What Title 24 actually is, what it asks of residential and commercial lighting, and which paperwork lands on the electrician.
Title 24 is the California Code of Regulations. The energy rules that govern lighting are Part 6, the Building Energy Efficiency Standards, written and updated by the California Energy Commission.
People on a job site say “Title 24” when they mean the energy standards, but Title 24 is the whole state building code. Part 6 is the energy code. Part 11 is CALGreen. Part 3 is the California Electrical Code — the NEC with California amendments. When an inspector asks about your lighting, Part 6 is the document in play.
Part 6 is revised on roughly a three-year cycle. Which edition applies to your project generally follows the date the permit application was filed, not the date you install. That matters on long jobs that straddle a cycle change. Confirm the applicable edition with your building department or the CEC before you spec fixtures — on this point in particular, do not work from a number you remember from the last job.
The residential lighting requirements come down to two ideas: the light source has to qualify as high efficacy, and the switch has to do more than turn it on.
The specific room lists, sensor requirements, and exceptions have all shifted between editions. Get the section that applies to your permit and read it; that is the only version that counts on your inspection.
Commercial lighting compliance works differently. Instead of a per-fixture rule, you get a lighting power allowance — a budget in watts per square foot that depends on the building type or the function of each area — and your design has to come in under it. On top of the budget sit mandatory control requirements that apply regardless of how much wattage you used.
Occupants need a readily accessible manual control for the lights in their area, and general lighting generally has to be capable of being reduced in steps or dimmed rather than only full-on and off.
Lighting must shut off automatically when a space is unoccupied — typically an automatic time switch, occupant sensing, or a combination, with specific spaces calling for specific approaches.
Where daylight reaches a defined zone under skylights or near windows, the general lighting in that zone generally has to respond to available daylight.
Outdoor lighting is governed by lighting zones and requires photocontrol plus, in many cases, motion-based reduction. Larger buildings carry demand responsive control requirements as well.
Nonresidential lighting controls also require acceptance testing. The installed controls have to be functionally tested and documented by a certified acceptance test technician before the building department signs off — budget the time for it, because it is a scheduling problem, not a materials problem.
Prepared during design and submitted with the permit application. It states how the project intends to comply.
Signed by the installing contractor, confirming what was actually installed. This is the one that lands on the electrician.
Completed by a third-party verifier or acceptance test technician where the standards require independent verification.
Ask for the compliance data before the fixture goes on the truck. For residential work that means the JA8 marking and the product's listing in the state database. For commercial work it means the input wattage you can put in the calculation, the dimming protocol, and whether the control gear you are pairing with it is listed for the job. A fixture that dims beautifully on the bench and buzzes on the installed dimmer is a callback, so check the manufacturer's compatibility list for the specific driver and control combination.
We stock recessed and canless downlights, linear, track, high bay, wall packs, landscape lighting, lamps, and tape light from Nora, ELCO, Westgate, EnvisionLED, Satco, Halo, Maxim, Eurofase and more, plus Lutron, Leviton, Intermatic, and Enerlites controls in devices, plates, and control hardware. Send us a fixture schedule and we will quote it and flag anything that looks like a compliance problem before you order.
Reference only. This page is general reference information, not a substitute for the currently adopted code or the ruling of the authority having jurisdiction. California adopts the NEC as the California Electrical Code (Title 24, Part 3) with state amendments, and your city or county may amend it further. Requirements change from one code cycle to the next — verify every value against the edition in force for your permit, and confirm the details with your inspector before you buy material or energize anything. Ora Electric Lighting & Supply is a wholesale distributor. We sell materials. We do not perform electrical work, and we do not provide design or engineering services.
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