How Long Does a Roof Replacement Take in LA?
The work on the roof takes days; the calendar around it takes longer. On our own shingle re-roofs in the City of Los Angeles, the permit was finaled 12 days after it was applied for on a 28-square Woodland Hills roof in 2025, and 12 days after it was issued on a 42-square Canoga Park roof in 2021; on a 20-square Encino roof in 2021, the roofing inspection was requested a week after the permit was issued. On our jobs, what stretched the calendar was what the roof turned out to need, not the roofing itself: rotten decking and the supplemental permit that follows it, a change of material that needs planning approval, equipment or solar on the roof that has to be dealt with first, an asbestos survey, tile, rain, and the inspector's calendar. These are our jobs' dates, not a promise for yours, as of October 2026.
It covers houses in the Los Angeles area under the 2025 California codes, in force since January 1, 2026. It doesn't price the work. The steps of a re-roof in order, from inspection to final, are in the roof replacement process, and what to do at home beforehand in how to prepare your home for a roof replacement.
Where the time goes
A re-roof is a chain of steps, and most of the waiting sits between them rather than on the roof.
| Step | What sets its length | On our jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Inspection and written scope | Your schedule, and whether the roof can be measured and looked at in one visit | Canoga Park, 2024: measured in March; the owner signed in October |
| Material and color | Choosing a product, and checking it against the cool-roof rule where it applies | Canoga Park, 2024: the color question was settled in one day, October 14 to 15 |
| Permit | In the City of Los Angeles, most re-roofs get an express permit with no plan check, which can be issued online; other cities set their own process | Canoga Park, 2024: contract October 15, permit October 22. Chatsworth, 2026: express permit issued the day the plan set arrived |
| Material delivery | What's in stock, and what has to be ordered | Woodland Hills, 2025: plywood delivered October 7 and the rest October 8, after booking on October 3 |
| Tear-off, deck and roofing | The roof's size and layers, the deck's condition, the weather | Encino, 2021: permit September 16, material ordered September 17, roofing inspection requested September 23 |
| Inspections and final | The inspector's calendar; in the City of Los Angeles, the owner's notarized statement before the final | Woodland Hills, 2025: final requested October 10, passed October 15 |
| Solar back on, if there was any | The solar crew's schedule around the roofer's | Reseda, 2024: the array came off July 16 and went back on July 22, the day the owners' roofer finished |
Dates from our jobs
These are the roofs whose dates we can show, with the time each one took. Each ran under the rules and the inspection calendar of its own year.
| Job | Roof | Key dates | Elapsed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodland Hills, 2025 | 28 squares, wood shake to shingle on new plywood | Permit applied for October 3; final passed October 15 | 12 days from application to final |
| Canoga Park, 2021 | 42 squares of shingle over the existing sheathing | Permit issued September 24; sheathing inspection October 1; final October 6 | 12 days from permit to final |
| Encino, 2021 | 20 squares of shingle | Permit issued September 16; roofing inspection requested September 23 | 7 days from permit to inspection request |
| Glendale, 2022 | Concrete tile to shingle | Permit flagged for planning approval November 18; tile off and inspections November 29 and 30; final December 2 | 14 days from the planning flag to final |
| Canoga Park, 2024 | 22 squares; deck replaced | Permit October 22; supplemental permit for new sheathing November 8; both finaled in November | 17 days between the permit and its supplement |
| Chatsworth, 2026 | Tile off under a new array, shingle laid, tile put back around it | Express permit January 6; material delivered January 15; final inspection January 27 | 21 days from permit to final inspection |
| Canoga Park, 2026 | 26 squares, every tile off and reset | Permit February 10; inspection requested February 19; a correction February 23; supplemental permit February 27; building department release March 5 | 23 days from permit to release |
| Studio City, 2026 | One square under an existing array | Permit filed March 25; work on the roof March 30 | 5 days from permit to work |
What stretches a re-roof
- Rotten decking. The damage shows only once the old roof is off, the extra work is agreed in writing, and in the City of Los Angeles a supplemental permit rewrites the scope: 17 days after the original on our 2024 Canoga Park job. On a 2023 North Hollywood re-roof, rot in the fascia and plywood was found and priced two days after the permit. What the change order has to say is in rotted roof decking and your estimate.
