Roof Repairin San Bernardino, CA
A San Bernardino re-roof is permit work, and single-family re-roofs are among the few permits the City accepts by email. In the foothill and Very High fire zones the covering must be non-wood and at least Class A. Two fire maps and two retrofit thresholds, 25 and 60 percent, still need the Building Division's written answer.
San Bernardino grew around a railroad. A Mormon colony bought Rancho San Bernardino in 1851, the Santa Fe's 1886 link made the town a rail hub, and Wikipedia's census table shows 63,058 residents in 1950 and 91,922 in 1960. The City's Housing Element says railroad, Norton Air Force Base and Kaiser Steel jobs paid for vast tracts in the north central and Del Rosa areas. Census Bureau ACS 2024 one-year estimates count 68,594 housing units, about 46 percent built from 1950 through 1979 and about 63 percent before 1980, so a great many roof decks here are at least 46 years old.
On a roofing job, MDG Builders (CSLB #1040337) writes the scope, handles the permit and keeps the calendar, while a licensed C-39 roofing subcontractor does the tear-off and the new covering. Our roofing page has the sourced prices, the San Bernardino overview lists every trade we manage here, and the guides for Riverside and Corona show how two neighboring Inland Empire cities treat the same work. Colton, Rialto, Highland, Loma Linda and Redlands run their own counters. Permits inside city limits come from the Building & Safety Division at 201 North E Street. The City's code host answered our request with an HTTP 403 error, so the Municipal Code text below comes from GoCodebook, a third-party mirror, and each section number should be confirmed with the City.
What San Bernardino's Building page, foothill chapters and fire ordinance say about roofs
Where roofing permits come from in San Bernardino: City of San Bernardino Community Development & Housing Department, Building & Safety Division.
- Single-family re-roofs are one of the few permit types the City accepts by email: the contractor sends the completed Permit Application, the City checks the state contractor license and City business license, and after acceptance gives payment instructions. Re-roofs over the counter and plan check for larger roofing follow the general Building & Safety counter hours.
- In the foothill and very high fire hazard zones all roof coverings must be non-wood with at least a Class A fire-retardant rating, roof-mounted turbine vents are not permitted and paper-faced attic insulation is prohibited (15.10.080); in Building Safety Enhancement Areas roofs must be non-wood Class A or B, high-profile tile ends must be capped with non-ignitable material and gutters and downspouts must be noncombustible (15.11.080). (read in GoCodebook's mirror, text as of 2026-10-04)
- Partial re-roofs in the foothills can trigger the whole roof: the Foothill Fire Zones Overlay (19.15.040) says an element such as roofing must be retrofitted when more than 25 percent is replaced, while Municipal Code 15.10.040 says 60 percent; because the two disagree on the page text read, a foothill owner replacing part of a wood or older roof should get the Building Division's written answer first.
- Wildfire and Santa Ana wind conditions drive the roof rules: the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan describes a long dry summer followed by a fall season of high-velocity, arid Santa Ana winds, and lists the Panorama Fire (November 24, 1980, about 280 homes destroyed), the Old Fire (October and November 2003, 975 buildings destroyed) and the Blue Cut Fire (August 2016) as past wildfires in its history table.
- Roofing is on the 07/2020 fee schedule's valuation table, with separate unit costs for built-up, composition shingle, shake or tile roofs and resheathing used to calculate the permit valuation; the table's columns are scrambled in the PDF, so no per-square price is quoted here.
- Roofing work disturbing painted surfaces on a pre-1978 home falls under EPA's Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule, which applies to houses, apartments and child-occupied facilities built before 1978 and requires certification for anyone paid to disturb paint there; ACS 2024 shows 62.6 percent of San Bernardino's housing units were built before 1980 (the data cannot isolate 1978 and 1979).
Is my San Bernardino roof in a fire hazard zone, and which map counts?
We cannot place your lot, and the two maps we found are years apart. The San Bernardino County Fire District says its Board adopted Ordinance 4489 on June 10, 2025, designating Moderate, High and Very High zones in the Local Responsibility Areas it protects. The City's Municipal Code 15.10.030 still points to a Very High zone map dated October 29, 2008, and the version re-enacted in 2026 did not cite the newer ordinance in the text we read. The District's page does not say which City parcels fall in each 2025 zone, so its map viewer is where an address gets checked.
Apart from either map, Development Code 19.15 sorts foothill lots by slope: Zone A is 30 percent or steeper, Zone B is 15 to 30 percent and Zone C is 0 to 15 percent. Inside the foothill and Very High areas, Municipal Code 15.10.080 calls for non-wood roof coverings rated at least Class A, bans roof-mounted turbine vents and bans paper-faced attic insulation. The City has had no fire department of its own since July 1, 2016, and its Building page lists the California Fire Code as the District's to administer, so ask the counter whether the District looks at a re-roof.
Put the zone answer, and the map you used to get it, into the contract before any material is ordered.
