What is a CF1R, exactly?
The certificate that proves a design meets California’s Title 24, Part 6 energy standards — commonly called “the Title 24 report.” Here’s what’s actually in it and where it fits in your permit set.
One certificate, three letters that matter
A CF1R (Certificate of Compliance) is the design-phase Title 24 form for single-family work — one or two dwelling units under the 2022 and 2025 codes (three-plus-unit low-rise buildings use the related LMCC certificate instead) — it documents that the building, as drawn, complies with Part 6 of the California Building Standards Code (Title 24). It comes out of an energy model built in CBECC (CBECC-Res for 2019/2022 permits, CBECC 2025 for the 2025 cycle), gets registered with an approved data registry (CHEERS, in T24 Studio’s case), and is signed by the responsible designer. Plan check will not issue a residential permit without one on file.
The CF1R isn’t the only compliance form in the family — it’s just the one that happens before the permit is issued. Two more show up later in the job:
- CF2R (Certificate of Installation) — filled out by the installer during construction, confirming the equipment and features actually installed match what the CF1R modeled.
- CF3R (Certificate of Verification) — completed by a third-party rater for any measures that require field verification (see below), confirming they were tested and pass.
I produce the CF1R. The CF2R is the installer’s paperwork on site; the CF3R, when one applies, comes from a third-party field-verification rater (a HERS rater, called an ECC rater under the 2025 code) — a separate trade from energy modeling, and not something T24 Studio performs. More acronyms than you wanted? The Title 24 glossary has the rest of them in one place.
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.
CF1R questions
If yours isn’t here, see the full FAQ or call and ask.
What exactly is a CF1R?
The Certificate of Compliance for low-rise residential work, commonly called a Title 24 report — the form that proves the design meets California’s Title 24, Part 6 energy standards. Plan check will not issue the permit without it. It comes out of an energy model built in CBECC-Res, registered with a data registry, and signed by the responsible designer. That whole chain is what you’re handing me.
Does the project need HERS field verification?
Sometimes — typically for duct leakage, refrigerant charge, or certain heat-pump and quality-insulation measures. The CF1R lists exactly which measures need it, and I’ll flag it in the email so it isn’t a surprise at inspection. The field testing itself is done by a third-party HERS rater the owner or contractor hires; that’s outside what I do.
Who signs it — and does my role change?
Nothing about your role changes. On the CF1R I’m the documentation author. You stay the responsible designer and the registered document names you as such. I’m not a licensed engineer or architect and I don’t stamp drawings — that’s deliberate, not a limitation I’m working around.
Is a CF1R the same thing as CALGreen paperwork?
Get your CF1R started.
Send the plan set and the CF1R comes back registered, with you named as responsible designer.