Roof Repairin Burbank, CA
Roof repair and roof replacement in Burbank are Tier 1 permits that single-family owners can request online, and no wood roof covering may be installed anywhere in the city. Whether a new roof must be Class A rests on the City's retrofit list, so check your address on the Fire Department's zone viewer before choosing a material.
Burbank went from alfalfa and cantaloupe fields to an aircraft town within a lifetime. The townsite opened on May 1, 1887, the city incorporated in 1911, Lockheed opened its plant in 1928, and the population rose from 16,662 in 1930 to 78,577 in 1950. Wartime tract housing near the plant, built from a few repeated plans, filled the west and southwest side, so the Census Bureau's 2024 estimates still count about 37 percent of the city's 46,928 housing units as built before 1950 and about 70 percent before 1980. Many Burbank roofs sit on houses older than the building code that now governs them.
The weather rewards a careful inspection. NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for the airport station at Hollywood Burbank, about 1.9 miles northwest of the city's center point, record 13.91 inches of rain a year, with 11.37 inches arriving from December through March, plus 53.9 days a year at or above 90 degrees F and 7.2 days at or above 100. The station sits on the valley floor, so the Verdugo foothills can behave differently. As general contractor, MDG Builders (CSLB #1040337) writes the scope, files the permit and runs the calendar, and a licensed C-39 roofing subcontractor does the tear-off and installation. Our roofing price page holds the sourced cost table, the Burbank fencing guide and Burbank painting guide cover the other exterior trades, and Glendale next door follows its own roofing rules.
What Burbank's building code and fire rules say about roofs
Where roofing permits come from in Burbank: City of Burbank Community Development Department, Building & Safety Division (Permit Counter).
- Reroofing is on the City's list of Tier 1 simple permits (repair and maintenance work with no plan check) that single-family homes can obtain online through the Burbank Online Permits portal.
- The City's single-family 'work exempt from building permit' sheet (2025 CRC and CBC 105.2) lists sheds up to 120 square feet, fences up to 7 feet, retaining walls up to 4 feet, sidewalks and driveways up to 30 inches, painting and finish work, prefabricated pools, window awnings, playground equipment and movable fixtures, and names no roofing item.
- Wood roofs are banned in Burbank. Sections 9-1-2-1507.8 and 1507.9 of Ordinance 25-4,034 say no wood roof covering (shingles or shakes) may be installed on any new or existing building, and Section 1501.1.1 says no wood shake or shingle roof may remain on any building after August 14, 2014 outside the Fire Hazard Severity Zones and after August 14, 2005 inside them.
- Burbank amends the state roof recover rule (Section 9-1-2-1512.3 and 1512.3.1): subsection 3 of CBC 1512.3 is not adopted, recovering is not allowed over existing slate, clay, cement, asbestos-cement tile, wood shake or wood shingle, no roof covering may be applied over existing wood shakes or shingles, and a roof with two or more layers where any layer is wood shake or shingle must have all layers removed before new covering goes on.
- Burbank's local green building amendment (Section 9-1-11-4.509) requires roofing on low-rise residential buildings to meet a minimum 3-year aged solar reflectance of 0.23 and thermal emittance of 0.85 (or an SRI of 20) on slopes steeper than 2:12, and 0.65, 0.85 and an SRI of 78 on lower slopes. Exceptions are roof repair, building-integrated photovoltaics, and roofs with at least 25 pounds per square foot of thermal mass over the membrane. The table prints the slope split as '< 2:12' and '> 2:12', so confirm an exactly 2:12 roof with Building & Safety.
- The City's Low-Cost Retrofit List (updated January 1, 2026) tells owners that when it is time to replace a roof, it should be replaced with a Class A fire-rated roof, with bird stops closing gaps between roof covering and sheathing, noncombustible gutter covers, chimney spark arrestor screens with 3/8 to 1/2 inch openings, and ember- and flame-resistant vents. The City calls the list a best-practices guide for ignition resistance, not a permit requirement.
