What does the inspector check for Title 24 at an ADU final inspection?

At final, the inspector checks that every required Energy Code document is registered and complete. That usually means asking for the Project Status Report from the ECC-Provider's registry and confirming that the ECC field verification is marked complete. The CEC's 2025 ADU training says a new ADU is inspected like any other new home, and ADU additions need ECC verification 100 percent of the time.

The documents behind the inspection

• CF1R (Certificate of Compliance): the registered Title 24 report that was approved with your permit.
• CF2R (Certificate of Installation): completed and registered by each installer, such as the HVAC, insulation, water heating, lighting and ventilation trades. Some 2025 items, like heat pump defrost settings and thermostat lockout, are certified by the installer on the CF2R.
• CF3R (Certificate of Verification): completed and registered by the ECC-Rater for each measure that needs field verification.

The CEC's training says compliance documents must carry a registration number and the registry watermark. An unregistered printout isn't enough.

The Project Status Report

The Project Status Report summarizes the status of every required compliance document for a project registered with an ECC-Provider. Inspectors can view it online or ask for a hard copy at final. To pass, both the ECC status and the overall status need to show complete.

Items inspectors commonly focus on

• Indoor air quality: the whole-dwelling ventilation fan is ECC-verified on every new ADU and every ADU that is an addition. Junior ADUs that are additions are exempt from the whole-dwelling airflow requirement.
• Kitchen range hood: a vented hood installed to meet the IAQ rules is ECC-verified for its rating, airflow and sound.
• HVAC tests: refrigerant charge for heat pumps, and duct leakage and airflow for ducted systems.
• Electric-ready: on a new ADU with gas appliances, the labeled 240V circuits and reserved breaker spaces must be in place.
• Insulation (QII): when it was required or credited in the report.

If something fails

The CEC's ECC program says that when a rater finds a test fails, the contractor must repair the system until it passes. Plan time for a retest, especially for refrigerant charge or airflow.

Practical steps

1. Pick your ECC-Rater early. As of January 2026, the CEC lists CHEERS as the approved ECC-Provider for new construction, additions and alterations.
2. Make sure each installer registers their CF2R before the rater's visit.
3. Pull the Project Status Report before you call for final.
4. Leave copies of the completed documents in the home, as the ECC program requires.

What this means for your MEP plans and Title 24 report

The CF1R is where the verification list starts. Equipment, ventilation and range hood on the plans need to match it exactly so installers and raters can sign off without changes. See Title 24 reports, what a Title 24 report includes, and what happens if HVAC differs from the approved plans.

Sources: energy.ca.gov, energy.ca.gov, energy.ca.gov, energy.ca.gov.