If I replace only part of a foothill roof, do I have to replace all of it?
Possibly, and the City's own chapters give two different thresholds. Development Code 19.15.040, in the October 2019 edition, says an element such as roofing must be brought up to the fire standard once more than 25 percent of it is replaced. Municipal Code 15.10.040, which cites California Building Code 701A.3.2 and was re-enacted in 2026, uses 60 percent for an element and 60 percent of replacement cost for the whole structure.
We read the two chapters separately and cannot say which one the Building Division applies. On a foothill or Very High zone roof, get the answer in writing before a patch becomes a tear-off: patching a corner of an older wood roof is a different bid from fixing a valley on a roof already rated Class A. Have the roofer measure each plane and print the percentage replaced on the proposal.
Ask the Building Division for its answer by email and keep it with the contract.
How do I get a re-roof permit in San Bernardino, and what is the 180 day rule?
Single-family re-roofs are one of the few permits San Bernardino accepts by email. The contractor sends a completed application, the City checks the state contractor license and a current City business license, and after acceptance it sends payment instructions. Larger roofing work, such as a roof with structural repair, goes to plan check in person, because the City takes no plans by mail, email or courier except for expedited residential solar and EV charging.
The permit counter at 201 North E Street opens Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 8 am to 5 pm, Wednesday 10 am to 5 pm and Friday 8 am to 4 pm, and inspections are booked through SB Direct at 909-998-2000. The City publishes no plan-check turnaround that we could find, and the roofing lines of its fee schedule are scrambled in the PDF, so we print neither. Municipal Code 15.04.050 adds a 180 day clock: a permit with no inspection and no substantial progress in any 180 day period is presumed abandoned and expired. A back-ordered tile or shingle can eat into that window, so ask when the material arrives.
How old are San Bernardino roofs, and what did the bankruptcy years do to them?
Roof age follows the neighborhood. ACS 2024 counts 14,038 homes built in the 1950s, 8,772 in the 1960s, 8,849 in the 1970s and 12,745 in the 1980s, plus 6,480 from 1939 or earlier. The Housing Element says at least half of the stock is 50 years old or more, and that the newest and highest priced homes sit in Verdemont in the northwest.
The same document says the bankruptcy, the 2015 attack and the property collapse nearly stopped housing investment, that no recent housing condition survey exists and that City staff estimate 7 to 10 percent of homes need major repair and up to 20 percent moderate repair. We found no permit rule that changed because of the bankruptcy and no San Bernardino roof lifespan study, so we print no years. About 30 percent of single-family homes are rentals on a two-year City inspection cycle, and exterior work on rentals often follows an inspection notice.
- Stains or damp insulation under the roof deck
- Slipped, cracked or missing covering
- Flashing lifting at walls, vents or valleys
- Deck boards that flex underfoot
Get any deck repair priced as its own line before the tear-off starts.
What do Santa Ana winds and 104 days above 90 degrees do to a San Bernardino roof?
NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for Redlands, the nearest full station we found, about 9 miles southeast and on higher ground, give 12.87 inches of rain a year, 9.77 of it from December through March, an August average high of 96.2 F, about 104 days at or above 90 F and about 26 at or above 100 F. The City's 2024 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan describes a long dry summer followed by a fall of high-velocity Santa Ana winds from the desert.
That plan lists the Panorama Fire of November 1980, with about 280 homes destroyed, and the Old Fire of late 2003, with 975 buildings destroyed. Away from the foothills, Municipal Code 15.11.080 asks for non-wood Class A or B roofs, capped tile ends and noncombustible gutters in Building Safety Enhancement Areas, which the Council designates after a catastrophe by hearing and which also cover new tracts of four or more homes. We found no City wind, snow or frost design table, so ask the counter what the plans must show.
Do lead, asbestos or dust rules change a tear-off on a house built before 1980?
Sometimes. EPA's Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule covers paid work that disturbs paint in homes built before 1978, and anyone paid to do it must be certified, sole proprietors included. A roof job rarely touches the shingles' paint, but trim, fascia and vents are painted, so the question for the roofer is whether the job disturbs any painted surface. ACS 2024 cannot separate 1978 from 1979, so we give no count for 1978 alone.
South Coast AQMD, whose jurisdiction includes the City, sets work practices for asbestos in demolition and renovation in Rule 1403, and it treats a single-unit house differently from apartments and condominiums. We found nothing that says a shingle tear-off triggers it, so ask the roofer how old layers are handled and whether any testing was done. Rule 403 limits visible dust beyond the property line, which matters when a dump trailer sits in a dry, windy yard.
How much does a new roof cost in San Bernardino, and who should I hire?
