Title 24, Part 11

Title 24, Part 11
Name	Title 24, Part 11
Jurisdiction	California
Subject	Building codes; accessibility; electronic records
First issued	2016
Latest revision	2022

Title 24, Part 11

Title 24, Part 11 sets statewide standards for electronic building permit submittals, digital plan review, and accessibility of electronic documents within California Energy Commission, California Building Standards Commission, Department of Housing and Community Development (California), California Public Utilities Commission, California Office of Planning and Research. It establishes protocols that intersect with documents and processes used by City of Los Angeles, City and County of San Francisco, County of San Diego, Sacramento County, Santa Clara County permitting systems and coordinates with national models such as the International Code Council, National Fire Protection Association, American Institute of Architects, Associated General Contractors of America. The regulation informs interactions among agencies like the State Water Resources Control Board, California Coastal Commission, California Department of Transportation, and institutions including University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University, California State University, Sacramento.

Overview

Part 11 prescribes standards for electronic plan submittal and archival accepted by agencies such as Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety, San Francisco Department of Building Inspection, City of San Diego Development Services, Oakland Planning and Building Department. It addresses accessibility considerations aligned with federal frameworks including the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, Architectural Barriers Act and references standards promulgated by organizations like the Web Accessibility Initiative, World Wide Web Consortium, National Institute of Standards and Technology, American National Standards Institute, Underwriters Laboratories. It is used by stakeholders such as American Society of Civil Engineers, Engineers Australia (comparative practice), Royal Institute of British Architects (international reference), Construction Specifications Institute.

Scope and Applicability

The regulation applies to entities submitting applications to permit authorities including Los Angeles County, Alameda County, Riverside County, Orange County, Contra Costa County, and to projects reviewed by agencies such as Bay Area Rapid Transit, Metropolitan Transportation Authority (California), Port of Los Angeles. It governs electronic records management for public entities like California State Library, Los Angeles Public Library, San Francisco Public Library and informs archival procedures used by institutions such as Bancroft Library, California Historical Society, Getty Research Institute. The part intersects with federal programs administered by General Services Administration, National Archives and Records Administration, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Federal Emergency Management Agency when projects seek federal funding or involve federally regulated facilities like Naval Base San Diego or Travis Air Force Base.

Accessibility Standards and Requirements

Part 11 mandates accessibility features for electronic documents drawing on WCAG 2.1, ISO 9241, ISO 19005 (PDF/A), PDF Association guidance, and technical criteria from Adobe Systems Incorporated specifications. It requires compatibility with assistive technologies such as products interoperating with standards advanced by Freedom Scientific, HumanWare, Duxbury Systems, and aligns user interface expectations often considered by teams at Microsoft Corporation, Apple Inc., Google LLC. Agencies administering Part 11 coordinate with disability advocacy organizations including California Foundation for Independent Living Centers, National Federation of the Blind, American Council of the Blind, United Spinal Association to refine procedures affecting accessibility for users interacting with electronic plans, permit status, and associated metadata.

Compliance, Enforcement, and Certification

Compliance mechanisms reference certification practices used by International Code Council Certification, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, and testing protocols similar to those administered by Underwriters Laboratories, Intertek Group plc, TÜV Rheinland. Enforcement is performed by local enforcing agencies like San Diego County Planning and Development Services, Riverside County Building and Safety Department, City of Long Beach Development Services and coordinated through state oversight bodies including California Department of General Services and California State Auditor for audits. Entities often engage professional services from firms such as AECOM, Jacobs Engineering Group, Turner Construction Company to attain conformance with submission, validation, and archival provisions.

Implementation and Technology Guidance

Guidance encourages use of file formats and workflows compatible with platforms developed by Autodesk, Inc., Bentley Systems, Trimble Inc., Bluebeam, Inc. and integration with permitting software from Accela, Inc., EnerGov (Tyler Technologies), Cityworks (Azteca Systems). It recommends cyber and data management practices consonant with National Institute of Standards and Technology frameworks and coordination with California Cybersecurity Integration Center for secure transmissions when interfacing with regional systems like LA Metro, SFMTA, Caltrans. Implementation draws on project delivery models used by Bechtel Corporation, Fluor Corporation, Skanska AB and digital collaboration patterns promoted by BuildingSMART International and Open Design Alliance.

History and Revisions

Developed amid statewide modernization efforts influenced by initiatives involving California Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development, California Legislature, Senate of California, Assembly of the State of California, the part has undergone revisions following stakeholder input from municipal agencies such as San Jose Planning Division, Fresno Department of Public Works, and professional groups including American Planning Association, Urban Land Institute, California Building Industry Association. Amendments have reflected evolving interoperability priorities paralleled by standards updates from W3C, ISO, and federal accessibility rulings involving United States Department of Justice, United States Access Board. Future revisions are likely to consider emerging practices from technology leaders like NVIDIA Corporation (AI-assisted drafting), OpenAI (language models), and research from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Category:California building law