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Roofing Contractors in Arcadia, CA
As roofing contractors in Arcadia, CA, we plan every reroof around two approvals: the homeowners association’s Architectural Review Board, in the five areas that have one, and the City of Arcadia’s building permit. In the foothill neighborhoods, the city’s wildfire rules also apply, so before any roofing material is ordered, we settle its fire rating and its weight.
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According to the Census Bureau’s 2019-2023 American Community Survey, Arcadia’s housing boom came in the 1950s, the city’s biggest building decade, which produced 5,712 of its 20,948 homes (27.3%), followed by 3,262 from the 1960s. The median year built is 1965, and only 829 homes date from 1939 or earlier, so many Arcadia reroofs are on houses from the 1950s and 1960s.
Five Arcadia neighborhoods with their own roof review boards
The City Council recognizes five homeowners associations whose Architectural Review Boards (ARBs) have design authority in their areas. Here is how each one handles roofing material, according to the city’s homeowners association page:
- Arcadia Highlands: pre-approved roofing material list; anything off the list needs a short review application.
- Santa Anita Oaks: pre-approved list; anything off the list needs a short review application.
- Santa Anita Village: pre-approved list; anything off the list needs a short review application.
- Upper Rancho (Rancho Santa Anita Property Owners): no pre-approved list, so any reroof needs a short review application.
- Lower Rancho (Rancho Santa Anita Residents): no pre-approved list, so any reroof needs a short review application.
The design rules behind those reviews come from City Council Resolution 7272, amended in 2019. Roof forms should blend with neighboring homes as seen from the street, and additions should match the house’s existing materials, roof tiles included. For a reroof, that puts the focus on how the new roof looks from the street.
We settle the ARB side before the city permit, so the material on the permit is one the board has accepted. The city’s page doesn’t say whether a material from a pre-approved list still needs a formal sign-off, so we ask the board directly.
Tile, shingles, and roof weight under Arcadia's design guidelines
The city also publishes Single-Family Design Guidelines (October 2019) that say which roofing materials Arcadia prefers. They encourage concrete tile, two-piece barrel tile, and Class A architectural dimensional asphalt shingles. They discourage built-up and torch-down roofs, rock over built-up roofing, corrugated metal, fiberglass panels, standing-seam metal, and gravel roofs, and they strongly discourage glossy roofing.
For clay, the guidance is direct: an existing natural clay tile roof should be replaced with the same material, and new tile should match the color of the aged tile. The guidelines also tie roofs to house styles, such as low-pitched gable or shed roofs with open eaves on Traditional Ranch homes, barrel tile at a 4:12 to 6:12 pitch on Spanish homes, composition or flat tile on Craftsman homes, and flat tile with mansard forms on French homes.
Switching to a heavier roof
Arcadia’s building code amendments, as published, require design calculations and plans from a California-licensed engineer or architect when a new roof covering weighs 6 pounds per square foot or more, such as heavier tile. The calculations have to show the building can carry the load. If you’re moving from shingles to tile on a 1950s ranch, plan for that engineering step before the permit, along with any framing work the engineer calls for.
Arcadia's foothill fire area: Class A roofs and the 12-month rule
Arcadia’s wildfire zone sits in the northern foothills. CAL FIRE’s 2025 map puts 580 acres of the city in the Very High zone, down from 770 acres on the 2011 map, plus 227 acres High and 108 acres Moderate. The city’s February 2025 newsletter, written before the new map came out, described the Very High area as the neighborhoods above Orange Grove Avenue and Sycamore Avenue, so we check each parcel against the current map. The same newsletter notes that the Very High designation brings defensible-space inspections, with proof of compliance at sale, 100 feet of defensible space, and home-hardening standards for new construction and remodels.
Arcadia also sets its own roof covering rules. As published, the city’s building code amendments call for:
- A Class A roof covering at minimum inside the Wildland Interface Fire Area, and Class A or Class B everywhere else in the city.
- A ban on wood shakes and wood shingles, treated or untreated, inside the Wildland Interface Fire Area.
- Fire-retardant coverings rated at least Class B on any residential roof alteration, repair, or replacement.
One rule is easy to overlook: Arcadia counts repairs and partial reroofs together over 12 months. Once they reach set shares of the original roof area, more of the roof has to be brought up to the fire rating.
Under 25%
Whole-roof upgrade not triggered
May match the existing covering
25% to under 50%
Entire roof must meet the fire rating
New area must meet the fire rating
50% or more
Entire roof must meet the fire rating
Entire roof must be redone to comply
Source: City of Arcadia building code amendments, as published by a third-party code host. Confirm with Arcadia Building Services.
