California Supplemental Examination (CSE) cheat sheet

Title 24 is organized by part: Part 1 administrative, Part 2 CBC, Part 2.5 residential, Part 6 energy, Part 9 fire, Part 10 existing building, Part 11 green, Part 12 reference standards.

The code is adopted on a three-year cycle and each edition takes effect on January 1 of the following odd-numbered year (2022 edition effective January 1, 2023).

Occupancy groups are A, B, E, F, H, I, M, R, S, and U; mixed occupancies are resolved under CBC Chapter 5 by accessory, nons separated, or separated occupancy rules.

Construction types are I, II, III, IV, and V with A (protected) and B (unprotected) subtypes; the 2021/2022 IBC-CBC adds Type IV-A, IV-B, and IV-C mass timber types.

CBC Section 105.5: a permit becomes invalid if work does not commence within 12 months of issuance, and expires if work is suspended for 180 days.

A certificate of occupancy is required before a building may be occupied or used (CBC Chapter 1); a temporary certificate may be issued for portions.

Local amendments to Title 24 must be filed with the California Building Standards Commission; more restrictive amendments require express findings and are published in the state code.

Alterations, additions, and changes of occupancy in existing buildings are governed by the California Existing Building Code (Part 10) and CBC Chapter 34.

Plans for buildings within the scope of Business and Professions Code Section 5537 must be prepared by a California licensed architect.

Allowable building height and area come from CBC Tables 504.3/504.4 and 506.2, adjusted by frontage and sprinkler increases.

CBC Chapter 11A governs accessibility for covered multifamily housing; Chapter 11B governs public accommodations, commercial facilities, and public buildings.

Where the 2010 ADA Standards and CBC 11B differ, both apply and the more stringent provision governs in California.

Accessible route clear width is 36 inches minimum under ADA; California 11B is generally more demanding and frequently requires greater width.

Ramps: maximum slope 1:12 (8.33 percent), maximum rise of 30 inches between landings, handrails 34 to 38 inches above the ramp surface.

Doors: 32-inch minimum clear width; maneuvering clearance is required on both push and pull sides depending on approach direction and door hardware.

Reach ranges for operable parts: 15 to 48 inches above the floor for both forward and side reach, measured to the operable portion.

Accessible parking under CBC Table 11B-208.2 starts at one space for lots of 1 to 25; at least one in every six accessible spaces must be van-accessible.

Fair housing design requirements apply to covered multifamily dwellings of four or more units with an elevator, or to ground-floor units in walk-up buildings.

A CASp inspection report is authorized under Civil Code Section 55.5x, and commercial leases must disclose CASp status under Civil Code Section 1938.

Seismic design category A through F is assigned from SDS, SD1, and Risk Category; most densely developed California sites fall in SDC D, E, or F.

Base shear in the equivalent lateral force procedure is V = Cs W, where Cs is the seismic response coefficient and W is seismic weight.

Allowable story drift ratios in ASCE 7 are 0.020h for Risk Category I and II, 0.015h for III, and 0.010h for IV, subject to CBC amendments.

The Alquist-Priolo Earthquake Fault Zoning Act prohibits structures for human occupancy within 50 feet of a mapped active fault trace and requires a fault investigation.

The Seismic Hazards Mapping Act directs the California Geological Survey to map liquefaction and landslide zones; a geotechnical report is required within a Zone of Required Investigation.

The Field Act requires plan review and construction inspection by the Division of the State Architect for K-12 and community college construction.

Hospital seismic compliance runs through HCAI (formerly OSHPD) under SB 1953, with structural and nonstructural performance categories SPC 1 through 5.

Unreinforced masonry buildings are addressed by Health and Safety Code Section 8875 et seq., and many cities add mandatory soft-story retrofit ordinances.

Evaluation and retrofit of existing buildings commonly uses ASCE 41 performance objectives as adopted through the California Existing Building Code.

Occupant load factors (Table 1004.5) include business 150 gross, mercantile 60 gross, assembly unconcentrated 15 net, residential 200 gross, and storage 300 gross.

For most occupancies at least two exits are required once the occupant load reaches 50; exit configuration must meet the remoteness requirements of CBC 1007.

Egress width capacity is 0.2 inch per occupant for level components and 0.15 inch per occupant for stairways and other components (CBC 1005.3.1).

Dead-end corridors are limited to 20 feet in nonsprinklered buildings and 50 feet in sprinklered buildings under Table 1020.4.

Travel distance limits are set by occupancy in Table 1017.2, with the larger permitted value applying where the building is protected by an automatic sprinkler system.

High-rise buildings, defined as those with an occupied floor more than 75 feet above fire department access, require automatic sprinklers plus standby power and fire command features.

