In Hollywood, the same roof can need a fire rule, a historic review and a permit.
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Rather talk now? Call (818) 934-0075
If the roof still has good years left, the report tells you.
Roof replacement and free written roof inspections across Hollywood. Hollywood is on the fire department’s list of Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone communities, and the Hollywood community plan area holds five of the city’s historic overlay zones. In the Hollywood Hills ZIP code 90068, nearly a third of homes were built before 1940.
Deck, underlayment, then shingles or tile. The underlayment keeps the water out, and you can only check it from up on the roof.
What we check on a Hollywood roof
Hills or flats
The fire zone follows the hills, and the boundary is drawn parcel by parcel. Inside it a replacement roof must be a Class A assembly. The report states which side of the line your address falls on before anyone talks about materials.
Tile from the 1920s
Whitley Heights was planned as a Mediterranean hillside village, and its preservation plan says those roofs are nearly always clay tile. Where tile can be saved, we lift it, repair what is underneath and set it back.
The color of the shingle
Inside Whitley Heights, light colored asphalt shingle is generally considered inappropriate and earth tones are not. We confirm the overlay zone before a color is chosen, not after the roof is on.
Before the rain in Hollywood
Tile roofs in the hills, flat roofs on newer buildings in the flats.
Slipped and cracked tile
On 1920s tile roofs in the hills, a broken or slipped tile lets water reach the underlayment. Replacing a few now is a small job; a soaked deck in January is not.
Steep lots, short gutters
Hillside houses often have the street on one side and a drop on the other. Downspouts should carry water away from the slope and the foundation, not over the edge.
Ridges after Santa Ana wind
Fall wind through the canyons loosens ridge and hip pieces first. Whatever moved in October is where the rain gets in later.
Before the first big storm: book the free roof check, or read our winter storm roof guide.
From our roofs
Recent MAMOS roofing work: shingle re-roofs, flat ADU roofs and tile.
The rules that apply to a Hollywood roof
Set by the city and, in the historic districts, by a preservation plan.
Whitley Heights, Spaulding Square, Melrose Hill, Hollywood Grove and part of Hancock Park are overlay zones. In Whitley Heights, in-kind shingle work and tile repairs that reuse the tile are signed off by the Director of Planning. Bigger changes go to the board.
Inside the Very High zone, a replacement roof must be a Class A assembly. Wood shake and shingle are no longer permitted for a new roof anywhere in Los Angeles.
Re-roofs are permitted by the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety. Replace more than half the roof and the product must be a CRRC-rated cool roof.
We get on the roof, photograph what we find and write it up.
Get my free reportIn the Hollywood Hills, put the roof on record.
The fire zone is decided by where the house sits. How old the roof is, what it is made of and how the edges are closed off is something you can document, with dated photographs, in writing.
the year the Sunset Fire started in Runyon Canyon on the evening of January 8. It burned more than 40 acres of the Hollywood Hills before it was contained the next day.
Roof questions in Hollywood
Repair or replace?
Usually the underlayment decides it, and you have to get on the roof to check that. The report gives you the answer, with photos.
What does a new roof change for my insurer?
Most letters name roof age. The permit and completion papers show the new roof’s date; what the carrier does with them is its decision.
Do I need historic approval to replace my roof in Hollywood?
Only if the house is inside one of the overlay zones or is a designated monument. Most of Hollywood is not. The report tells you which applies to your address, and in Whitley Heights, whether the work is the simple kind or the kind that goes to the board.
Know which rules apply before the first tile comes off.
The report gives you roof age, remaining life, fire zone status and historic district status, in writing. It may call for a replacement or a careful repair.
“Joseph was very clear about the process, the costs, the recommendations. … His team was very professional, on time, fast, and respectful, but most importantly, they were good!”
DAVID H. · YELP
Request your report
Fire zone status, historic district rules and remaining roof life. We call back within 15 minutes: 8am to 5pm Monday to Thursday, 8am to 2pm Friday.
Got it.
Rather talk? Call (818) 934-0075.
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Hollywood · Hollywood Hills · Los Feliz · East Hollywood
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