Confirm the permit uses the 2025 California Existing Building Code, Title 24 Part 10, effective January 1, 2026, and that the code analysis names one compliance method and one work classification that every discipline follows. Then check whether the drawings show a change of occupancy or an addition the analysis does not mention, and record what accessibility and structural or seismic work the chosen path brings with it. AI can flag conflicts; the design professional and building official decide compliance.
What does the CEBC cover?
The California Existing Building Code is Part 10 of the California Building Standards Code, Title 24. Its 2025 contents include provisions for all compliance methods, repairs, a prescriptive compliance method, classification of work, three levels of alterations, change of occupancy, additions, historic buildings, performance compliance methods, relocated or moved buildings, and construction safeguards, with appendices of guidelines for seismic and wind retrofit and supplementary accessibility requirements for existing buildings. Chapters 3, 4, and 5 are each paired with a Chapter 3A, 4A, and 5A of the same title, so read the application provisions to see which chapter governs your building.
The California Building Standards Commission states that the 2025 Title 24 was published July 1, 2025 with an effective date of January 1, 2026, and lists Part 10 with non-substantive errata effective January 1, 2026. Its 2024 triennial cycle page says the cycle proposed adoption of the 2024 editions of the ICC model codes, and the ICC digital edition the commission links labels the 2025 CEBC as the amended 2024 IEBC. HCD lists its Part 10 changes as approved by the commission on February 27, 2025, and its final statement of reasons discusses adopting a 2024 IEBC section into the 2025 CEBC. Checked October 16, 2026. Several state agencies adopt parts of Title 24, and cities and counties may adopt local amendments; check the matrix adoption tables and local ordinances.
Model code checks are in the IEBC guide. New construction, including the new portion of an addition, is reviewed under the California Building Code, and the California page lists the Title 24 parts and official sources. The commission also lists Part 8, the California Historical Building Code, separately.
Gather the existing building record and the new work
Collect the code analysis with the compliance method and work classification, the existing conditions and demolition plans, the new work plans and the work area diagram if one is drawn, the prior occupancy and permit history, the accessibility and path-of-travel plans, any structural or seismic evaluation report, the structural general notes and addition framing, and the MEP drawings for the altered areas.
Write down the existing and proposed use of every space. Most CEBC coordination findings start where a room name on the plans implies a use the code analysis does not acknowledge.
Trace CEBC decisions through the renovation set
| Review question | Sources to compare | Decision to record |
|---|---|---|
| Edition and Title 24 parts | Cover sheet, code analysis, structural and MEP general notes | Confirm the 2025 CEBC and that the other Title 24 parts cited are from the same triennial edition. |
| Compliance method | Code analysis, structural notes, MEP notes | Check one method (prescriptive, classification of work, or performance) is named and that no discipline cites a different one. |
| Work classification | Scope narrative, demolition plans, new work plans, work area diagram | Compare the repair or alteration level claimed with the extent of demolition and reconfiguration actually drawn. |
| Change of occupancy | Code analysis, room names, permit history, equipment plans | Record the existing and proposed occupancy of each area and whether the analysis addresses any change. |
| Accessibility scope | Accessibility plans, path-of-travel drawings, scope narrative | Record which accessibility improvements the alteration triggers in the jurisdiction’s view and where each is drawn, including the route to the altered area. |
| Structural and seismic scope | Evaluation report, structural notes, addition and retrofit details | Confirm whether the work or the addition brings in a structural or seismic evaluation, which standard the notes cite, and where the results are drawn. |
Seismic evaluations and retrofits continue in the ASCE 41 guide, path-of-travel comments in the path-of-travel corrections guide, and the route itself in the accessibility checklist.
Example: a clinic conversion the code analysis calls an alteration
Hypothetical example. A single-story 1960s retail building in Sacramento is being converted into a dental clinic with a small rear addition for sterilization and storage. The code analysis on G0.02 classifies the work as a Level 2 alteration and states that there is no change of occupancy. The floor plans relabel the sales floor as treatment rooms and a waiting area, the structural general notes cite the prescriptive compliance method, and the addition appears on the site and floor plans but not in the code analysis.
The code analysis on G0.02 classifies the work as a Level 2 alteration with no change of occupancy and does not mention the rear addition, but A1.01 shows clinic uses replacing the sales floor and a new addition, and the structural notes on S0.01 cite the prescriptive compliance method. Confirm the existing and proposed occupancy, one compliance method, and the addition, and coordinate the code analysis, structural notes, and accessibility scope.
The architect revises the code analysis to address the use change and the addition, and the structural engineer aligns the notes with the chosen method. The finding is a document conflict; the building official decides the classification.
Review California existing building work with Groundbook
Upload the current drawings and specifications to Groundbook, and state the edition, amendments, and review scope in your instructions. Add the California Existing Building Code edition the project uses from a copy you are licensed to use, where the license permits uploading it, and the jurisdiction’s published amendments. See how Groundbook works with local and licensed codes.
Compare the code analysis, existing conditions and demolition plans, new work plans, room names, permit history, accessibility and path-of-travel plans, structural notes and evaluation report, and MEP drawings. Flag mixed Title 24 editions, more than one compliance method across disciplines, a work classification that does not match the extent of work drawn, use changes or additions the analysis does not address, and accessibility or seismic scope not shown. Use the supplied CEBC and cite both sources.
Groundbook links each potential finding to the sheets and documents involved. It compares what the documents state about method, classification, and occupancy; it does not decide them.
Document review does not perform structural or seismic analysis, classify the work for the jurisdiction, or approve a permit. Those remain with the design professionals and the building official.