What Title 24 issues show up on commercial inspections?

What Title 24 is

Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations contains the state's building standards, including Part 6, the Building Energy Efficiency Standards, and Part 11, CalGreen. Both apply to new construction and to alterations, which is why they surface constantly on existing commercial buildings that have been through tenant improvements.

The findings we see most often

• Lighting controls missing or defeated. Occupancy sensors removed, daylighting controls disconnected, multi-level switching wired to a single switch, exterior lighting on a manual switch with no astronomical time clock. Extremely common in second-generation retail and office space.
• HVAC replaced without permits. A rooftop unit swapped like-for-like by a service contractor with no permit and no acceptance testing. The equipment may be fine; the record is not, and it becomes the buyer's problem at the next permit application.
• No acceptance test documentation. Title 24 requires acceptance testing for mechanical and lighting control systems on covered work, performed by a certified technician. Owners rarely have the certificates.
• Envelope alterations without compliance. Storefront glazing replaced with non-compliant assemblies, added skylights, or re-roofing without required insulation on altered roofs.
• Missing CalGreen documentation. Construction waste management plans, water-efficient fixtures and, on larger projects, commissioning documents that were never assembled.
• Unsealed or damaged duct systems and missing economizer function, which read as energy findings and as HVAC condition findings simultaneously.

Why a buyer should care

These items rarely stop a purchase, but they do three things. They create a permit-history gap that a plan checker will make you close on your next tenant improvement. They signal how the building has been maintained: unpermitted mechanical work is rarely the only shortcut taken. And they carry real cost - retrofitting compliant lighting controls across a 30,000 square foot building, or legalizing four unpermitted rooftop units, is a five-figure item.

How we report it

Observed Title 24 and CalGreen issues appear as code and documentation findings with the specific missing item named, and cost consequence noted where it is quantifiable. We do not certify compliance - only the authority having jurisdiction does that - and where the exposure is significant we recommend a formal code compliance review.

What owners should keep on file

Permits and finals for every mechanical and electrical change, acceptance test certificates, lighting control commissioning records, CalGreen documentation for each tenant improvement, and equipment nameplate records. Buildings with complete files sell faster and refinance more cleanly.