Title 24 reports for Fremont permits.
Fremont’s preapproved ADU program never preapproved the energy model — and as of January 1, 2026 the city says every plan drawn to the 2022 regulations is invalid, and a single replacement plan has been approved since.
The 2025 code emptied the preapproved ADU shelf
Fremont publishes a graphic headed “Preapproved ADUs — what’s preapproved, and what’s not.” Floor plan, elevations and roof plan sit on the preapproved side; under ITEMS STILL REQUIRED it lists Title 24 forms, CALGreen forms, structural calculations and MEP plans. Then the code cycle turned over. The city states that as a result of changes effective January 1, 2026, all preapproved ADU plans designed under the 2022 regulations are now invalid and unable to be used by homeowners; it has asked the designers for updated sets. The 2026–2028 gallery lists one plan, a 499 sf one-bedroom, against eight from five designers in the invalid column.
The state code is the code here: FMC § 15.44.020 adopts the 2025 California Energy Code without amendments, Chapter 15.44 runs two sections long, and Fremont is on neither CEC approved-local-ordinance list — compliance is a modelling problem, not a local-ordinance one. The city sits in Climate Zone 3; Livermore and Pleasanton ZIPs next door are Zone 12. Fremont permits residential work under AB 2234, which forces it to publish a comprehensive submittal list and bars it from asking for anything not on it; the Title 24, Part 6 Energy Report is a required row for every site-built residential type. Because completeness review runs before plan review starts, a missing energy report delays the clock rather than costing a correction cycle — and a heat pump adds two more submittal documents.
One thing that doesn’t change by city: my price and turnaround are flat statewide — $99 first report, $150 flat after, 24–48 hours on your first job. What differs city to city is what happens on the plan-check side before and after the CF1R lands in your permit set, which is what this page covers.
Prices
Flat fees, in writing before I start. No hourly, no bid package, no change-order games — the number on the quote is the number on the invoice.
Your first report with me
One per client, homes under 3,000 square feet. Full energy model, CF1R and CHEERS registration. It’s a test run — send one job and see how it goes.
Every model after the first
The standard rate once you’re a client — the second building, ADU plus main house, the next project that walks in. Back in 3 business days.
Over 3,000 square feet
Quoted from the plans before any work starts, same day.
24×36 plan-sheet set
Your CF1R laid out full size, matched to your drawing set. Comes back as a PDF you drop straight in.
Revisions
Two revisions included, plus questions any time. Past two I quote first, before I touch it.
Commercial / tenant improvement
Send the plans and you’ll have a flat quote back the same day. No deposit, no minimum.
One honest note
I’m not a licensed engineer or architect, and I don’t stamp drawings. On the CF1R I’m the documentation author — you stay the responsible designer. Nothing about your role on the job changes.
That’s on purpose. I’m not after your scope or your clients. I do one piece of the permit set — the piece that usually holds it up — and I do it fast.
Fremont plan-check questions
If yours isn’t here, see the full FAQ or call and ask.
Can I still use a Fremont preapproved ADU plan?
What does AB 2234 change about a Fremont submittal?
Does my ADU or addition actually need one?
Almost certainly. New conditioned floor area — ADUs, JADUs, garage conversions, additions — triggers Title 24. So do alterations that touch the envelope, the ductwork, or the HVAC equipment, including a straight change-out. A remodel that only moves non-structural interior partitions usually doesn’t.
Send it either way. If it doesn’t need a report I’ll say so and there’s no charge for the look.
What do you need from me to start?
A PDF of the architecturals and the project address. Floor plans, elevations and a window schedule is plenty.
You don’t need the HVAC or water heater picked. If the plans don’t call them out, I model what I’d normally specify for that job — and I list every assumption in the email so nothing is buried. Swap any of it and I rerun; that doesn’t count against your free revisions.
The design doesn’t have to be finished either. Early is often better, because that’s when a compliance problem is still cheap to fix.
Send your Fremont plans.
The CF1R comes back with the signatures in place and formatted to print onto the drawings, which is exactly what section 5 of Fremont’s plan-set requirements asks for.