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Roofing in Burbank, CA: Roof Repair and Replacement
Overhead Roofing handles roofing in Burbank, CA, from roof repair on 1940s and 1950s houses in the flats to Class A reroofs in the Verdugo foothills. Burbank has been its own city since 1911, with its own building department and roof code, separate from the City of Los Angeles next door.
Licensed, bonded and insured, CSLB #1119699
That local code matters because Burbank’s housing is old. The city’s 2021-2029 Housing Element reports that 74.7% of occupied homes were built before 1980 and 76.8% of owner-occupied homes before 1960. It also notes that most homes begin to need major repairs at 30 to 40 years old, a point most Burbank houses passed decades ago.
As a roofing contractor working in Burbank, we plan every job around three local rules: the city’s own reroof permit, its ban on wood roofs, and the Class A requirement in the hillside fire zone.
Burbank's citywide ban on wood shake roofs
Burbank does not allow a wood shingle or wood shake roof covering on any new or existing building in the city (Burbank Municipal Code 9-1-2-1507.8 and 1507.9). The code also set deadlines for removing the wood roofs that were already in place:
Wood roof in the Very High fire zone
Aug. 14, 2005
Wood roof anywhere else in Burbank
Aug. 14, 2014
Roof re-covered over wood shakes or shingles
Aug. 14, 2020
Source: Burbank Municipal Code 9-1-2-1501.1.1 and 9-1-2-1512.3.
All three deadlines have passed, but the rule still shapes reroofs today. Section 9-1-2-1512.3 bars laying any new covering over existing wood shakes or shingles, and if two or more layers include wood, every layer must come off. Before anyone quotes a re-cover on an older Burbank roof, they should check the roof edges and any lifted shingles for old wood. If it is there, the job is a full tear-off to the roof deck, and the estimate should say so from the start.
A recent city historic review shows the change on one house. In a September 2025 report, the Burbank Heritage Commission reviewed a 1923 Craftsman at 1515 E. Alameda Ave. for designation. It noted that the original roof was likely wood shingle, that the house now has heavy dimensional asphalt shingles, and that the city has since banned wood roofing.
Pulling a reroof permit through Burbank Online Permits
Burbank is not under the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS). Reroof permits come from the Building & Safety Division of Burbank’s Community Development Department, on the first floor of the Community Services Building at 150 N. Third St.
The city classes a reroof as a Tier 1 permit, meaning simple repair and maintenance work with no plan check. Burbank launched its online permit system in October 2022 and added reroofing on Jan. 25, 2023, so a reroof on a single-family home can be permitted through Burbank Online Permits (BOP). Tier 1 permits are also issued over the counter.
Burbank’s building code (Title 9, Chapter 1 of the municipal code) amends the state’s roof replacement and re-covering sections, and its green building chapter has local cool roof sections. The code as published online still adopts the 2022 California Building Code, so confirm the current cool roof requirement with the Building Division, (818) 238-5220, before choosing a roofing product and color.
Roofing in the Burbank foothills: Class A and clearance rules
In LA County’s 2025 fire hazard map layer, central Burbank is classed Non-Wildland, while a point in the Verdugo Mountain foothills near Wildwood Canyon is Very High. If your house is on a hillside street, check the parcel’s zone before planning a reroof.
Inside Burbank’s Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, the city code requires a Class A roof covering or assembly (BMC 9-1-2-705A.2.1) and noncombustible gutters and downspouts (9-1-2-705A.4.1). That puts gutters and downspouts in the scope of any hillside reroof.
The foothills have burned recently. The La Tuna Fire started in the Verdugo Mountains on Sept. 1, 2017, and officials ordered mandatory and voluntary evacuations for 300 homes in Burbank. The mayor of Los Angeles called it the largest fire in Los Angeles city history by acreage.
Burbank Fire’s Fire Hazard Reduction Program sends owners in the Very High zone a letter each May, requires clearance by the end of June and inspects from July. Its rules include:
- Clearing leaves and needles off the roof
- Keeping 5 feet of vertical clearance between the roof and overhanging trees
- Maintaining 200 feet of total clearance
Roofs on Burbank houses built before 1960
Burbank’s owner-occupied homes are especially old: 54.0% were built from 1940 to 1959 and 22.8% in 1939 or earlier (Housing Element, ACS 2014-2018). The city’s 2009 Historic Context Report describes Magnolia Park as a 1920s planned development for workers at the adjacent Warner Bros. studios, and it identifies a residential boom from 1946 to 1960, with Grandview Building Company’s Benmar Hills as an example.
