Title 24 Climate Zone 13: ADU Requirements
What the 2025 California Energy Code's prescriptive package requires for a new detached ADU in Climate Zone 13, and how those requirements change the MEP design.
Where Climate Zone 13 is
Of the California places we cover, 29 are mostly in Climate Zone 13, across 5 counties: Fresno County, Kern County, Kings County, Madera County, Tulare County. Together they issued 1,623 ADU building permits from 2021 through 2025. Zones follow ZIP-code boundaries, so we confirm the zone from the project address before running the Title 24 report.
2025 prescriptive requirements for a new detached ADU
For a new detached ADU in Climate Zone 13, the 2025 prescriptive package sets these zone-specific targets.
| Windows | U-factor 0.27 or lower; SHGC 0.23 or lower; total area up to 20% of floor area (west-facing up to 5%) |
|---|---|
| Attic, high-performance option | R-38 ceiling; below roof deck: R-19 |
| Attic, ducts-inside option | R-38 ceiling plus radiant barrier; ducts and air handler in conditioned space |
| Framed walls | Assembly U-factor 0.048 or lower |
| Cool roof | Required: steep-sloped roofs need aged solar reflectance 0.2 or higher and thermal emittance 0.75 or higher; low-sloped roofs 0.63 / 0.75. |
| Whole-house fan | Required, 1.5 cfm per sq ft of floor area (units of 500 sq ft or less exempt) |
| Space heating and cooling | Heat pump (other systems through the performance approach) |
| Water heating | Heat pump water heater; units of 500 sq ft or less, or one bedroom or fewer, have simpler options |
| Solar PV | kW = (floor area x 0.894) / 1000 + 1.51; none required under 1.8 kWdc (about 324 sq ft or smaller for a single ADU) |
An attached ADU or a garage conversion is an addition under the Energy Code, not new construction, so it follows the addition requirements instead. Solar PV is not required for additions.
Design temperatures across Climate Zone 13
The zone sets the energy targets, but the HVAC is sized from the local design temperature, and that varies inside a zone. Among the places we cover here, the 1% summer design temperature ranges from 98°F in Hanford to 101°F in Bakersfield, and the coldest winter design temperature is 19°F in Lemoore. That spread is why we run a Manual J for each address instead of using a zone-wide rule of thumb.
Places in Climate Zone 13
| Place | County | Electric utility | ADU permits 2021–25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield | Kern | Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) | 296 |
| Fresno | Fresno | Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) | 268 |
| Clovis | Fresno | Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) | 194 |
| Visalia | Tulare | Southern California Edison (SCE) | 118 |
| Porterville | Tulare | Southern California Edison (SCE) | 113 |
| Tulare | Tulare | Southern California Edison (SCE) | 89 |
| Shafter | Kern | Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) | 86 |
| Mendota | Fresno | Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) | 68 |
| Delano | Kern | Southern California Edison (SCE) | 52 |
| Hanford | Kings | Southern California Edison (SCE) | 43 |
| Arvin | Kern | Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) | 42 |
| Madera | Madera | Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) | 30 |
| Lindsay | Tulare | Southern California Edison (SCE) | 27 |
| Reedley | Fresno | Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) | 23 |
| Dinuba | Tulare | Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) | 22 |
| Kerman | Fresno | Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) | 16 |
| Parlier | Fresno | Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) | 16 |
| Selma | Fresno | Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) | 15 |
| Fowler | Fresno | Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) | 14 |
| Chowchilla | Madera | Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) | 13 |
| Lemoore | Kings | Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) | 11 |
| Sanger | Fresno | Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) | 11 |
| McFarland | Kern | Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) | 11 |
| Lamont (unincorp.) | Kern | Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) | 11 |
| Wasco | Kern | Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) | 10 |
| Kingsburg | Fresno | Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) | 9 |
| Corcoran | Kings | Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) | 5 |
| Orange Cove | Fresno | Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) | 5 |
| Exeter | Tulare | Southern California Edison (SCE) | 5 |
Sources
- 2025 Building Energy Efficiency Standards (Title 24, Part 6), Section 150.1(c) and Table 150.1-A
- 2025 Single-Family Residential Compliance Manual (CEC-400-2025-005)
Requirements shown are the 2025 prescriptive package (effective January 1, 2026) for newly constructed single-family buildings, which includes new detached ADUs. A performance (computer-modeled) approach can trade some items against others. Your Title 24 report confirms what applies to your project.
Need MEP plans and a Title 24 report in Climate Zone 13?
We prepare both from the same design, so the energy model and the equipment on the plans agree.
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