Fire Rebuild HERS/ECC Testing

Rebuilding a home lost in the January 2025 fires — Eaton (Altadena), Palisades, Hurst, Lidia, Sunset, Woodley or Hughes? The energy code still applies to your rebuild, and HERS/ECC field verification is still required before final. But Executive Order N-29-25 changed two big things: rooftop solar and batteries are not required, and your project can be built to the 2022 code instead of the 2025 code. Here is exactly what the order says, and what still has to be tested.

At a glance

Solar PV and battery storage: suspended for qualifying rebuilds.
Solar Ready: still required.
Code cycle: 2022 California Building Standards Code allowed in place of 2025 — except fire and public safety standards and flood elevation.
HERS/ECC verification: still required for the measures on your CF1R.

Who qualifies

Executive Order N-29-25, signed July 7, 2025.

The order applies to “projects to repair, restore, demolish, or replace residential structures or facilities substantially damaged or destroyed as a result of this emergency” — the State of Emergency proclaimed January 7, 2025 in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties for the Palisades, Eaton, Hurst, Lidia, Sunset, Woodley, and Hughes Fires.

That covers rebuilds in Altadena, Pacific Palisades, Malibu, Topanga and the other affected neighborhoods. Per LA County’s implementation sheet, an ADU built as part of a project to rebuild the primary residence is eligible for the same solar exemption.

The exceptions — exact language

Quoted from Executive Order N-29-25.

1. Solar PV and battery storage are suspended

“For projects to repair, restore, demolish, or replace residential structures or facilities substantially damaged or destroyed as a result of this emergency, mandatory building standards in the California Energy Code for Solar Electric Generation Systems/Solar PV Systems (Title 24, California Code of Regulations, Part 6, sections 140.10(a), 150.1(c)(14), and 170.2(f) & (g)) and Battery Storage Systems (Title 24, California Code of Regulations, Part 6, sections 140.10(b) and 170(h)), as they would otherwise apply to newly constructed residential dwellings, are suspended. This Paragraph shall not apply to Solar Ready requirements.”Executive Order N-29-25, Paragraph 1

Solar Ready is still required. The order keeps it (“This Paragraph shall not apply to Solar Ready requirements”), and LA County’s implementation sheet requires it for single-family homes and ADUs. What has to be shown: a reserved roof area of 250 sq ft for a single-family home, wall space reserved for future equipment (inverters, metering), a reserved conduit pathway from the electrical service to that roof area, and a minimum 200A electrical service with space for a two-pole breaker. As always, the building department has the final say on your project.

2. The 2022 code may be used instead of the 2025 code

“With respect to projects to repair, restore, demolish, or replace residential structures or facilities substantially damaged or destroyed as a result of this emergency, standards in the 2025 California Building Standards Code are suspended, with the exception of the fire and public safety requirements presented by the State Fire Marshal and adopted by the California Building Standards Commission for inclusion in the 2025 California Building Standards Code, provided that the projects comply instead with the 2022 California Building Standards Code. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any applicable minimum elevation standards established in the 2025 California Building Standards Code or any subsequent updates to the Code (consistent with federal guidance on the implementation of the National Flood Insurance Program), and any applicable requirement to produce a required elevation certificate, shall continue to apply to dwellings subject to this Paragraph. Nothing in this Paragraph alters or limits Paragraph 8 of Executive Order N-20-25.”Executive Order N-29-25, Paragraph 2

What that means for testing: your CF1R’s code cycle governs. A rebuild modeled under the 2022 Energy Code is verified to the 2022 requirements — for example, refrigerant charge verification follows the 2022 rules, not the 2025 rule that covers every heat pump in every climate zone. Each topic page below shows the 2022 requirements, with 2025 changes marked.

3. No new stricter local codes through mid-2031

Separately, AB 130 (Chapter 22, Statutes of 2025) put a moratorium on state and local building standards affecting residential units from October 1, 2025 through June 1, 2031. Cities and counties can’t adopt stricter residential building standards in that window except in limited cases, including emergency health and safety standards and home hardening (wildfire) standards (CBSC Information Bulletin 25-03). It isn’t specific to fire rebuilds, but it means local rules won’t be tightened partway through your rebuild.

What still gets verified

The order suspends solar and batteries — not HERS/ECC field verification. Your CF1R lists which of these apply.

Envelope

Framing & insulation

QII · Windows · Cool roof

HVAC

Rough-in & final

Duct leakage · Airflow · Fan efficacy · Refrigerant charge

IAQ & water heating

Final

Whole-house ventilation · Range hoods · Water heaters

Rebuild schedules move fast. Call us when framing starts — QII and duct rough-in have to be inspected before the next trade covers the work.

Where we work

Based in eastern Ventura County. Fire rebuilds and new construction across Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties.

Altadena · Pacific Palisades · Pasadena · Malibu · Topanga · Santa Monica · Los Angeles · Calabasas · Agoura Hills · Westlake Village · Woodland Hills · Thousand Oaks · Simi Valley · Moorpark · Camarillo · Oxnard · Ventura · Santa Barbara

Sources

Official documents — read them yourself.

Rebuilding after the fires?

Send us your CF1R and we’ll lay out every verification and when it has to happen.

Book Now Contact Us