# Is California banning gas furnaces in existing Sacramento homes?

> Is there a California gas furnace ban? What Title 24, the City of Sacramento's electrification strategy and SB 222 actually require of an existing home.

URL: https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/california-gas-furnace-ban/

Learn

Which rules exist, which apply only to new construction, what the City of Sacramento has and has not adopted, how SB 222 treats HOAs, and why timing is usually set by the furnace and the electric rate rather than a deadline.

No rule in effect requires an existing Sacramento home to give up a working gas furnace, or to replace a failed one with a heat pump. California’s heat pump requirement in Title 24 applies to new construction. The City of Sacramento has adopted a goal of all-electric existing buildings by 2045, and it has said it will not mandate immediate appliance replacement to get there.

[Tule Sacramento Heat Pump](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/) converts gas furnace and AC systems to ducted heat pumps across the Sacramento region, through licensed and insured contractors. Because the site sells conversions, this guide is careful to separate what is required from what is simply a good idea for some houses.

Key takeaways

- Title 24's heat pump baseline applies to new homes; gas furnaces remain possible there through the performance path
- Title 24's alteration rules for existing homes require testing, not a heat pump
- The City of Sacramento's Existing Building Electrification Strategy, adopted May 14, 2024, sets a 2045 goal without immediate replacement mandates
- SB 222 voids HOA rules that block gas-to-electric replacements
- Headlines about a 'ban' usually describe proposals; check the adopting agency's rule text

## What the rules actually say

Several different things get called a gas furnace ban. They apply to different buildings and different decisions.

| Rule or policy | What it does | Applies to an existing home’s furnace? |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2025 Title 24 standards, new construction | Prescriptive path requires heat pumps for space conditioning in all climate zones | No; new construction only |
| Title 24, alterations | Permit, duct sealing and ECC-Rater verification when HVAC equipment is replaced | Yes, but it does not require a heat pump |
| City of Sacramento electrification strategy | Goal of all-electric existing buildings by 2045 | No immediate replacement mandate |
| SB 222 | Streamlines heat pump permits, caps fees, voids HOA rules blocking gas-to-electric swaps | Makes switching easier; requires nothing |
| EPA refrigerant rule | Limits refrigerant in new AC and heat pump equipment | Affects heat pumps and ACs, not furnaces |

### Title 24 and new homes

The California Energy Commission’s 2025 single-family HVAC guidance says Section 150.1(c)6 requires heat pumps for space conditioning in all climate zones for new construction. A builder who wants a gas furnace can still model one through the performance path, which balances it against other measures in the design.

### Title 24 and replacements

For an existing home, the same code treats an HVAC replacement as an alteration. It requires a permit, duct sealing and testing, and refrigerant charge verification where a heat pump or AC is installed. Nothing in the CEC’s alteration guidance requires the new equipment in an existing home to be a heat pump. The [permit and Title 24 guide](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/heat-pump-permit-title-24/) covers what an alteration triggers.

## The City of Sacramento’s electrification strategy

The City Council adopted the Existing Building Electrification Strategy unanimously on May 14, 2024. It implements measure E-3 of the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan, adopted February 27, 2024, which sets a goal of all-electric existing buildings by 2045.

### What the City said it will not do

The City’s FAQ on the strategy states that with its adoption, the City will not establish mandatory requirements for immediate appliance replacements or building retrofits. A homeowner in the city can replace a furnace with a furnace. The goal is a direction, backed by programs and incentives, not a deadline attached to your next breakdown.

### Outside the city limits

Sacramento County, Elk Grove, Roseville and the other cities and counties in the region set their own policies. No local mandate for existing homes is described in the sources behind this guide, and any rule a jurisdiction adopts would appear in its own code and permit requirements.

## Proposals versus adopted rules

News stories often describe a proposed statewide or regional standard as if it were already law. A proposal can change before adoption, carry a future effective date, or apply only to new equipment sold rather than to equipment already installed.

> Checking a headline
>
> Go to the adopting agency’s own rule text. For statewide emission standards on appliances, that is the California Air Resources Board; for local air rules, the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District; for building code, the California Energy Commission and your city or county building division. If the text has an effective date and a defined scope, it is a rule; if it is a staff concept or a workshop, it is not yet.

## What SB 222 changes for homeowners

SB 222 (Chapter 738, Statutes of 2026), approved September 28, 2026, does not require anyone to switch. It removes friction for those who do:

- HOA rules that prevent a gas-to-electric replacement are void
- permit fees for a residential heat pump HVAC system are capped at $200 unless a jurisdiction adopts written findings
- cities and counties must offer asynchronous inspections from July 1, 2027
- automated online permitting for licensed contractors is due by July 1, 2028

## What actually sets the timing

Without a mandate, the decision comes down to the house, the equipment and the electric rate.

