Title 24 HERS, Permits & Final Inspections in Simi Valley
CHEERS-certified HERS / ECC Rating, mechanical/electrical/plumbing permit expediting, and final inspections across Simi Valley — Wood Ranch and the west end to Santa Susana on the east. Title 24 is California’s Building Energy Efficiency Standards (Title 24, Part 6 of the California Code of Regulations), and HERS / ECC testing is the field verification it requires. Same-day field results. Simi Valley is our gateway to Ventura County — our #9 city statewide by permit volume — and we work with the city’s Building & Safety Division on a standing basis.
Simi Valley is our #9 city by permit volume.
Simi Valley sits ninth on our internal list of cities by permit count — 99 permits in our records, more than any other Ventura County city we serve. Almost two-thirds of that work is in 93065, the west side of the valley that includes Wood Ranch and the neighborhoods around First Street and Madera Road. The rest is in 93063, the east end toward the Santa Susana Pass. The mix is what you’d expect from a suburban valley built out largely from the 1960s through the 1990s: HVAC change-outs, duct replacements, water-heater swaps, electrical service upgrades, and a steady stream of ADUs (accessory dwelling units) and additions.
Working with the Simi Valley Building & Safety Division
- Department: City of Simi Valley Building & Safety Division (Environmental Services Department)
- Address: 2929 Tapo Canyon Road, Simi Valley, CA 93063
- Phone: (805) 583-6723 (Building & Safety front counter)
- Submission methods: Online via the city’s Customer Self Service permit portal — you register an account first, then submit applications and plans electronically
- Note: Contact info above is from the City of Simi Valley’s public-facing pages; confirm current hours and submittal requirements on simivalley.org before submitting.
We pull mechanical, electrical, and plumbing permits, run plan-check correction cycles, and coordinate the final inspection with the city inspector and the homeowner. Simi Valley’s online portal handles most MEP scopes cleanly — the main thing that trips up contractors from LA County is simply that it’s a different system with its own account setup and document requirements. We already have that handled.
What we do in Simi Valley
- Title 24 HERS / ECC Rating testing — duct leakage, refrigerant charge, cooling coil airflow, fan efficacy. ECC stands for Energy Code Compliance — the California Energy Commission’s new name for the HERS program as of the 2025 code. CF1R / CF2R / CF3R compliance documents prepared and registered with CHEERS, at no additional charge.
- Permit expediting — mechanical, electrical, plumbing. Submitted through the city’s Customer Self Service portal, plan-check corrections handled, permit issued without you driving to Tapo Canyon Road.
- Final inspections & closeout — we set up the final with the City of Simi Valley and the homeowner, confirm both are available, brief the homeowner on what the inspector will want to see, and hand off the HERS test and permit packet. When roof or attic access is needed, we drop a single-story ladder in the morning and pick it up that afternoon.
Climate Zone 9 — what it means for your test
All of Simi Valley — both 93065 and 93063 — sits in California Climate Zone 9, the hot inland-valley zone it shares with Thousand Oaks and Moorpark (the coastal side of Ventura County is Climate Zone 6). Zone assignments come from the California Energy Commission’s climate zone map, and Energy Code Ace publishes the zip-by-zip table. CZ 9 summers are cooling-driven, so air-conditioner alterations here trigger refrigerant charge verification on top of duct leakage testing. Under the 2025 Energy Code — which applies to permit applications submitted on or after January 1, 2026 — heat pumps become the prescriptive baseline for space heating in all 16 climate zones, and heat pump installs get refrigerant charge verification too. We confirm the zone and the exact required measures for your specific address before quoting.
Frequently asked — Simi Valley
When does Title 24 require HERS / ECC testing for a project in Simi Valley?
Whenever permitted work touches energy systems, which covers most projects. HVAC alterations — replacing a coil, condenser, furnace, or more than 40 feet of ducting — typically require duct leakage testing, and refrigerant charge verification applies to air conditioners in Climate Zone 9. New construction and ADUs almost always require multiple HERS measures. For permit applications submitted on or after January 1, 2026, the 2025 Energy Code also requires refrigerant charge verification for heat pumps in every climate zone. The Simi Valley Building & Safety Division plan check will tell you what’s required when they review your permit; we can also confirm before you submit.
Do you also cover the rest of Ventura County?
Yes. Thousand Oaks, Moorpark, Camarillo, Oxnard, and the City of Ventura are all part of our regular Ventura County coverage, along with unincorporated areas permitted through the County of Ventura. Each jurisdiction has its own portal and inspector pool, but we run the county on a standing route. See our Ventura County page for the full breakdown of cities, AHJs, and climate zones.
What’s the typical permit-to-closeout timeline in Simi Valley?
For a standard MEP permit (HVAC change-out, electrical service upgrade, water heater swap), figure roughly 1 to 2 weeks from submittal to permit issuance through Simi Valley’s online Customer Self Service portal — often faster on simple scopes. The HERS / ECC test happens once installation is done, with same-day field results. Final inspection scheduling adds another 2 to 10 business days depending on inspector availability. Most simple projects close out within 4 to 6 weeks total; additions and ADUs take longer because of plan-check review.
How fast can ERE finish a HERS test in Simi Valley?
Same-day field results in your inbox the day of the test, and the CF3R registered with CHEERS. Booking lead time is typically less than a week — Simi Valley anchors our Ventura County route and we can usually slot in a test within 2 to 5 business days.