Furnace/Air Conditioner Replacement Submittal Requirements

The information below describes the minimum submittal requirements for the replacement of a space heating and cooling equipment (furnace or air conditioner) in a single-family residential home. In certain situations, additional materials may be required during plan review or prior to the issuance of the permit. All work must be designed to meet the minimum requirements of the California Building Standards Code and local amendments adopted by the City in effect at the time of permit application and the City of Menlo Park’s Municipal Code.

The City of Menlo Park only accepts on-line digital Building permit applications with digital plans and supporting documents. All applications, plans and supporting documents are to be submitted digitally through the City’s Accela permit management system using the Accela Citizen Access Portal (ACA). Please visit the Building Division’s Online service web page for information associated with how to register for an ACA account.  The digital file specifications for all plans can be found on the Online services page under File specifications.

Space Heating Equipment Replacement

An existing furnace can be replaced with either a gas furnace or a heat pump space heater (HPSH). HPSH use electricity rather than gas to provide warm air to heat a dwelling. They require more electrical power to operate than a traditional gas furnace but reduce green house gas emissions. Rebates or other incentives may be available for the replacement of a gas furnace to HPSH. Information on rebates and other incentives cab be found on the Sustainability Division's Building electrification resources web page.

Space Cooling Equipment Replacement

The City of Menlo Park has adopted a local amendment to the 2025 California Green Building Standards Code (CalGreen) that establishes the requirement for a heat pump to be installed in lieu of air conditioning condensing unit when the proposed project scope includes the replacement/upgrade of an existing air conditioning condensing. Please see 2025 CalGreen Replacing A/C Condenser with Heat Pump for more detailed information.

Permit Application Submittal Requirements

Select the appropriate tab below for information regarding plan set and supporting documents requirements based on the type of furnace or air conditioner condenser replacement being proposed. The City has created a Plan Set Example Template(DOCX, 226KB) that can be downloaded and modified to use as the required lot plan.