### The furnace’s condition

A furnace near the end of its life, or an air conditioner that has failed, is the natural moment to convert, because the work replaces equipment that needed replacing anyway. A furnace with years left makes [dual fuel](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/dual-fuel-heat-pump/) or [a heat pump in place of the AC](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/replace-ac-with-heat-pump/) worth a look.

### Your electric utility

PG&E supplies gas across the region, but three utilities supply electricity, and the gap is large. Working from published tariffs, a heat pump has to average a COP of only about 1.4 to 2 to heat for less than a 95% furnace on SMUD’s winter rates, and about 3.1 to 3.5 on PG&E’s E-ELEC plan. The [heat pump vs gas furnace guide](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/heat-pump-vs-gas-furnace-sacramento/) runs the comparison.

### Incentives that remain

SMUD pays up to $3,000 on qualifying gas-to-electric heat pump systems installed by a participating contractor in the SMUD Contractor Network, plus additional Go Electric rebates toward panel and circuit work. TECH Clean California, HEEHRA and the federal 25C credit are no longer available. The [SMUD rebate guide](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/smud-heat-pump-rebates/) and the [California rebate guide](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/california-heat-pump-rebates/) track status.

Weigh conversion against a like-for-like furnace

A load calculation, a duct test and a panel check show what each path would cost for your house.

## If you decide to switch

A conversion replaces the furnace and AC with one ducted heat pump, caps the gas line to the furnace and closes off the old flue. It may need panel work, covered in the [panel upgrade guide](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/heat-pump-electrical-panel/), and the ducts are tested under Title 24 either way. The [gas furnace to heat pump conversion](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/gas-furnace-to-heat-pump-conversion/) page covers the scope, and the [cost estimator](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/tools/heat-pump-cost-estimator/) gives a budget figure. For a written comparison of your options, call (916) 516-1454 or [request an estimate](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/contact/).

## Questions about this guide

### Can a broken gas furnace still be replaced with a new gas furnace in Sacramento?

Nothing in the rules covered here prevents it. The Energy Commission applies its heat pump requirement to new construction, its alteration guidance does not require replacement equipment in an existing home to be a heat pump, and the City of Sacramento says it will not mandate immediate appliance replacement. The new furnace still needs a permit, and where an air handler or coil is replaced the Title 24 duct sealing and testing rules apply.

### Does a new home in California have to use a heat pump?

Under the 2025 Title 24 standards, the prescriptive path for new single-family construction requires heat pumps for space conditioning in every climate zone. A builder can still model a gas furnace through the code's performance path, which trades it off against other efficiency measures. That rule is about new construction; it does not reach a furnace replacement in an existing home.

### Can an HOA stop a homeowner from switching from gas to a heat pump?

Not by rule. SB 222, approved by the Governor on September 28, 2026, voids HOA rules that prevent a gas-to-electric replacement. An HOA can still have reasonable say over things such as where equipment sits, so it is worth checking the association's architectural rules for outdoor-unit placement before the design is final.

Want this answered for your house?

Call with your current system, the rooms that bother you and your ZIP code.

## Related service

Furnace to heat pump conversion

One ducted heat pump in place of the gas furnace and the central AC, sized from a load calculation and tested to Title 24.

## More guides

- Decision Guide [Is a heat pump or a gas furnace better for a Sacramento home?](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/heat-pump-vs-gas-furnace-sacramento/)How the two compare on Sacramento's winter mornings, what each costs to run under SMUD, Roseville Electric and PG&E rates, how they differ in comfort, safety and upkeep, and which households should keep gas for now.
- Learn [What does a heat pump permit in Sacramento involve, and what does Title 24 check?](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/heat-pump-permit-title-24/)The permit office for each part of the region, what the City of Sacramento's standard change-out permit allows, every Title 24 test a change-out carries, and how SB 222 reshapes permits from 2027.
- Learn [When does a heat pump need an electrical panel upgrade?](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/heat-pump-electrical-panel/)What a heat pump adds to a home's electrical load, how a service-load calculation decides whether the panel can carry it, what an upgrade typically costs, and where SMUD's panel and circuit rebates fit.
- Learn [How does the SMUD heat pump rebate work?](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/smud-heat-pump-rebates/)What SMUD pays on a ducted heat pump, which homes and systems qualify, the permit and Title 24 steps the claim depends on, the Go Electric panel and circuit add-ons, and who files the paperwork.
- Learn [What should you know before putting a heat pump in a Sacramento home?](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/sacramento-heat-pump-guide/)How a ducted heat pump heats and cools, why Sacramento sizes for the afternoon, what tule fog does to the outdoor coil, how your electric utility changes the math, and what ducts, panels, permits and rebates add to the job.