California Title 24 Part 6 prescribes minimum solar reflectance and thermal emittance for new and replacement roofs. San Diego's Building Electrification Reach Code and SDMC Chapter 14 enforce these performance standards through permit inspections.
Title 24 Part 6 §110.8 requires low-rise residential and nonresidential roofs to meet aged solar reflectance and thermal emittance values defined by climate zone. San Diego sits in CEC Climate Zones 7 and 10, where prescriptive cool-roof minimums apply to most new and altered roof assemblies of 50 percent or greater area replacement. Acceptable products carry a Cool Roof Rating Council label. Compliance is confirmed at building permit issuance and final inspection by the Development Services Department. The 2022 San Diego reach code amendments layered on additional efficiency credits, and CALGreen Tier 1 voluntary measures are applied to new municipal buildings under the Climate Action Plan.
Roofs failing reflectance specs cannot pass final inspection, blocking certificate of occupancy. Re-roof permits issued without compliant materials may be revoked, and contractors face Contractors State License Board complaints for fraudulent declarations.
San Diego, CA
San Diego's Climate Action Plan sets a 35 percent urban tree canopy goal by 2035 and pairs reach-code cool-roof and cool-pavement requirements with the Urban...
San Diego, CA
San Diego adopts the California Green Building Standards Code (CALGreen) at SDMC §11 and adds a Building Electrification Reach Code requiring all-electric ne...
See how San Diego's cool roof requirements rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.