CBC Chapter 7A requires ignition-resistant construction in Wildland-Urban Interface fire hazard severity zones: Class A roof, ember-resistant vents, and approved exterior wall coverings.

NFPA 13 applies to most commercial sprinkler systems, NFPA 13R to residential occupancies up to four stories, and NFPA 13D to one- and two-family dwellings.

Required fire-resistance ratings for structural elements are shown in CBC Tables 601 and 602 and increase as construction type moves from Type V to Type I.

The Building Energy Efficiency Standards (Part 6) are updated every three years; the 2022 edition took effect January 1, 2023, and the 2025 edition takes effect January 1, 2026.

Part 6 offers a prescriptive compliance path and a performance path based on a whole-building energy budget compared to a standard design.

Specified energy measures require field verification and diagnostic testing by a HERS rater, including duct leakage and refrigerant charge verification.

New low-rise residential construction must include on-site photovoltaic generation, and recent editions add battery storage readiness requirements.

Recent nonresidential energy standards add photovoltaic and energy storage requirements for many new buildings and some major alterations.

CALGreen (Part 11) contains mandatory measures that apply statewide plus voluntary Tier 1 and Tier 2 reach standards adopted by local ordinance.

CALGreen requires construction and demolition waste diversion of at least 65 percent from landfill for covered projects.

CALGreen addresses indoor potable water use reduction relative to a baseline, plus outdoor landscape and irrigation efficiency requirements.

CALGreen and Part 6 establish electric vehicle capable, EV-ready, and EVSE space percentages for new multifamily and nonresidential projects.

A general plan has seven mandatory elements: land use, circulation, housing, conservation, open space, noise, and safety.

The housing element is updated on an eight-year cycle and must accommodate the jurisdiction's Regional Housing Needs Allocation.

Zoning ordinances and specific plans must be internally consistent with the adopted general plan, and the general plan governs where conflicts exist.

CEQA applies to discretionary actions by public agencies; ministerial permits such as a conforming building permit are exempt from CEQA review.

CEQA documents include the negative declaration, mitigated negative declaration, and EIR; an EIR is required when impacts cannot be mitigated to less than significant.

A Notice of Determination or Notice of Exemption is filed with the Office of Planning and Research, generally starting a 30-day statute of limitations period.

Public Resources Code Section 21000 et seq. and the CEQA Guidelines (Title 14 CCR Sections 15000-15387) set exemptions, thresholds, and findings requirements.

SB 743 replaced level of service with vehicle miles traveled as the CEQA metric for transportation impacts.

The California Density Bonus Law (Government Code Section 65915) grants density increases and concessions in exchange for affordable housing units.

AIA B101 is the standard owner-architect agreement and AIA A201 the general conditions; both are commonly incorporated into California projects.

Civil Code Section 2782 renders void indemnity clauses that would indemnify a party against its own active negligence in construction contracts.

Civil Code Section 2782.8 limits indemnity owed to public agencies by design professionals, excluding liability for sole negligence, gross negligence, and willful misconduct.

A preliminary 20-day notice is a prerequisite to a mechanic's lien, stop payment notice, or payment bond claim for most claimants.

A direct contractor must record a mechanic's lien within 90 days after completion of the work of improvement under Civil Code Section 8412.

Public works contracts require performance and payment bonds, prevailing wage payment, and DIR contractor registration.

Delivery methods include design-bid-build, construction manager at risk, design-build, and lease-leaseback, each with distinct statutory authorization and licensing constraints.

Code of Civil Procedure Section 337.15 imposes a 10-year statute of repose for latent construction defects, while patent defects are governed by the shorter Section 337 period.

Substantial completion triggers warranty start, retainage release eligibility, and the beginning of many contractual limitation periods.

The Architects Practice Act (Business and Professions Code Section 5500 et seq.) is administered and enforced by the California Architects Board.

Licensure requires completion of AXP experience, passage of the six-division ARE, passage of the California Supplemental Examination, and Board application.

California architects complete 5 hours of continuing education per year, at least 2 of which must be in accessibility, and renew licensure every two years.

A licensee's stamp must include the architect's name and license number, and only the licensee may sign and seal instruments of service.

Sealed documents must be prepared under the responsible control of the licensee, meaning direct supervision and knowledge of the work.

Unlicensed practice of architecture is unlawful and subject to civil and criminal penalties as well as Board enforcement action.

The architect generally retains ownership of and copyright in instruments of service unless the contract transfers them, with the client typically receiving a license of use.

Compensation received from contractors, material suppliers, or others in connection with a project must be disclosed to the client as a conflict of interest.