Title 24 reports for Pasadena permits.
Pasadena publishes an actual number: 3–4 weeks for first review on residential and ADU plan check, running through concurrent multi-department review rather than one department at a time.
A published turnaround, and energy forms named on the checklist
Pasadena’s Building & Safety Division, through the Pasadena Permit Center, runs concurrent plan review — Building & Safety, Planning, Fire and Public Works all review a submittal at the same time rather than sequentially, which the city frames as a deliberate improvement over its older process. The city’s own FAQ states a specific number: 3–4 weeks for initial review, 2 weeks for resubmittals, including for ADU Standard Plans. Submittal is hybrid — plans go in through the city’s online CSS portal, but Building & Safety’s current checklist still calls for three physical 24×36 sets plus a labeled flash drive at the Permit Center.
Worth knowing directly from Pasadena’s own Plan Review Submittal Checklist: “Energy Compliance Sheets and Energy Compliance Forms/Calculations” are named as required items, in three sets — the CF1R has an explicit line on the city’s own list, not something folded loosely into the architectural set. Pasadena’s ADU rules require mechanical equipment (AC/heat pumps) to sit 5 ft off the property line and be screened from the public right-of-way, and an ADU needs fire sprinklers if the primary house has them. Pasadena has adopted the 2025 state code family with local Title 14 amendments; no separately-branded citywide green-building program beyond CALGreen was confirmed as currently active on the city’s official pages (the city had a more distinct green-building program historically — its current status wasn’t confirmable from official sources this pass).
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.
Nearby, same flat rate: Arcadia, Glendale, Los Angeles and Burbank.
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.
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.
Pasadena plan-check questions
If yours isn’t here, see the full FAQ or call and ask.
How long does Pasadena's plan check take?
Does Pasadena require physical plan sets, or is it fully digital?
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 Pasadena plans.
The CF1R comes back as its own labeled set — ready for the Permit Center's checklist.