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 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.
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 lists the utility and permit office for each community, and local pages such as Carmichael and Fair Oaks, Elk Grove and 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.
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 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 explains why.
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 covers its other conditions.
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 lays out the full order, and heat pump replacement covers swapping an older system. For a permitted, tested installation, call (916) 516-1454 or request an estimate.
