Title 24 compliance in Santa Monica
Santa Monica's Climate Action Plan and progressive building standards put it consistently ahead of statewide minimums on energy and electrification. Projects in Santa Monica are not only subject to Title 24 Part 6, but also to local reach-code amendments that may require all-electric HVAC and water heating, expanded EV-readiness, and higher PV thresholds for certain occupancies.
Santa Monica sits in CEC Climate Zone 6 — coastal LA — which has the mildest prescriptive envelope requirements in the basin but adds humidity and corrosion considerations that affect equipment selection. Most ground-up residential and mixed-use projects use performance-path modeling so the design has room to optimize.
We prepare Title 24 reports for the full Santa Monica project mix: ocean-view condominiums on Ocean Avenue, mid-rise mixed-use along the Third Street Promenade corridor, small-lot single-family in Sunset Park, and adaptive-reuse on Lincoln Boulevard. We know what the City of Santa Monica Building & Safety Division asks for in plan check, including the local reach-code addendum that often catches out-of-area consultants.
Coastal climate. Mildest envelope baseline in the basin; humidity / corrosion considerations for equipment.
Building department + plan-check workflow
Online plan-check portal. Santa Monica reach-code addendum applies in addition to state Title 24.
santamonica.gov/places/city-services/community-development-department/building-safetyWhat we see most in Santa Monica
- Ocean-view condominiums (Ocean Avenue, Wilshire corridor)
- Mid-rise mixed-use (Third Street Promenade vicinity, Lincoln Blvd)
- Single-family in Sunset Park, Ocean Park, North of Montana
- ADUs (citywide; high demand)
- Adaptive-reuse commercial (Lincoln Blvd, Pico)
- Hotel + hospitality TI (Downtown, Ocean Avenue)
What Santa Monica reviewers look for
Santa Monica reach-code amendment adds electrification expectations beyond state Title 24 — we model the project against both.
EV-ready requirements stricter than statewide minimum on most multi-family.
Coastal climate zone (CZ 6) gives more flexibility on envelope but tighter HVAC sizing assumptions due to mild ambient.
Solar PV mandate applies; battery storage strongly encouraged via local incentives.
All Title 24 services available in Santa Monica
Neighborhoods + areas we cover in Santa Monica
Santa Monica-specific questions, answered
Does Santa Monica require all-electric Title 24 compliance?
Santa Monica's reach-code amendment prefers all-electric for new construction in most occupancy types, with limited exemptions. We model the project against both the state Title 24 baseline and the Santa Monica amendment so the report passes plan check on the first submittal.
How does the coastal climate zone affect my compliance?
Climate Zone 6 has more lenient prescriptive insulation R-values and window U-factors than the inland zones, which gives the design team more flexibility on envelope. HVAC sizing assumes mild ambient temperatures, so equipment is typically smaller than an inland-basin equivalent project.
What are the EV-ready requirements in Santa Monica?
Santa Monica requires more EV-ready parking spaces than the statewide minimum on most new multi-family. The energy report documents EV-ready electrical infrastructure as part of the broader Title 24 package.