and compliance pathway—not simply the word “ADU” or “addition.” Arrange the relevant participant and construction access with the builder before the needed inspection or test opportunity is lost. CF3R does not replace CF2R, and a completed CF1R does not mean either construction-stage task has already happened.

Five-stage workflow: from plans to the construction handoff

Current default guidance uses the 2025 California Energy Code, effective for permit applications on or after January 1, 2026. An earlier permit may remain under an earlier edition; confirm the application history and reviewing authority’s determination before selecting software or forms. Title 24, Part 6 is the Energy Code; Part 11 is separate CALGreen. Start with the which Energy Code applies guide rather than inferring the edition from the year construction begins.

1. 1. Intake: establish the scope, edition and location basis

   The owner or designer supplies a coordinated plan set, permit/application date, project address, existing-versus-proposed scope and dwelling-unit information. Include orientation, floor plans, elevations, window schedules, assembly details and HVAC/water-heating intentions. Confirm the climate-zone basis shown on the plans or established with the AHJ using the CEC location and climate-zone tools; do not assign a zone from an entire county. The what-to-send checklist helps flag missing inputs and placeholders before modeling.

2. 2. Select the applicable prescriptive or performance path

   The preparer and design team establish the building classification and scope first. A prescriptive approach documents the applicable specified requirements; a performance approach uses approved compliance software to evaluate allowed design trade-offs. Mandatory requirements remain applicable under either path. Neither approach removes required installation certification or ECC verification. Use the prescriptive-versus-performance guide and energy-modeling service when design options need comparison instead of assuming one method fits every project.

3. 3. Coordinate the model, CF1R package and required registration

   The preparer reconciles confirmed window, assembly and equipment inputs with one controlling drawing revision and produces the applicable CF1R output. Resolve provisional selections before treating the package as final. Where registration is required, the applicant and responsible signatories must arrange the approved ECC-Provider registry process and obtain the registered CF1R copy for permit submittal. Title 24 Lab’s role here is design-document preparation and coordination: we do not claim to operate a registry, include registry fees or perform another party’s signature/registry duties. Confirm those responsibilities in scope. A draft, sample or unregistered output is not the registered permit copy.

4. 4. Construction: installers certify the applicable CF2R

   The builder distributes the coordinated design measures to the responsible trades. Installers check actual equipment, windows and assemblies against that record and complete the applicable installation documents. If a product is substituted, notify the designer and preparer before relying on the original CF1R; a different window rating or HVAC efficiency can affect compliance and later verification. Keep document identifiers and revisions aligned rather than letting different trades work from conflicting versions.

5. 5. Verification: the ECC-Rater completes required CF3R measures

   Where the selected features require verification, the qualified ECC-Rater performs the applicable field work and documents the outcome through the required process. The builder coordinates access, timing and any corrective work with the installer. Hand over the final CF1R, relevant installation records and a measure list, not a promise that the project will pass. The reviewing authority determines acceptance and inspection milestones; this service does not control its staffing or issue permits. For the broader building-design sequence, see new-construction reports and handoffs; for dwelling and conditioning boundaries, see the ADU and garage-conversion guide.

Worked example: an addition with a registered CF1R

Fictional educational example—not a client project or a local permitting rule: a homeowner proposes a single-family addition. The confirmed design includes measures requiring ECC field verification, so the applicable CF1R must be registered before it is submitted for permit. The designer has supplied a window schedule, wall/roof assemblies and equipment information, but an older glazing selection remains in the preliminary model. No parcel climate zone, required numeric rating or passing result is assumed in this example.

Before finalizing CF1R, the preparer and designer compare the intended windows’ U-factor and solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) with the model, and reconcile HVAC efficiency assumptions with the mechanical schedule. If the selected products differ, the designer confirms the actual design and the preparer revises and reruns the model as needed. Do not simply edit the reported values to appear consistent. The permit package uses the agreed drawing revision and, after the responsible parties complete the applicable registry steps, the registered CF1R—not a screenshot of a preliminary run.

