Repair or replace?
In general terms, a repair makes sense when the damage is limited to one area and the rest of the roof is sound: a few missing or broken shingles or tiles, a failed flashing, a single leak. Replacement is worth pricing when problems are spread across the roof, when leaks keep coming back, or when the roof covering is near the end of its life. Someone should look at the roof, the attic and the ceilings to see how far any water has gone. If water has already come inside, see the first 48 hours after water damage.
Does a reroof need a permit?
Plan on it. CSLB summarizes the state code: no structure may be “altered, repaired” or “improved” without a permit, and “Code requirements vary in different cities and counties around the state” (CSLB). Two local examples:
- City of Santa Barbara: its list of work exempt from a building permit does not include reroofing (checklist, updated 2/7/2023).
- San Luis Obispo County: “A construction permit is needed for almost any project that involves building or altering a structure or its plumbing, mechanical, or electrical systems” (SLO County).
Small repairs may be treated differently from a full reroof, so ask your city or county building department before work starts. Energy code rules can also apply to a reroof, depending on the building and climate zone; the building department will say what applies.
Fire ratings in fire hazard zones
State law sets a minimum fire rating for roof coverings (Health & Safety Code §13132.7):
- Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones: “the entire roof covering of every existing structure where more than 50 percent of the total roof area is replaced within any one-year period, every new structure, and any roof covering applied in the alteration, repair, or replacement of the roof of every existing structure, shall be a fire retardant roof covering that is at least class A …” A local agency that has adopted its own qualifying ordinance can set different rules.
- Other State Responsibility Area land: at least Class B, except in moderate zones.
- Everywhere else: at least Class C.
“The installer of the roof covering shall provide certification of the roof covering classification, as provided by the manufacturer or supplier, to the building owner” (§13132.7). Keep that paperwork with your house records. For the rest of the house, see wildfire defensible space and home hardening.
The license to look for
Roofing is its own license classification in California. CSLB describes a C-39 roofing contractor as one who “installs products and repairs surfaces that seal, waterproof and weatherproof structures” (CSLB).
A B general building contractor can include roofing in a larger project. For a job whose only trade is roofing, the law says a general building contractor “shall not take a prime contract for any project involving trades other than framing or carpentry” unless it involves at least two unrelated trades other than framing or carpentry, or “unless the general building contractor holds the appropriate license classification or subcontracts with an appropriately licensed contractor to perform the work” (B&P Code §7057).
So for a roof-only job, ask which license will cover the roofing, and check it on the CSLB site. Our guide on hiring a licensed contractor covers contracts and payments.
What affects the cost
Roof size and pitch, the roofing material, how many layers have to come off, any damaged sheathing or framing underneath, and access to the site. See our roofing page for how a roofing job usually goes.
Sources
- Health and Safety Code §13132.7 (roof fire ratings)
- Business and Professions Code §7057 (general building contractor)
- CSLB: C-39 Roofing classification
- CSLB: Building Permit Requirements
- City of Santa Barbara: Work Exempt From Permit checklist (updated 2/7/2023)
- San Luis Obispo County: Construction permit FAQ