No San Bernardino price survey turned up, so these are Los Angeles numbers and an Inland Empire bid may differ. Angi's Los Angeles guide, updated July 31, 2026, shows a typical $10,256 to $24,963 with a $17,271 average, asphalt at $4 to $12 a square foot, tile at $7 to $15 and metal at $7 to $16, plus $1,000 to $3,000 for tear-off. Remodeling magazine's Cost vs. Value 2025 report prices a reference Los Angeles asphalt roof at $36,417 without publishing the roof size, which is why it sits so far above Angi. We plan on about $10,000 to $25,000 for asphalt, $15,000 to $37,000 for tile and $20,000 and up for metal, with solar removal and deck repair as extras.
Roofing is CSLB class C-39, and Business and Professions Code 7159 requires a signed written contract that caps the down payment at $1,000 or 10 percent of the price, whichever is smaller. Check credentials with our license guide and see how general contractors use subcontractors for who answers to whom. Roofs with solar can use the City's Symbium portal for systems under 38.4 kW, and a panel upgrade needs its own electrical permit. We found no rule written for detaching and resetting panels, so ask the counter how that work is permitted.
Roofing photos from San Bernardino and nearby communities
Roofing scenes tied to San Bernardino places such as Downtown, Perris Hill, Del Rosa and Verdemont, and to nearby communities such as Colton, Rialto, Highland and Loma Linda, from tear-offs and underlayment to tile repair and flashing work.
Where these San Bernardino roof figures come from
Every roofing price, with its source and date, sits in the table on the roofing page, and the California roofing cost guide explains the gap between a survey average and a fixed reference roof. Roof work often leads to other exterior jobs, and the San Bernardino rules for them are on the fencing page, the painting page and the kitchen remodeling page. For a Los Angeles County rulebook to set beside this one, read the roofing guide for Glendale.
| 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. |
Other work we manage in San Bernardino
San Bernardino roofing questions, answered
Do I need a permit to replace my roof in San Bernardino?
Yes. The City's Building & Safety page requires permits for structural, electrical, plumbing and mechanical work with a few exceptions, and it accepts single-family re-roofs by email. The contractor needs a state license and a current City business license, which the City checks on each application. Call the counter before treating a small repair as exempt.
What is the 25% rule for roofing?
We found no general 25 percent rule in San Bernardino's building permit chapters. The number appears in Development Code 19.15.040, which says a foothill roof element must be upgraded to the fire standard when more than 25 percent is replaced, while Municipal Code 15.10.040 says 60 percent. Ask the Building Division which one it applies.
How much should a 2000 sq ft roof cost?
Using Angi's Los Angeles range of $4 to $12 a square foot, 2,000 square feet of asphalt roof comes to about $8,000 to $24,000, and tile at $7 to $15 comes to $14,000 to $30,000, before tear-off and deck repair. That is arithmetic, not a quote. Roof area runs larger than floor area, and we found no San Bernardino survey.
Does San Bernardino require a Class A roof?
In the foothill and Very High fire zones, yes: Municipal Code 15.10.080 requires non-wood coverings rated at least Class A. In Building Safety Enhancement Areas the minimum is Class A or B. For an ordinary lot we found no City roof class rule, so ask the counter before choosing a covering.
Is my San Bernardino roof in a fire hazard zone?
We cannot say for your lot. The County Fire District adopted Ordinance 4489 on June 10, 2025 for Moderate, High and Very High zones, while the City's code still cites a map dated October 29, 2008. Check an address in the District's map viewer, and ask the Building Division which map it applies.
What is the difference between roof repair and roof replacement for permits in San Bernardino?
The City names re-roofs as an emailable permit and says nothing about small patches, so ask the permit counter before assuming a repair is exempt. In the foothills the line that matters is the share of the roof replaced, because 25 or 60 percent can turn a repair into a full upgrade to the fire standard.
What is the best month to replace a roof in San Bernardino?
Summer is driest: Redlands normals show 0.10 and 0.09 inch of rain in July and August against 9.77 inches from December through March. But August averages 96.2 F and about 26 days a year reach 100 F. Late spring and early fall trade a little rain risk for cooler decks, so ask how the crew handles heat.
Does the County Fire District review a San Bernardino re-roof?
We could not confirm it. The City's Building page lists the California Fire Code as administered by the San Bernardino County Fire District, which has provided the City's fire service since July 1, 2016, but neither page explains plan routing for roofs. Ask the counter at 201 North E Street.
How long does plan check take for a roof in San Bernardino?
The City publishes no turnaround time on the pages we read, so we will not quote one. Email re-roof applications skip in-person plan check, while larger roofing work with structural repair goes to the counter. Ask for the expected review time in writing and schedule the tear-off around the 180 day permit clock.
How do I check a roofing contractor's license in California?
Look up the license number on the Contractors State License Board site and confirm that class C-39 roofing is active. San Bernardino also verifies a current City business license on every application, so ask for that number too. Our license guide walks through each step, including how to match the name on the card.
Ask for a roof inspection in San Bernardino
Tell us your part of town, the roof covering, roughly how old the house is and where water shows inside. Before we call back we look at the fire map question, the 25 and 60 percent lines and the permit route.