The same report lists the main house styles as Spanish Colonial Revival, Craftsman, Minimal Traditional and Ranch. Each calls for different roof work: tile repair and resets on Spanish Colonial Revival houses, shingle repair and replacement on Craftsman, Minimal Traditional and Ranch houses, and low-slope roofing on porches, garages and additions.
Heat adds wear. Hollywood Burbank Airport hit 114°F on Sept. 5, 2024, tying the station’s all-time high, which was also reached on July 6, 2018, and on Sept. 5 and 6, 2020. Records there go back to 1939. Summers like these dry out asphalt shingles and harden the sealant at flashing, so chimneys, wall flashing and valleys deserve a close look on any older Burbank roof.
Designated historic houses: owners of a designated Burbank Historic Resource need a permit before altering the building’s appearance. They can also apply for a Mills Act contract, which gives property-tax savings in exchange for a 10-year restoration commitment. If your house is designated, ask the city’s historic preservation program what review a new roof needs before ordering materials.
What our roofers do on Burbank homes
Overhead Roofing is licensed, bonded and insured (CSLB #1119699, C-39 Roofing) and BBB Accredited with an A rating, and our team brings 25+ years of roofing experience. In Burbank, our work includes:
- Roof repair on shingle and tile roofs: leaks, cracked or slipped tiles, worn flashing at chimneys and walls, and damaged ridge caps
- Tear-offs and reroofs down to the roof deck, including removal of any wood shakes or shingles under later layers, with the Tier 1 permit pulled through the city
- Class A reroofs in the foothills, with noncombustible gutters and downspouts where the Very High zone rules apply
- Tile roof resets on Spanish Colonial Revival houses, reusing sound tiles over new underlayment
- Low-slope roofs and roof coatings on porches, garages, additions and apartment buildings (multi-family housing held 51.2% of Burbank’s units in 2020)
- Roof inspections before a sale or a reroof, including a check for wood under the current layers
You can see a comparable shingle job on our residential reroof project in Los Angeles. If you need roof repair in Burbank after a storm, 24/7 emergency roof repair is available, with fast response and same-day visits when crews are available. Estimates are free, and every job carries our workmanship warranty.
Questions Burbank homeowners ask before a reroof
Does a Burbank reroof permit come from LADBS?
No. Burbank is its own city and is not under LADBS. Reroof permits come from Burbank’s Building & Safety Division at 150 N. Third St. A reroof is a Tier 1 permit with no plan check, and for single-family homes it is available online through Burbank Online Permits, which added reroofing in January 2023. Tier 1 permits are also issued over the counter.
My roof has shingles over old wood shakes. Can new shingles go on top?
No. Burbank Municipal Code 9-1-2-1512.3 bars laying a new covering over existing wood shakes or shingles, and if two or more layers include wood, all of them must come off. The city’s deadline for removing roofs already laid over wood passed on Aug. 14, 2020. Plan on a full tear-off to the roof deck, with any damaged decking repaired once it is exposed.
How do I know if my house is in Burbank's Very High fire zone?
The Very High zone covers the hillside in the Verdugo Mountain foothills, including the Wildwood Canyon area, while central Burbank is mapped Non-Wildland. Burbank Fire mails owners in the zone a letter each May about brush clearance, so that letter is a strong sign you are inside it. For a specific parcel, confirm with the city before planning a reroof.
I'm selling a house in the Burbank hills. Can a roof problem delay closing?
It can. Under AB 38, sellers in Very High and High fire zones must meet defensible-space requirements before escrow closes, and Burbank inspects Very High zone properties even when they have no vegetation. Burbank Fire’s rules include keeping leaves and needles off the roof and 5 feet of clearance between the roof and overhanging trees, so clean and repair the roof before listing.
Does a designated historic house in Burbank need extra approval for a new roof?
Owners of a designated Burbank Historic Resource must get a permit before altering the building’s appearance, and the roof is part of that appearance. Whether a like-for-like reroof also goes to the Heritage Commission is worth confirming with the city’s historic preservation program before work starts. Designated owners can apply for a Mills Act contract, which trades a 10-year restoration commitment for property-tax savings.
What should a Burbank roofing company include in a reroof estimate?
Four local items: a Tier 1 permit pulled through Burbank, not LADBS; a plan for full removal if wood shakes or shingles are under the current roof; a Class A assembly and noncombustible gutters if the house is in the Very High zone; and a check of the city’s current cool roof requirement, since the code published online still shows the 2022 edition.
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