- Section 9-1-7-302.1.1 establishes the Burbank Fire Hazard Severity Zones in three levels (Moderate, High and Very High) on a one-sheet map kept in the Fire Official's office, and lets the City Council adopt later CAL FIRE and State Fire Marshal map changes by resolution.
- The Fire Department's Fire Hazard Reduction Program page says CAL FIRE's Office of the State Fire Marshal updated the Fire Hazard Severity Zone map on March 24, 2025, links a 'Check Your Zone' viewer, and says a property that falls in more than one zone is treated as part of the highest-risk zone.
Does roof repair or a re-roof in Burbank need a permit?
Plan on a permit. The Building & Safety Division's permit page sorts work into two tiers, and reroofing is on the City's own list of Tier 1 jobs: repair and maintenance with no plan check, available over the counter, and for single-family homes through the Burbank Online Permits portal. The City's single-family list of work exempt from a permit names sheds, fences, painting and tile but no roofing item.
Three code sections shape the schedule. Under Section 9-1-1-105.8 a permit goes only to a person holding a valid California contractor license for the work, with an owner-builder exception for a bona fide owner of a house of up to two stories. A permit also lapses if work does not begin within 180 days of issuance. Starting without one is expensive, because Section 9-1-1-109.4 adds an investigation fee equal to the permit fee, charged whether or not the permit is then issued.
Inspections are part of every permit, and the City asks that each one be requested a day ahead through the portal. Construction hours run Monday to Friday 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and Saturday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with no work on Sundays or City holidays, which is worth knowing before a crew proposes an early start.
We found no Burbank re-roof handout, permit fee or layer limit, so ask the permit counter at (818) 238-5220 for the current checklist.
Are wood shake roofs allowed in Burbank, and can you roof over old layers?
No. Sections 9-1-2-1507.8 and 1507.9 of Ordinance 25-4,034 say no wood roof covering, shingle or shake, may be installed on any new or existing building. The ordinance also set deadlines for the old ones: wood shake and shingle roofs had to come off by August 14, 2014, and by August 14, 2005 inside the fire zones. A house that still shows cedar from the street is a code question before it is a roofing question.
Burbank also changes the state rule on roofing over old coverings. Recovering is not allowed over existing slate, clay, cement or asbestos-cement tile, wood shake or wood shingle, and a roof with two or more layers where any layer is wood must have every layer removed before new covering goes down. For a tile roof that means a full tear-off or a documented reset of the existing tile rather than a new layer on top.
Ask each bidder to write down three things:
- How many layers are on the roof now, and what each one is
- Whether the job is a tear-off, a recover or a tile reset
- How rotted or damaged decking will be priced once it is exposed
Is my Burbank house in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, and does it need a Class A roof?
Check the parcel first. Section 9-1-7-302.1.1 sets three levels of Burbank Fire Hazard Severity Zone, Moderate, High and Very High, and the Fire Department says the State Fire Marshal updated the map on March 24, 2025. A property that falls in more than one zone is treated as part of the highest-risk zone. The Fire Department's Fire Hazard Reduction Program page links a viewer where an address can be checked.
Our own test was crude. In Los Angeles County's GIS layer of CAL FIRE zones, 12 of 32 evenly spaced points inside the city came back Very High, one Moderate and 19 outside any wildland zone. That is a sample, not a parcel map, and it says nothing about your street.
Class A is where we stay careful. The City's Low-Cost Retrofit List, updated January 1, 2026, says to replace an aging roof with a Class A fire-rated one and adds bird stops, noncombustible gutter covers, spark arrestor screens and ember-resistant vents. The City calls the list a best-practices guide, not a permit requirement, and we did not read the wildland-urban interface chapter, so we do not state Class A as a rule. Very High parcels also owe annual brush clearance to 100 feet.
Can I re-roof with clay tile in the Rancho area or on a hillside lot?
