Short answer: A garage conversion turns an existing garage into conditioned living space — often an ADU, bedroom, office, or studio. Because it creates new conditioned area, it almost always requires a Title 24 energy compliance report before the building department issues a permit. Title24Comply prepares garage conversion Title 24 reports online from $199, with standard delivery in 2–3 business days.
Title24Comply publishes its garage conversion Title 24 report pricing up front, with no hidden fees. You can order online in under 5 minutes — choose the report type, enter project details, upload your plans and pay securely — with no phone calls or quote requests needed. Standard turnaround is 2–3 business days, and rush and same-day options are available for urgent deadlines.
Who Needs a Garage Conversion Title 24 Report
Homeowners, contractors, architects, and developers undertaking garage conversion projects in California typically need a Title 24 report as part of the permit process. Title 24 is a statewide California energy code. Garage conversion projects follow the same statewide standards; the exact requirements depend on your project's scope and address, which we model in CEC-approved compliance software.
If you are still deciding whether your project needs one at all, see do garage conversions require Title 24? and the more detailed garage conversion Title 24 checklist. Many garage conversions become ADUs, so our ADU Title 24 report page is also useful background.
What Triggers Title 24 on a Garage Conversion
A garage is unconditioned space. Once you add heating or cooling and use it as a habitable room, it becomes newly conditioned space, and the Energy Code (Title 24, Part 6) treats it much like new construction or an addition. Common triggers include:
- Converting the garage into an attached or detached ADU or a junior ADU
- Turning the garage into a bedroom, family room or home office that is heated or cooled
- Adding new windows or doors where the garage door used to be
- Extending existing ducts or installing a new ductless heat pump or other HVAC system
- Adding a bathroom or kitchenette with new water heating
The building department makes the final call on what documentation it requires. See when Title 24 is required for the general triggers and exceptions.
What the Energy Model Looks At
Garage conversions are usually modeled with the performance method: we build the converted space in CEC-approved compliance software and show it uses no more energy than a code-defined standard design in the same climate zone. The model focuses on the parts of a garage that were never built for living space:
- Insulation — garage walls, ceilings and slab floors are often uninsulated. See garage conversion insulation requirements.
- Windows and the garage-door infill — new glazing performance and the wall that replaces the door. See garage conversion window requirements.
- Heating and cooling — whether ducts are extended from the main house or a separate system (often a ductless heat pump) is installed. See garage conversion HVAC requirements.
- Water heating, ventilation and lighting — where the new space includes a bathroom or kitchen, plus mandatory ventilation and lighting measures.
- Solar PV — some ADUs have solar requirements while many conversions qualify for exceptions; the report determines what applies.
Your California climate zone shapes the energy budget, so the same conversion can need different measures in a mild coastal zone than in an inland one. The full list is on our garage conversion Title 24 requirements page, and the modeling method is explained in Title 24 calculations.
What We Need
- Architectural plans (PDF) — floor plan, elevations, and a window/door schedule where available
- Project address (this sets the climate zone)
- Scope of work, including the planned heating, cooling and water heating
- Contact information
- Any plan-check comments (if available)
More detail is on documents needed for a garage conversion and what to upload.
Pricing
- ADU — from $199 (up to 1,000 sq ft included, +$9 per 100 sq ft after)
- Residential — from $245 (projects under 3,500 sq ft included, +$49 per 500 sq ft after)
- Multifamily — from $345 per building
A conversion that creates an ADU or JADU is ordered as an ADU report; a conversion that adds living space to the main house is typically ordered as Residential. The final price follows the square footage on the plans; if an adjustment is needed, we contact you before proceeding. See garage conversion Title 24 cost or the main pricing page.
Turnaround
Standard turnaround: 2–3 business days. Rush (next business day): +$49 ADU / +$99 Residential / +$149 Multifamily. Super Rush (same day — typically within a few hours): +$150. Every report includes two revisions. See rush and same-day service.
What You'll Receive
- Permit-ready Title 24 energy report
- CF1R documentation (LMCC when applicable)
- CHEERS registration (when applicable)
- Professionally signed report
- PDF delivery, formatted for city submission
- Two revisions included
Common Plan-Check Issues
Garage conversion reports are most often held up by details that the plans leave open:
- Insulation for the slab, walls or ceiling not shown, or different on the plans than in the report
- The garage-door infill wall and its new window not detailed
- The heating and cooling system not identified, or ducts shown running through unconditioned space without a note
- Square footage on the plans not matching the report
Our garage conversion plan-check corrections guide covers these, and plan check comments explains how revisions work.
Sample Report
Your delivered package is a professionally signed, registry-registered PDF containing your CF1R (and LMCC where applicable) and all required compliance forms — formatted and ready to submit with your permit application. See what a CF1R is.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a garage conversion need solar?
Many garage conversions qualify for exceptions from the solar requirement, but it depends on the project type and scope. The energy report determines whether solar applies. See garage conversion solar requirements.
Is a garage conversion ADU report different from a regular ADU report?
The compliance approach is similar, but a conversion starts from an existing structure, so existing walls, slab and roof must be documented and usually upgraded. The report reflects both existing and new construction.
Can I order before my plans are final?
Yes. You can start with preliminary plans, and two revisions are included if the design changes. See using preliminary plans.
Does the report need a HERS rater?
Only if the report flags items that need field verification, such as duct leakage testing or refrigerant charge. When it does, a HERS rater verifies them after installation.
