# What does a heat pump permit in Sacramento involve, and what does Title 24 check?

> Heat pump permit rules in Sacramento: which office issues it, the City's $175 change-out fee, Title 24 duct and charge testing, and what SB 222 changes next.

URL: https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/heat-pump-permit-title-24/

Learn

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.

Every heat pump installation in California, other than a plug-in room unit, needs a building permit, and the office that issues it depends on where the parcel sits. In the City of Sacramento a one- or two-family change-out goes through an online minor permit with a $175 flat fee plus surcharges. Each permit carries the same Title 24 checks: duct sealing and an ECC-Rater test of ducts, charge and airflow.

[Tule Sacramento Heat Pump](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/) plans and installs ducted heat pumps across the Sacramento region, with licensed and insured contractors performing the installations and their permitted work. This guide explains what the permit and the inspection actually verify.

Key takeaways

- The California Energy Commission says installing a space conditioning appliance requires a building permit
- Replacing just the outdoor or indoor unit of a split system triggers duct sealing and testing
- Ducts pass at 10% total leakage or 7% to the outside; 6% where the system is in a garage
- Refrigerant charge is verified for heat pumps in every climate zone, at a minimum of 300 cfm per ton
- City of Sacramento change-out inspections also check carbon monoxide and smoke alarms
- SB 222 caps residential heat pump HVAC permit fees at $200 unless a jurisdiction adopts findings

## Which office issues the permit

The permit follows the parcel, not the mailing address. A Sacramento postal address can sit in unincorporated County land, and a few blocks can separate two cities.

| Area | Permit office | How a change-out is permitted |
| --- | --- | --- |
| City of Sacramento | City Community Development, Building Division | Online minor permit through the Public Permit Portal for one- and two-family homes |
| Carmichael, Fair Oaks, Arden-Arcade, Orangevale, North Highlands | Sacramento County Building Permits and Inspection | Applied for online through the Citizen Access Portal and issued automatically once paid |
| Elk Grove | City of Elk Grove | Online residential mechanical permit with separate HVAC replacement, condenser-only and furnace-or-duct-only types |
| Roseville | City of Roseville Development Services | OPS Portal pre-application with the CF1R-ALT HVAC form; stamped plans if the new unit goes in the attic or on the roof |
| Citrus Heights | City of Citrus Heights | All permits submitted and processed online |
| El Dorado Hills | El Dorado County Building Services | Email permit program for licensed contractors with a County business license; no plan review for change-outs |
| West Sacramento | City of West Sacramento | Over-the-counter mechanical permit type; HVAC rules confirmed per address and project |
| Folsom, Rocklin, Rancho Cordova, Davis | Each city’s building division | Rules confirmed per address and project |

The [service areas page](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/service-areas/) lists the utility and permit office for each community, and local pages such as [Carmichael and Fair Oaks](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/service-areas/carmichael-fair-oaks/), [Elk Grove](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/service-areas/elk-grove/) and [Roseville](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/service-areas/roseville/) describe how each office handles a change-out.

## The City of Sacramento’s standard change-out permit

City permit records show the wording of its standard web permit for a heat pump change-out: the existing unit is removed, and the new one goes in the same location and may not exceed the old unit’s size by more than 25%. Variants read “No Duct Work Permitted” or “Change-out w/new ducts”.

### How often each version is used

Of 1,950 heat pump HVAC permits the City issued from October 26, 2025 to October 25, 2026, 1,682 carried the 25% size condition, 1,167 were written with no duct work and 176 included new ducts. Moving the unit, upsizing past 25% or rebuilding ducts takes a job off the simplest path.

### Alarms at the final inspection

Many City change-out permits note the CF1R-ALT-HVAC compliance form on file and add that carbon monoxide and smoke alarms are required, referencing California Residential Code sections R315 and R314. The inspector checks them at the final, so it pays to test alarms before inspection day.

### The fee

The City’s fee schedule lists a $175 flat fee for an HVAC change-out, plus a 10% technology surcharge and small general plan, green building, strong motion and business tax charges. At an $18,000 to $25,000 project valuation, that comes to about $250 to $272. A reinspection starts at $216. Other cities and the County set their own fees, typically a few hundred dollars. A panel upgrade needs its own electrical permit, covered in the [panel guide](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/heat-pump-electrical-panel/).

## What Title 24 checks on every change-out

California’s energy code treats a heat pump change-out as an alteration. The CEC’s 2025 Single-Family Residential Compliance Manual sets out what follows.

### Duct sealing and testing

Ducts connected to the new equipment are sealed by the installer and verified by an ECC-Rater when an air handler, an outdoor unit, a packaged system or a coil is installed or replaced. The target is 10% or less total leakage, or 7% or less leakage to the outside. Ducts that cannot reach it pass once all accessible leaks are sealed and confirmed with a visual and smoke test.

Exceptions apply to ducts already ECC-tested, systems with less than 40 feet of duct, and ducts with asbestos. Where ducts or equipment sit in a garage, the figure tightens to 6%, or the garage leaks must be sealed.

