Do I need a roofing permit in Los Angeles? Yes: the Express Permit, cool-roof rule and 25,397 permits

What the Express Permit covers

LADBS says "permits for simple projects, which do not require plan check, are readily issued as Express Permits" (Express Permits). Its Express Permits bulletin (read 24 October 2026) lists the roofing items:

The bulletin sets no maximum roof area. Heavier coverings (6 pounds per square foot or more, such as some clay or concrete tile) fall outside the Express items, so ask LADBS whether the new weight needs plan check before you switch materials.

Who pulls it and how

A licensed roofing or general contractor normally takes the permit online through PermitLA, and LADBS says every contractor must also file a subcontractor form with the Office of Finance. An owner can act as owner-builder: LADBS's Re-roofing Certificate is signed by the licensed contractor, or by "the owner-builder if work was not performed by a contractor", and is returned to the inspector or mailed to LADBS.

1. Get the Express Permit before tear-off; the permit names the squares and the covering.
2. Keep the cool-roof label (if over 50% of the roof) and product documents on site for the inspector.
3. Request inspections through LADBS online services, and hand over the signed Re-roofing Certificate.
4. Check that the permit shows Permit Finaled in the LADBS records.

Fees are set on the job valuation; LADBS's permit fee calculator gives an estimate, and the bulletin does not publish a flat roofing fee.

What 25,397 Los Angeles roofing permits show

Roofing permits peak in September, ahead of the rains, and are quietest in May; booking a roofer for late spring means the shortest queue. A re-roof permit that has not finaled after six weeks is slower than three in four, so ask the roofer when the final inspection was booked. Monthly counts are on Los Angeles roofing permits, all kinds of work on Los Angeles permit statistics, and individual rows on Los Angeles permits.

Before you hire

Check the roofer's C-39 or B license with the CSLB, and look up past permits on your address with the Los Angeles building permit search. Rules elsewhere are in do I need a permit for roof replacement, and national prices in roof replacement cost.

What this does not tell you

The LADBS file names no contractor, so we cannot show which roofers finish their permits. The declared value sets the fee and runs well below typical re-roof prices, so do not read it as a quote. Long Beach, Pasadena, Glendale and the other county cities run their own permits and are not counted.