What is a CF1R? The Title 24 Certificate of Compliance
The CF1R is the energy compliance document you file with a California residential permit. Here's what it contains, who signs it and what comes after it.
A CF1R is the Certificate of Compliance for California's residential Energy Code (Title 24, Part 6). It's prepared during design and submitted with the permit application to show the building, as drawn, meets the code.
Which CF1R you get
- Performance path: a CF1R-PRF produced by approved compliance software from an energy model of the whole building.
- Prescriptive path: fixed forms such as CF1R-NCB (new construction), CF1R-ADD (additions) and CF1R-ALT (alterations), where each requirement is met directly.
Who signs it
The CF1R carries two signatures: the documentation author who prepared it, and the responsible person for the design. Energy consultants often hold the voluntary Certified Energy Analyst (CEA) credential.
Registration
When a project includes measures that need field verification, the CF1R must be completed through an approved data registry. Under the 2025 code, that verification program is called Energy Code Compliance (ECC); it was previously known as HERS.
What comes after the CF1R
- CF2R: completed by the installer during construction.
- CF3R: completed by a certified field rater who tests items like duct leakage.
- Final inspection: the building department checks these are done.