### Refrigerant charge and airflow

Heat pumps get refrigerant charge verification in every climate zone, with minimum airflow of 300 cfm per ton. Ducts too small for the airflow can fail here, which is why a duct assessment comes before equipment selection; [heat pump ductwork](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/heat-pump-ductwork/) covers the fixes.

### Other alteration rules

- **Thermostat.** A digital setback thermostat is required when a refrigerant component is added or replaced.
- **Backup heat.** Replacement space heating may not use electric resistance as the primary heat, apart from listed exceptions.
- **New ducts.** More than 25 feet of new duct needs R-8 insulation and leakage testing; an entirely new system must test at 5% or less.
- **Sizing.** Without airflow verified at 350 cfm per ton, cooling capacity may exceed the calculated load by only about 6,000 Btu per hour. The [sizing guide](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/heat-pump-sizing/) explains why.

> Climate zones 11 and 12
>
> Roseville, Rocklin and the other Placer County cities sit in Title 24 climate zone 11, and most of the rest of the region in zone 12. Both fall under the same alteration rules for these tests, so the zone changes the paperwork more than the work.

## The paperwork trail

Three documents follow a typical change-out: the CF1R-ALT compliance form filed with the permit, the installer’s certificate of what was installed, and the ECC-Rater’s CF3R verification record. SMUD’s heat pump rebate requires the passing CF3R, so a failed or missing test holds up the rebate as well as the final inspection. The [SMUD rebate guide](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/smud-heat-pump-rebates/) covers its other conditions.

Plan a change-out that passes the first time

The duct test, load calculation and panel check come before the permit, so the inspection holds no surprises.

## What SB 222 changes

SB 222 (Chapter 738, Statutes of 2026) was approved by the Governor on September 28, 2026 and reshapes local heat pump permitting in stages:

- cities and counties must offer asynchronous inspections from July 1, 2027
- jurisdictions may require no more than one nondiscretionary permit per residential heat pump HVAC installation
- automated online permitting for licensed contractors is due by July 1, 2028, with the contractor certifying a load calculation under penalty of perjury
- the permit fee for a residential heat pump HVAC system is capped at $200 unless the jurisdiction adopts written findings
- HOA rules that block a gas-to-electric replacement are void

The law defines a swapout as a same-location replacement needing no more than 25 linear feet of new ductwork and not switching between package and split systems. Until each deadline arrives, local rules still differ.

## Where the permit fits in the job

The permit is applied for after the load calculation and site assessment and before work begins; the inspection and ECC-Rater visit come after commissioning. The [installation process guide](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/heat-pump-installation-process/) lays out the full order, and [heat pump replacement](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/heat-pump-replacement/) covers swapping an older system. For a permitted, tested installation, call (916) 516-1454 or [request an estimate](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/contact/).

## Questions about this guide

### Who applies for the heat pump permit, the homeowner or the installer?

On a contracted installation the installing contractor normally applies, because the permit ties the work to a license and the Title 24 paperwork. Some programs are open only to licensed contractors: El Dorado County's email permit program requires a California license, a County business license and an eTRAKiT account. Ask that the permit number appear on your paperwork before work starts.

### What happens if the ECC-Rater's duct test fails?

The ducts get more sealing and a retest. If they still cannot reach 10% total leakage or 7% leakage to the outside, Title 24 allows them to pass once every accessible leak has been sealed and confirmed by a visual and smoke test. Badly damaged ducts may be cheaper to replace than to chase, and new duct runs then carry their own insulation and leakage rules.

### Does SB 222's $200 fee cap apply to my permit yet?

Ask the permit office. SB 222 caps the permit fee for a residential heat pump HVAC system at $200 unless the city or county adopts written findings, but the law also sets later deadlines for other parts, such as automated online permitting by July 1, 2028. The office issuing your permit can say which fee applies on the day it is issued.

Want this answered for your house?

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

## Related service

Heat pump replacement

An aging heat pump swapped for a matched, correctly sized system, with the ducts tested and the charge verified under Title 24.

## More guides

- Learn [What happens during a heat pump installation, step by step?](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/heat-pump-installation-process/)The order a ducted heat pump job follows from the first look at the house to the final inspection, what each step depends on, and where Title 24 testing and the permit fit in.
- Learn [How is a heat pump sized for a Sacramento home?](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/heat-pump-sizing/)How a load calculation turns your house, your town's design temperatures and your ducts into a capacity, why the old condenser's tonnage is a poor guide, and what Title 24 and the City permit allow.
- 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 [Is California banning gas furnaces in existing Sacramento homes?](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/california-gas-furnace-ban/)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.
- Cost Guide [How much does heat pump installation cost in Sacramento?](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/heat-pump-installation-cost-sacramento/)Typical Sacramento-area ranges for ducted heat pump jobs, the public figures inside a price, permit fees by jurisdiction, the parts only a site visit can price, and which incentives are still open.