Planning a replacement and want the permit and testing handled? Call 916-675-1062, Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm.
If you replace a central air conditioner, furnace or heat pump in an existing California home, Title 24 applies. The part that matters is Part 6, the California Energy Code. For a changeout it means a building permit, a load calculation, tested ducts, a checked refrigerant charge and a final inspection. A third-party HERS rater verifies the testing, not your contractor.
The 2025 Energy Code applies to permit applications submitted on or after January 1, 2026. These California HVAC code requirements come from the California Energy Commission (CEC), and each point below links to its source.
Per the CEC’s single-family HVAC guidance and compliance manual, as of October 2026, a typical replacement includes:
Some jobs are exempt from duct testing: ducts already sealed and certified by a rater, duct systems under 40 feet in total, and ducts containing asbestos. Altered ducts or equipment in a garage face a tighter leakage target of 6 percent, according to the compliance manual.
California is split into 16 building climate zones. The CEC’s zip code list puts our area in two of them:
Both zones fall inside the range where refrigerant charge verification applies to air conditioners. You can look up your own address with the CEC’s EZ Building Climate Zone Finder, which is the way to confirm your zone.
The person who answers the phone works in the Roseville office.
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If the ducts leak too much, they are sealed and retested. Our estimator schedules the inspection.
Our estimator files the permit with your city or county before the work starts.
Our crew sets the system, and the installer tests duct leakage, refrigerant charge and airflow, as the code requires, and documents the results.
The HERS rater, called an Energy Code Compliance rater (ECC-Rater) in the 2025 code, repeats the tests independently and completes the verification.
The building inspector checks the install and the paperwork, and the permit is finaled.
We do not quote numbers here, because they depend on the house. In general terms, Title 24 adds three things to a replacement: permit lead time before install day, a rater visit for the HERS test, and duct sealing when the ducts leak more than the code allows. Leaky older ducts in attics and garages can add sealing work. Ask any contractor, us included, whether the rater fee and duct sealing are in the quote.
At the free estimate, our estimator sizes the system with a load calculation, a duct inspection and a static pressure test, files the permit with your city or county and schedules the inspection. Ask how the HERS test will be scheduled and what you will be asked to sign. Whether the job is an AC installation, a heating installation, or a full HVAC installation, a free estimate comes first. Utility rebates also depend on a permitted, inspected install, so see HVAC rebates.
Want the longer background on efficiency tables and compliance paths? Read our guide, California Title 24 Energy Requirements for HVAC.
Yes. The CEC says installing a space conditioning system requires a building permit.
Yes. The CEC says replacing the outdoor unit or the indoor unit of a split system by itself triggers duct sealing and verification.
It is an independent check by a state-certified rater of duct leakage, refrigerant charge and airflow. The rater is not the contractor, which is the point.
They are sealed and retested. If the targets still cannot be met, the rater verifies by visual inspection and a smoke test that all accessible leaks are sealed.
The CEC’s compliance manual does not list a heat pump requirement among its rules for altering an existing system, which is Section 150.2(b)1. We do not summarize fuel rules here, so read that section and ask the estimator what applies to your house.
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Bronco offers 10% off for Military Members. Mention it when you call.
Call 916-675-1062 for a free estimate. Bronco serves Roseville, Sacramento, Carmichael, Citrus Heights, Fair Oaks, Rancho Cordova, Folsom, Rocklin, Rio Linda and El Dorado Hills.
Bronco Plumbing, Heating & Air, 373 Caldarella Cir, Roseville, CA 95678. Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm. CSLB 900045. Call 916-675-1062.
