Roofer in San Rafael for Class A Re-Roofs Before 2027

Permits and local rules

The city code a San Rafael roof answers to

Ordinance 2009: wood roofs out by 2027
Following City Council action in May 2022, the city says, all shake and wooden roofs in San Rafael have to be replaced by May 31, 2027. The council's ordinance amended the local changes to the California Building Code and Residential Code so that every roof covering that is not at least Class A must be replaced with a fire-retardant Class A covering by that date. The Fire Department's Wildfire Prevention staff handle questions and possible financial help.
City of San Rafael Fire Department (opens in a new tab)
Class A for repairs, since 2019
San Rafael's local amendments to the building and residential codes, first adopted in 2019 and carried into the 2025 codes the city adopted in September 2025, sit in Municipal Code Sections 12.200.020 and 12.255.020. Outside the fire hazard zones and the WUI, they require a fire-retardant covering of at least Class A on every new structure, on the entire roof of an existing structure when more than 50 percent of it is replaced within a year, and on any covering applied in an alteration, repair or replacement. Inside those areas the minimum is also Class A, and the residential code adds the state's Wildland-Urban Interface Code.
San Rafael Municipal Code, Section 12.255.020 (opens in a new tab)
Re-roofs as minor permits
A residential re-roof is one of San Rafael's online minor permits, with conditions: no rooftop equipment removed and replaced, only one overlay, roof drains meeting minimum code, inadequate attic ventilation addressed, and a credible valuation of the work. Condominium owners apply under the common area address. Since January 1, 2023, the city has kept minor permits valid for 180 days; one not finaled by then has to be renewed for a fee.
City of San Rafael Building Division (opens in a new tab)
Fire maps that track the WUI line
When the state released its 2025 fire hazard severity zone maps, San Rafael said it expected little immediate change for residents: the maps largely mirror the city's existing wildland-urban interface boundaries, which already enforce specific building code requirements, and the city applies its vegetation standards citywide. The same notice places China Camp in a State Responsibility Area. Check an address against the WUI map before assuming which rules a roof faces.
City of San Rafael (opens in a new tab)

State license for this work: C-39 Roofing, B General Building. Look up a contractor's license on the CSLB website (opens in a new tab).

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Roofers installing cedar shingles near the ridge while a telehandler lifts bundles onto the roof. Photo: NPS photo, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

The houses here

Fewer than 200 shake roofs and a valley of Eichlers

When the Fire Department brought the wood roof ordinance to the City Council in 2022, staff estimated that fewer than 200 wood roofs were left in San Rafael, most at least 20 years old. An informal Building Department survey counted three among 88 homes on San Marino Drive, three among 28 on Bay Way, and one each among 23 homes on Latham Street and on San Rafael Avenue. Terra Linda is a different kind of roof: about 900 Eichlers built from 1955 to 1965, with low-pitch, open-beam ceilings, below a ring of ridges that residents bought as open space in the 1970s.

The work

Roof jobs that San Rafael's rules shape

Tearing off a shake roof before the deadline
The city's case for Ordinance 2009 explains why a coating is not the answer. Spray-on and brush-on fire retardants for wood roofs lose effectiveness as they leach and weather, and pressure-treated shakes earn a Class A rating only over a solid underlayment, with no inspection afterward to show the treatment is still there. The practical job is a tear-off to a Class A covering, finished before May 31, 2027. The city says financial assistance may be available and points owners to Wildfire Prevention in the Fire Department.
Patching an older roof
San Rafael's local amendment covers more than full re-roofs. Any roof covering applied in the alteration, repair or replacement of an existing roof has to be at least Class A, and if more than half of a roof is replaced within one year, the entire covering must be Class A. Ask the roofer to name the rating of the patch material, not only of the roof it is going on.
Low-slope roofs over Terra Linda Eichlers
An Eichler's open-beam ceiling leaves no attic between the roofing and the room below. Eichler Network's roofing coverage quotes roofers saying these roofs are flat, often hold water and are hard to slope. San Rafael's minor re-roof permit requires roof drains to meet minimum code and inadequate attic ventilation to be addressed, conditions worth reading closely on a house with no attic. Ask how the bid handles drainage and the Class A rating on a nearly flat surface.
Chimneys, gutters and the roof edge
The city's home-hardening guidance asks for a spark arrester on every chimney, even one that is never used, clean roofs and gutters, missing shingles reattached and gaps around openings sealed. Its vegetation standards clear everything within 10 feet of a chimney or stovepipe. A re-roof, with the gutters off and the chimney flashing open, is the natural moment to price those items as separate lines.

Before you hire

Pinning down a San Rafael roofing bid

Ask the roofer to write the Class A rating of the exact covering and underlayment into the bid, including any patch material.
On a shake roof, ask whether the bid is a full tear-off and when the final inspection will happen relative to May 31, 2027.
Ask who applies for the online re-roof permit and how roof drains and ventilation will be handled to the city's conditions.
If a debris box will sit in the street, ask who obtains the city's encroachment permit for it.
Look up the C-39 Roofing license at cslb.ca.gov and confirm the business name matches the contract.

Timing

Working back from May 31, 2027

The deadline is fixed in the building code, and a re-roof permit in San Rafael is a minor permit that stays valid for 180 days. A wood roof replaced in time means a permit applied for, the tear-off done and the final inspection passed before May 31, 2027. If a sale comes first, the city's resale inspection is another reason to have the work permitted and finaled rather than half done.

Questions

San Rafael roof questions, plainly answered

Does San Rafael really require my wood shake roof to be replaced?

Yes. Ordinance 2009, adopted by the City Council on May 16, 2022, amended the city's building code so that every roof covering that is not at least Class A must be replaced with a Class A covering by May 31, 2027. The city says financial assistance may be available and asks owners to contact Wildfire Prevention in the Fire Department.

Can I treat my shakes with a fire retardant instead of replacing them?

The city's report behind the ordinance found that spray-on and brush-on treatments lose their fire resistance as they leach and weather, and that pressure-treated shakes reach Class A only over a solid underlayment, with no later test to confirm the treatment remains. The ordinance was written around replacing wood roofs with a Class A covering; ask the Building Division before relying on any treatment.

My San Rafael house isn't in the wildland-urban interface. Does the Class A rule still apply?

Yes. San Rafael's Class A requirement covers roof coverings throughout the city, not only in mapped fire areas, and the city has extended other requirements that once applied only to WUI parcels to every parcel. A repair or a partial re-roof needs Class A material wherever the house is.

How many layers of roofing are allowed on a San Rafael house?

The city's online re-roof permit allows only one overlay. If the roof already carries a layer over the original, expect a tear-off before the new Class A covering goes on. Removing and replacing rooftop equipment also takes the job out of the simple online minor permit and into a fuller review.

Do I need a permit to replace my roof in San Rafael?

Yes. A residential re-roof is a minor permit you can apply for online, with conditions on overlays, roof drains, attic ventilation and the stated value of the work. Since January 1, 2023, minor permits have been valid for 180 days, so plan to have the roof finaled within that window.

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Where this page belongs

Where these facts come from

Checked against these public sources in October 2026. Rules and programs change: confirm permit requirements with the city before work starts, and a contractor's license on the CSLB website.

San Rafael roofs, wood shakes and the May 31, 2027 deadline

The city code a San Rafael roof answers to

Ordinance 2009: wood roofs out by 2027

Class A for repairs, since 2019

Re-roofs as minor permits

Fire maps that track the WUI line