The January 2025 Eaton Fire came close. An evacuation order was issued in Arcadia on the night of January 7 as the fire moved toward the city, Arcadia Fire sent 31 personnel, and the mayor later wrote that no homes in Arcadia were damaged while neighboring cities suffered heavy losses. The city has since warned that hillside homes face debris-flow risk in major storms for about two years after the fire.
Roof repair in Arcadia after wind and storms
On January 7, 2025, winds reaching 100 mph hit Los Angeles County. In Arcadia, uprooted trees damaged sidewalks, traffic signals went out (including at Huntington Drive and Colorado Boulevard), and the city expected cleanup to take several weeks. The December 1, 2011 windstorm also closed schools in the Arcadia district.
After a windstorm, the usual roof damage is lifted or creased shingles, slipped or cracked tile, loose ridge cap, and branches on the roof. If water can get in, we tarp first, then photograph the damage and repair it in matching material.
In the foothill area, a storm repair counts toward the 12-month total. One large repair, or several small ones, can reach the 25% mark and require the whole roof to meet the fire rating, so we measure the repaired area against the original roof before we quote.
Roofing contractors in Arcadia: how we run a reroof
Every Arcadia reroof we take on follows the same order:
- Check the parcel: HOA area, fire zone, and whether the new covering will reach 6 pounds per square foot.
- Choose the material: Class A dimensional shingles, concrete tile, barrel tile, or clay to match existing clay, checked against the ARB list and city guidelines.
- Clear the review board: submit the short review application where one is needed, plus engineering where the weight requires it.
- Pull the permit: apply through Arcadia’s EDGE online portal, where inspections are also requested.
- Build and inspect: tear off, install, and pass the city’s inspections.
Reroofs are routine work for Building Services: in February 2026 alone, Arcadia issued 32 residential reroof permits, with a combined valuation of $524,860, and 2 commercial reroof permits.
Our roofing services in Arcadia also include roof repair, from leaks at flashing and valleys to broken tile, plus emergency repairs 24/7. Before you sign anything, check our numbers: CSLB license #1119699, classification C-39 Roofing, active, with bonding and insurance in place. The BBB rates us A as an Accredited business. Our team brings 25+ years of roofing experience, each Arcadia estimate is free, and finished work carries a workmanship warranty.
Arcadia reroof questions: HOAs, fire rules, and tile
Does my Arcadia HOA have to approve a new roof?
In Upper Rancho and Lower Rancho, plan on it: neither association has a pre-approved list, so any reroof needs a short review application with the Architectural Review Board. In Arcadia Highlands, Santa Anita Oaks, and Santa Anita Village, a material from the pre-approved list is the simpler route, and anything off the list needs a short review. The city doesn’t say whether listed materials need paperwork, so ask your board.
Can I switch from asphalt shingles to tile on my Arcadia home?
It can be done, with more steps than a like-for-like reroof. As published, Arcadia’s building code requires calculations and plans from a California-licensed engineer or architect when the new covering weighs 6 pounds per square foot or more. In an HOA area, the board reviews the change, and Resolution 7272 asks that roofs blend with neighboring homes. The city’s design guidelines favor concrete tile and two-piece barrel tile.
Which parts of Arcadia require a Class A roof?
As published, Arcadia’s code requires at least Class A inside the Wildland Interface Fire Area in the foothills, and Class A or B elsewhere. CAL FIRE’s 2025 map shows 580 Very High acres in the city. The city’s February 2025 newsletter described the Very High area as the neighborhoods above Orange Grove and Sycamore Avenues, but that description predates the new map, so we check your parcel before quoting.
We had storm repairs this year. Could more work force a full reroof?
In the foothill Wildland Interface Fire Area, it can. Arcadia’s code, as published, adds up additions, repairs, and reroofing over the previous 12 months, and once the total reaches 25% of the original roof area, the entire roof has to meet the fire-classification rules. Elsewhere in the city, the whole-roof trigger is 50%. Keep your repair invoices, since they help us measure where you stand.
Does Arcadia allow metal or torch-down roofing on a house?
The city’s Single-Family Design Guidelines (October 2019) discourage standing-seam metal, corrugated metal, built-up, torch-down, gravel, and fiberglass panel roofs on homes, and strongly discourage glossy finishes. They encourage concrete tile, two-piece barrel tile, and Class A architectural dimensional shingles instead. If your house already has natural clay tile, the guidelines call for replacing it with the same material, in a color that matches the aged tile.
Where and when are Arcadia reroof permits issued?
Arcadia’s Building Services Division, part of Development Services at 240 W. Huntington Dr., issues them. Permits, inspection requests, and permit history run through the city’s EDGE online portal. At the counter, permits are issued until 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and until 3:30 p.m. on Fridays, and the office is closed alternate Fridays. Arcadia has its own fire department and is not under LA County Public Works.
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