Title 24 Cool Roof Requirements in Sacramento
Cool-roof rules come up on about a quarter of Sacramento County re-roof permits, and they catch homeowners out at inspection. Sacramento sits in California energy Climate Zone 12, one of the zones where the requirement applies.
What the code asks for
On a sloped residential roof in this zone, the product must be rated by the Cool Roof Rating Council with an aged solar reflectance of at least 0.20 and a thermal emittance of at least 0.75. There is an alternative path using an aged Solar Reflectance Index of 16.
These are aged values, measured after three years of weathering — not the numbers a new shingle shows on day one.
The 2025 code is the one that applies now
California moved to the 2025 edition of Title 24, Part 6 for permits filed from January 1, 2026. The scope of which projects trigger the requirement was tightened in that update, so a job that would have passed as a like-for-like repair a few years ago may now be treated as an alteration that has to comply.
How to pass inspection
- Pick a CRRC-labelled product — most major architectural shingles have compliant colours
- Keep the CRRC label and the product data sheet for the inspector
- Have the energy compliance paperwork filled in and on site
- Know that darker colours are available compliant, but the range is narrower
Common questions
- Does Sacramento require a cool roof?
- For a sloped residential re-roof, yes. Sacramento is in California energy Climate Zone 12, where Title 24 Part 6 requires a CRRC-rated product meeting an aged solar reflectance of at least 0.20 and thermal emittance of at least 0.75, or an aged SRI of 16.
- Can I still have a dark-coloured roof?
- Yes. Manufacturers produce compliant shingles in darker colours using reflective granules, though the palette is narrower than the full range. The CRRC label on the product confirms whether it qualifies.