- A change of material. Going from tile to shingle in Glendale in 2022 needed planning approval before the roofing permit could issue.
- Equipment on the roof. In Calabasas in 2023, the re-roof permit was issued the day after the owner got the permit for a rooftop condenser; the condenser had to be sorted out first.
- Solar. The array comes off before the tear-off and goes back after. Around an owners' roofer in Reseda in 2024 the gap was six days; in Burbank in 2025 it was three weeks, set by the roofing schedule rather than the array. How removal and reinstallation work is in solar removal and reinstall; when the solar is new and goes on with the new roof, the order and our calendars are in a new roof and solar together.
- Asbestos. A survey comes before the tear-off in most of the Los Angeles area, as it did before the 2020 tear-off on our Sylmar job, and if asbestos-containing material over 100 square feet comes off, the air district wants notice at least 10 working days ahead; see asbestos in old roofs.
- Tile. Lifting, storing and resetting tile adds steps and inspections, as on the 2026 Canoga Park tile reset above.
- Rain. Roofing goes on a dry deck: membrane makers' instructions rule out application with moisture on the surface, and coatings need dry hours after they go on. The season's steps are in getting a roof ready for the rainy season, and the drier months for a re-roof in the best time to replace a roof in Los Angeles.
- The final. The inspector's calendar sets the last step: on our Woodland Hills job the final was requested on October 10 and passed at the first available slot, October 15. In the City of Los Angeles, the owner's notarized statement goes to the inspector before the final; see roof permit in Los Angeles.
How to keep it short
1. Decide the material and color early, and check it against the cool-roof rule before ordering.
- Ask what's under the roof, and what the contract says about rotten decking, so a change order doesn't wait on a decision.
- Line up the solar crew before the tear-off if there's an array on the roof.
- Ask whether an asbestos survey is needed, and get it done before the tear-off is scheduled.
- Have the notarized owner statement ready in the City of Los Angeles, so the final isn't held up.
Code references
Sections cited above, for readers who want to verify them directly in the code text.
- Cali Energy project records: the case studies linked in the tables above
Frequently asked
How long does a roof replacement take in Los Angeles?
How many days is the crew on the roof?
How long does a roofing permit take in Los Angeles?
Can rain delay a roof replacement?
Does solar on the roof add time?
Related reading
Sources & methodology
Code sections, rules and figures on this page come from the primary sources below. Codes, local requirements and product terms change; each was verified October 9, 2026.
- Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety, Express Permits (No Plan Check Required), Information Bulletin P/GI 2026-003, effective January 1,…
- South Coast Air Quality Management District, Rule 1403, Asbestos Emissions from Demolition/Renovation Activities
- CertainTeed, Flintlastic Modified Bitumen Application Handbook, third edition (2016), copy published by a distributor
We'll give you a schedule built on your roof
Call (323) 844-7777. We check the roof, the deck where we can see it, the material you want and what sits on the roof, from solar to equipment, and the estimate sets out the steps and the permit they take. Have ready the address, photos of the roof, the material and color you have in mind, and whether solar is on the roof or planned.
Prepared by Cali Energy, October 9, 2026. This article is for general educational purposes only and is not legal, tax, financial, engineering, or utility advice. Rates, incentives, codes, permit requirements, equipment specifications, prices, and program terms may change; figures and timelines are estimates, not guarantees. Confirm current requirements with the applicable utility, AHJ, program administrator, manufacturer, or a licensed professional. See our Content Disclaimer. Cali Energy · 19201 Parthenia St, Unit E, Northridge, CA 91324 · CSLB #1032379 (B, C-10, C-39)