Burbank's Rancho area, defined in Section 10-1-630 and bounded by Keystone Street, Alameda Avenue, Main Street, Valencia Avenue, Victory Boulevard, Riverside Drive, Bob Hope Drive, California Street and the Ventura Freeway, has its own architecture rules. Projects that need Development Review go to a Rancho Review Board, and the style is early California Rancho: long rooflines, wide eaves, deeply inset openings and clay roof tile. Clay is the look the code describes, not a rule that every roof here must be tile.
We could not tell whether a roof-only job triggers that review, because reroofing is a Tier 1 permit and the Rancho rules speak of Development Review projects. Ask Planning at (818) 238-5250 whether swapping tile for shingle on a Rancho house changes the answer.
North of Sunset Canyon Drive and Bel Aire Drive the hillside standards take over. A Hillside Development Permit is needed for grading, for building beyond setback lines, for anything over 16 feet to the roof top or for more than 3,000 square feet of floor area. A like-for-like re-roof does none of those, but a new roof pitch or ridge height can.
Burbank's list names no historic district, only 16 individually listed properties, so most roofs here are decided by zone and fire map rather than a preservation overlay.
What reflectance and solar rules apply to a new roof in Burbank?
Burbank's local green building amendment, Section 9-1-11-4.509, sets minimums for low-rise residential roofing. On slopes steeper than 2:12 the covering must reach an aged solar reflectance of 0.23 and a thermal emittance of 0.85, or an SRI of 20. On lower slopes the numbers rise to 0.65, 0.85 and an SRI of 78. Roof repair is excepted, as are building-integrated photovoltaics and roofs carrying at least 25 pounds per square foot of thermal mass. The table prints the split as less than and greater than 2:12, so confirm a roof sitting exactly at 2:12 with the counter.
Solar changes the order of work. Burbank issues instant online permits for rooftop solar and battery storage on single-family homes up to 38.4 kW through Symbium, and the applicant needs a Burbank Online Permits account and a Solar Confirmation Number from Burbank Water & Power. Larger and multifamily systems take a plan-reviewed permit.
If panels are already on the roof, put detach and reset on its own line of the proposal, and schedule it so the roof is not left open between the two.
How much does roof replacement cost in Burbank?
There is no Burbank price survey, so this page prints no Burbank price. The closest sourced numbers are for Los Angeles. Angi's July 2026 page, built on what its customers actually paid, puts a typical asphalt shingle roof at $10,000 to $25,000, tile at $7 to $15 a square foot and metal at $7 to $16. Remodeling magazine's 2025 Cost vs. Value report prices one fixed reference roof at $36,417 in asphalt and $62,069 in metal, and the two figures differ because the reference roof is larger than most jobs.
Roof area and pitch come first. Beyond them, Angi lists tear-off at $1,000 to $3,000 and panel removal and reset at $500 to $1,000. Burbank adds scope that neither source prices, so ask for these on separate lines: decking repair, any extra work needed to meet the reflectance table, and fire-zone items such as screened vents and gutter covers if the parcel calls for them.
Our roofing cost guide for California explains how to read the two sources side by side.
How do I choose a roofing contractor in Burbank?
Start with the license class. CSLB's C-39 Roofing covers installing products and repairing surfaces that seal and waterproof a building, including shingles, tile, slate and metal. Look the number up before you discuss price, using our guide to checking a contractor's license. Since January 1, 2025 the unlicensed limit has been $1,000 for labor and materials combined, and it never applies when a job needs a permit or the person hires a worker, so a Burbank re-roof is not handyman work.
Then read the contract. Business and Professions Code 7159, as amended effective January 1, 2026, requires a signed written contract, caps the down payment at $1,000 or 10 percent, whichever is less, and gives you three business days to cancel, five if you are a senior. On a project we manage, you can ask for the roofing subcontractor's license number and certificate of insurance first, and our article on how general contractors use subcontractors explains who answers for what.