During construction, the installer’s CF2R addresses the actual applicable work; a qualified ECC-Rater handles the required CF3R verification measures. A later window or HVAC substitution is communicated to the designer, preparer and relevant field participants so the document set can be reconciled. The CEC single-family compliance manual explains plan/document consistency and enforcement, while the CEC 2025 forms page distinguishes registered and nonregistered pathways. AHJ submission procedures and project circumstances vary; confirm the actual permit instructions rather than treating this illustration as a universal checklist.

Confirm the building type before choosing a form family

A residential project description does not establish the correct forms by itself. Single-family work, applicable townhome/duplex scopes and multifamily buildings must be classified using the current edition and actual building characteristics. Do not assume all multifamily projects use the single-family CF1R/CF2R/CF3R sequence. The Energy Code Ace 2025 residential forms resource explains its single-family scope and directs multifamily readers to the appropriate form family. Confirm classification and the applicable documents before ordering a package.

For project-specific preparation, use residential Title 24 and CF1R reports, additions and remodels or ADU and garage-conversion reports to establish the scope. A garage conversion, new detached dwelling and changes to an existing house may have different modeling boundaries; an ADU nickname alone does not settle them.

Commercial or tenant-improvement readers should use commercial compliance and NRCC documentation, not substitute residential CF forms for a nonresidential design package. Older-code searches may refer to HERS testing; current 2025 guidance leads with ECC. The HERS-to-ECC guide explains that transition without relabeling legacy documents or confusing separate whole-house ratings with this permit-documentation service.

Get the right design documents and a usable handoff

Confirm the agreed deliverables before work begins: applicable CF1R design documentation, a record of supplied inputs and unresolved assumptions, measures coordinated with drawings, and an installation/verification responsibility checklist. Where registration is required, identify who will complete the registry process and which registered copy will be submitted. Preparing the design record does not deliver completed CF2R/CF3R certificates, field testing, acceptance testing or a guarantee of permit approval.

Registry fees, ECC field testing, nonresidential acceptance testing, CALGreen documentation and AHJ permit fees are separate from the published preparation prices. Our service does not provide architectural/mechanical design or claim authority to approve another party’s installation. A registration or inspection requirement should be assigned to the correct participant rather than silently treated as part of a report fee.

Review the existing published residential square-footage and additional-dwelling-unit pricing and exclusions; no new certificate-specific price menu is introduced here. For changes after plan check, use plan-check corrections and revision scoping to distinguish an error correction, a design revision and a full model rebuild. No new turnaround promise is made on this page.

Ready to prepare your project? Start a private CF1R project request and upload plans. Use the energy-consultant intake guide and how-it-works overview to organize the permit history, current drawings and open design decisions. Intake saves a request, not payment, production acceptance or permit approval. The CEC ECC program resources remain the authority for program roles; naming those roles here is not a claim that Title 24 Lab is an ECC-Provider or field-testing service.

Typical scope

• +CF1R preparation (when engaged for documentation)
• +Plain-language explanation of what CF2R and CF3R will require
• +A checklist to coordinate installers and raters

Documentation deliverables

Typical report-preparation outputs to confirm in the project scope; not a promise of field services or permit approval.

• +Applicable CF1R design documentation when included in the report-preparation scope.
• +A measure-by-measure handoff separating design, installer and ECC-Rater responsibilities.
• +A checklist for applicable registration and construction milestones, based on the actual design documents.
• +Identification of items that belong to another form family or a separate installation/testing engagement.

Not included / not implied

• -Permit approval is decided by the building department; documentation does not guarantee approval.
• -Construction-stage installation certificates and ECC verification are separate responsibilities; field testing and installer certification are not included in report preparation.
• -CALGreen (Title 24, Part 11) documentation, permit processing and acceptance testing are separate scopes, not implied by a Part 6 energy report.
• -Structural, mechanical design or legal advice.
• -ECC field testing, acceptance testing, registry fees, CALGreen documentation and AHJ permit fees are excluded from the preparation prices. Registry operation, another party’s registry duties and completed installer/verifier certificates are not claimed services.

Questions