Planning the roof on a fire rebuild in Altadena or the Palisades
If you're rebuilding after the January 2025 fires, the roof is one of the biggest decisions on the plans. Here's how the permits, fire rules and material choices work, and what to settle with your builder early.
By Sadie Yancey, Roofing Guides Editor · Updated September 2026
A rebuilt home in Altadena or Pacific Palisades needs a Class A roof assembly with ember-resistant vents and protected eaves, permitted by Los Angeles County in Altadena and by the City of Los Angeles in the Palisades. Pick the roof material early, because it affects framing, ventilation and the schedule.
Who issues the permit
Altadena is unincorporated, so rebuild permits there come from Los Angeles County. Pacific Palisades is part of the City of Los Angeles, so its permits come from LADBS. The roof is reviewed as part of the whole house plan, and the roofer pulls or works under that permit depending on how your builder sets up the job.
Either way, the roof details on the plans are what the inspector will check, so they need to be right before construction starts.
The fire rules that shape the roof
Both burn areas sit largely in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones, where new roofs must be Class A assemblies. Vents need to resist embers and flame, eaves have to be enclosed or protected, and gutters and roof edges shouldn't give embers a place to settle.
The rating comes from the whole assembly, not the material alone, which our Class A guide explains in more detail.
Choosing the material
Concrete and clay tile, stone-coated steel, standing seam metal and Class A shingle are all common on rebuilds. Tile and steel suit the Mediterranean and Spanish looks many owners want, metal suits modern designs, and shingle is the easiest on the budget.
Weight matters, because heavy tile needs framing designed for it. That's easy on a new house, but it has to be on the plans. Stone-coated steel panels give a tile look at far less weight.
Ventilation, solar and the rest of the roof
Plan attic ventilation with ember-resistant vents from the start, since adding vents later means cutting into a finished roof. If you plan solar, mounts and conduit runs are far easier to flash on new decking than to retrofit.
Skylights, chimneys and roof decks all add penetrations and edges that need fire-rated details, so keep them deliberate.
Planning a rebuild roof?
Call and we'll go over your plans and lay out a Class A scope.
Timing with your builder
On a rebuild, the roof goes on after the framing and sheathing inspections and before most interior work, because the house needs to be dried in. Material lead times, especially for tile and specialty metals, can decide when that happens.
Ordering the roofing early and confirming the details with the builder keeps the roof from becoming the thing everyone waits on.
If your home survived
Homes on the edges of the burn areas often took heat and embers without burning. Their roofs can have blistered shingles, cracked tile, melted vents and gutters, and ash packed into valleys.
Those roofs deserve a close inspection before the rainy season, and our fire and smoke damage repairs cover what we usually find.
Questions to ask before you sign
Ask any roofer which assembly gives the Class A rating, which vents and eave details are included, how the roof ties into solar or skylights, and how the schedule fits the builder's. The answers should be in writing.
A clear scope now saves change orders and inspection delays later.
Rebuild roofing questions
Quick answers to the questions this topic raises most.
Other ways to reach usLos Angeles County, because Altadena is unincorporated.
The City of Los Angeles, through LADBS.
In the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones that cover most of both areas, yes.
Not if the framing is designed for it from the start. Stone-coated steel is a lighter tile look.
Yes. Mounts and conduits are easier to flash on new decking.
Sometimes. It needs a close inspection for heat and ember damage first.
More guides for Los Angeles roofs
Re-roofing before solar in Los Angeles
How to decide, what panel removal costs and how to time both jobs.