Roofing photos from Burbank and nearby communities
Six roofing scenes tied to Burbank streets and to nearby communities such as Toluca Lake and Glendale, from tile and shingle work to flashing and deck details.
Where the roof numbers come from
Every dollar figure on this page comes from Los Angeles sources, and the full table with its methods is on the roofing page. A new roof is often followed by exterior work, so see the Burbank guides for fencing, painting and kitchen remodeling, and the Burbank overview for every trade we manage here. Across the Verdugo Mountains, the Pasadena roofing guide covers a different office and a different code.
| What it covers | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Asphalt shingle, typical single-family roof | $10,000 to $25,000 |
| Concrete or clay tile | $7 to $15 per sq ft |
| Metal | $7 to $16 per sq ft |
| Remodeling Cost vs. Value 2025, Los Angeles | Asphalt $36,417. metal $62,069. |
| Extras | Tear-off $1,000 to $3,000. solar detach and reset $500 to $1,000. |
Burbank roofing questions, answered
How much does roof replacement cost in Burbank?
Price it by roof area, not house size. Angi's July 2026 Los Angeles figures run $4 to $12 a square foot for asphalt, $7 to $15 for tile and $7 to $16 for metal, before tear-off at $1,000 to $3,000. We found no Burbank survey, so a measured written proposal is the real price.
Do I need a permit to replace my roof myself in Burbank?
You need a permit, and an owner can pull one only within the owner-builder exception in Section 9-1-1-105.8, which covers a bona fide owner of a house of up to two stories. Reroofing is a Tier 1 permit. If work starts without a permit, the City charges an investigation fee equal to the permit fee.
Can I put wood shingles on my roof in Burbank?
No. Burbank's ordinance bars any wood roof covering, shingle or shake, on new and existing buildings. Existing wood roofs had to be gone by August 14, 2014, or by August 14, 2005 inside the fire zones.
Does a Burbank roof have to be Class A?
We cannot call it a rule. The City's Low-Cost Retrofit List says to replace an aging roof with a Class A fire-rated one, but the City describes the list as best practices, not a permit requirement, and we did not read the wildland-urban interface chapter. Ask Building & Safety what your parcel's zone requires.
How do I know if my Burbank home is in a very high fire hazard zone?
Use the City's Fire Hazard Severity Zone viewer, linked from the Fire Department's Fire Hazard Reduction Program page. The State Fire Marshal updated the map on March 24, 2025, and a property in more than one zone is treated as part of the highest-risk zone. Our own 32-point sample is not a parcel map.
Should a 20-year-old roof get repair or replacement in Burbank?
Age alone does not decide it. Ask a roofer to photograph the flashing, valleys, underlayment and deck and to explain what repair would fix. We found no sourced lifespan for Burbank roofs. If the roof has two or more layers and any is wood, Burbank requires removing all of them.
What is the best month to replace a roof in Burbank?
Dry months make a tear-off easier to protect, and the data supports that. NOAA's normals put 11.37 of the airport station's 13.91 inches of yearly rain between December and March, with 0.01 inch each in July and August. We found no sourced price pattern by month, so we name no cheapest one.
Can I add solar panels when I replace my roof in Burbank?
Yes, and the order matters. Single-family rooftop solar and battery storage up to 38.4 kW can get an instant online permit through Symbium, with a Burbank Online Permits account and a Solar Confirmation Number from Burbank Water & Power. Panels already on the roof must be removed and reset, which Angi's Los Angeles page prices at $500 to $1,000.
Can a handyman repair my roof in Burbank?
Only for jobs under $1,000 in labor and materials combined, and not if the work needs a permit or the person hires anyone. CSLB says unlicensed contractors face fines up to $15,000. Because roof repair and re-roofing are Tier 1 permit work in Burbank, hire a C-39 roofer and check the license first.
Ask for a roof inspection in Burbank
Send the address, the year the house was built and any stain or leak you have seen. We check the fire zone, the layers and the cool roof table before we call back.