Yes. In the City of Los Angeles, replacing a roof needs a building permit, and LADBS issues it as an express permit, with no plan check, when the new roof covering is Class A or B and weighs less than 6 pounds per square foot. That route covers almost every reroof in the City: 99.7% of the 9,251 re-roof permits LADBS issued in 2025 were express permits, according to our analysis of LADBS permit records. Other roofing work goes through plan check, online through ePlanLA or in person at an LADBS Development Services Center. In unincorporated Los Angeles County, Public Works states that a building permit is required to alter or repair your dwelling.
The permit is also where the fire rules and the limits on roofing over an old roof get checked. Here is how each works.
The two ways LADBS issues a reroof permit
| Express permit, no plan check | Permit with plan check | |
|---|---|---|
| Covers | A reroof with a Class A or B roof covering weighing less than 6 pounds per square foot, over existing or new solid sheathing; or removing existing roof tiles, adding new underlayment and resetting the tiles | Other roof coverings and roofing work not on the express list |
| Where | Online, or by appointment at an LADBS permit counter | Online through ePlanLA, or in person at an LADBS Development Services Center |
On an express reroof, the new roofing goes over solid sheathing; over spaced sheathing, the old covering comes off and solid sheathing goes on first. Missing, rusted or damaged flashing, counterflashing, vents, caps and metal edging are replaced with new material. Sources: LADBS’s express permit list, effective January 1, 2026, and its re-roofing page.
Fire and cool roof rules for a new roof in the City
LADBS ties the roof covering to where the house is and how much of the roof is being redone:
| Situation | Requirement |
|---|---|
| House in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, or a City fire district marked “FBZ”, “MFD” or “VHFH” | A Class A roof covering |
| Replacing more than 50 percent of the total roof area on a home | A cool roof product labeled and certified by the Cool Roof Rating Council, on an express permit (a tile reset does not need one) |
| Existing wood shakes or wood shingles | They must be removed; reroofing over them is not allowed, and wood shake or shingle roofing is not approved in the City |
| 50 percent or more of the total roof area reroofed within one year | The entire roof must comply as an approved Class A, B or C roof covering, or an approved non-rated covering |
| Less than 50 percent reroofed within one year | Only the reroofed portion has to comply |
So on a house with a wood shake roof, replacing half of it or more within a year means replacing all of it with an approved covering. For what makes a roof product a cool roof, see what a cool roof is.
Can the new roof go over the old one?
Under the 2025 California Residential Code, a roof replacement removes the existing layers down to the roof deck. A roof recover, new roofing over the old, is permitted in some cases, but not where any of these apply:
- The existing roof or roof covering is water soaked or deteriorated to the point that it cannot serve as a base for more roofing.
- The existing covering is slate, clay, cement or asbestos-cement tile.
- The existing roof already has two or more applications of any type of roof covering.
A house that has already been roofed over once therefore needs a full tear-off. The rule is Section R908.4 of the California Residential Code, in effect since January 1, 2026.
What the inspector checks, and when
| Situation | Inspections | LADBS inspection code |
|---|---|---|
| Existing solid sheathing can be easily verified | In most cases one, when the reroof is complete | 335, Final |
| Solid sheathing cannot be easily verified, or new sheathing is installed | Two: the sheathing or its nailing before any underlayment or roofing goes on, then the final | 305, Rough Frame; then 335, Final |
Inspections are requested through LADBS’s automated line: 311 from inside Los Angeles County, or (213) 482-0000 from outside it. Because the sheathing inspection happens before the underlayment goes on, it has to be in the schedule from the start.
Small repairs and doing it yourself
The City of Los Angeles exempts work valued at $2,500 or less from a building permit, unless it affects the building’s structural stability or public safety, is done to comply with a Department order, or changes the use or occupancy. Work above that needs the permit. LADBS issues the express permit to an owner, an agent or a contractor, and an owner can do the work as an owner-builder under California’s rules, which what a homeowner can do without a permit sets out.
How we handle it
On a roof replacement in the City of Los Angeles, we verify that the roofing material complies before ordering it and document the product ratings for the LADBS permit file, including the fire rating the address requires.
