How to Prepare Your Home for a Roof Replacement
Preparing for a roof replacement comes down to three windows. Weeks ahead, settle the material and color, read the contract for the permit, the payment schedule and what happens if the deck is rotten, and line up anything that has to happen before the tear-off: an asbestos survey, or a crew to take solar panels off. In the days before, make room for a debris bin and the material delivery, clear the yard around the house, and plan where to park. On install day, secure pets, leave gates and ladder access open, and expect noise; in the City of Los Angeles, construction is limited to 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays and holidays near homes, and not at all on Sundays. At the end come the walk-through, the nail sweep, the final inspection and the warranty registration. This checklist is as of October 2026.
It covers houses in the Los Angeles area. The steps the crew takes, in order, are in the roof replacement process, and how long each takes in how long a roof replacement takes.
The checklist
The whole job on one page, in the order it comes up. The sections below explain each line.
| When | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Weeks before | Choose the material and color, and check it against the cool-roof rule if more than half the roof is replaced | The material can't be ordered until the color is final |
| Weeks before | Read the contract: who gets the permit, the payment schedule, and what happens if the deck turns out to be rotten | California sets the contract terms, from the down payment to change orders |
| Weeks before | Ask whether an asbestos survey is needed, and get it done before the tear-off is scheduled | In most of the Los Angeles area the air district's rule calls for one before a renovation, whatever the roof's age |
| Weeks before | If there's solar on the roof, schedule its removal and reinstallation around the roofing | The array has to come off before the old roof does |
| Days before | Agree where the bin and the material will go, and plan to park on the street | The bin can arrive a day or two early, and material may go on the roof or the drive |
| Days before | Clear bikes, planters, garden tools and anything else near the house; ask whether to cover plants | Tear-off is the messiest part of the job |
| Days before | Tell the neighbors | It's noisy |
| Install day | Secure pets, unlock gates, keep the ladder spots clear | The crew needs access to every side of the house |
| After | Walk the job with the roofer, check the nail sweep, register the warranty | Loose nails, and a warranty that may need registering |
| After | In the City of Los Angeles, get the owner's statement notarized for the inspector | It goes to the inspector before the final |
Weeks before
- The material and the color. Owens Corning's homeowner guide puts it plainly: the shingle color has to be final before the contractor can order. In Los Angeles, a re-roof covering more than half the roof also has to meet the cool-roof rule, which can rule out a color, as it did with a gray low-slope membrane on our 2024 Canoga Park job; see the cool-roof requirement on a re-roof.
- The contract. California's contractors board sets the terms of a home improvement contract: a down payment of no more than $1,000 or 10% of the price, whichever is less; a written payment schedule that doesn't run ahead of the work; and who gets the permit. What happens if the deck is rotten belongs in it too; see rotted roof decking and your estimate.
- Asbestos. In most of the Los Angeles area, the air district's rule calls for an asbestos survey before a renovation, a re-roof included, with exceptions for small jobs and owners doing the work themselves; see asbestos in old roofs.
- Solar. An array comes off before the tear-off and goes back after. On a 2024 Reseda job, the modules and hardware were stored in the owners' garage for the six days in between. How that's done is in solar removal and reinstall.
- Working from home. Owens Corning notes that you can usually stay home during the work, but it's very noisy; plan calls and naps accordingly.
The days before
- The bin and the delivery. A dumpster may arrive one or two days before the work starts, and the shingles and other material a few days before or on the morning of the first day, either on the roof or in the driveway. Agree where they go so a car isn't trapped in the garage; if the bin has to sit in the street, ask the roofer who arranges any permit the city requires. On our 2025 Woodland Hills job, the plywood came a day ahead of the rest of the material.
- The yard. Clear anything near the house that could be hit or get in the way: bikes, basketball hoops, planters, garden tools, statues. Ask whether the crew covers flowers and shrubs along the walls; if not, cover them yourself. Clear any pet waste where the crew will walk.
- Parking. Plan to park on the street while the bin and the material take the driveway.
- The neighbors. A few days' notice of the noise goes a long way.
- Work hours. In the City of Los Angeles, the municipal code bars construction work with loud tools between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m., and near homes it limits Saturdays and national holidays to 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and bars Sundays, for deliveries of construction materials as well as the work itself (LAMC 41.40). Other cities set their own hours.
Install day
- Pets and gates. Secure pets, and tell the crew which gates have to stay closed.
- Access. Unlock gates and keep the places where ladders go clear on every side of the house.
- Inside. Ask the roofer whether anything stored in the attic, or hanging near the ceiling, should be moved or covered while the old roof comes off.
- Special requests. Settle in advance anything like the use of a bathroom.
- Questions. You can watch and talk to the crew; a supervisor usually checks on the job during the day.
After the last shingle
1. Walk the job with the roofer and check that everything in the contract was done.
- Check the cleanup. Owens Corning's guide says the roofer will usually sweep the property for loose nails; our crews sweep the yard with a magnetic roller at the end of each work day. Ask for a second sweep if you find nails.
- The final inspection. In the City of Los Angeles, the owner completes, signs and notarizes LADBS's Owner Statement and Acknowledgment of Compliance and sends it to the inspector before the final; see roof permit in Los Angeles.
- The warranty. Find out before signing whether you or the roofer registers the manufacturer's warranty, and keep it with the permit final; what the warranties cover is in roof warranties explained.
Frequently asked
Do I need to be home during a roof replacement?
What time can roofers start work in Los Angeles?
Where does the dumpster go during a roof replacement?
Should I cover things in my attic before a re-roof?
Do I need to do anything for the final inspection?
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.
- Owens Corning Roofing, What to Expect During a Roof Replacement (published March 26, 2025)
- City of Los Angeles Municipal Code, Section 41.40, Noise Due to Construction, Excavation Work — When Prohibited
- South Coast Air Quality Management District, Rule 1403, Asbestos Emissions from Demolition/Renovation Activities
- LADBS, Owner Statement and Acknowledgment of Compliance
We'll walk you through the schedule before we start
Call (323) 844-7777. Before the tear-off we go over the dates, where the bin and the material will go, what we need access to, what happens with any solar on the roof, and what the inspector will ask for at the final. Have ready the address, your material and color choice, and any gate codes, pets or parking limits we should know about.
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)