Replacing a Wood Shake Roof in Los Angeles
In the City of Los Angeles, a wood shake roof can't be replaced with wood. The city's building code permits no wood shake or wood shingle roof covering anywhere in the city, fire-retardant-treated or not. In unincorporated Los Angeles County, the county's code bars wood shingles and shakes in any Fire Hazard Severity Zone, regardless of their fire rating; other cities in the county write their own rules, so their building departments have the final word there. What usually replaces shake is composition shingle, a synthetic or stone-coated steel shake, tile or metal. And the job often includes a new deck: the code lets shakes sit on spaced boards, but asphalt shingles need solid sheathing.
Where wood shake is restricted
Where the house is decides which rule applies, and in a fire zone the parcel decides it, not the ZIP code.
| Where the house is | The rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| City of Los Angeles, anywhere | No wood shake or wood shingle roof covering, fire-retardant-treated included | Los Angeles Municipal Code 91.1505.1, as amended effective December 31, 2025 |
| Unincorporated Los Angeles County, in any Fire Hazard Severity Zone | Wood shingles and wood shakes prohibited regardless of classification; roof coverings Class A | County Code Title 26, amending California Wildland-Urban Interface Code 504.2.1, adopted November 25, 2025 |
| Other cities in the county | Each city's own code, on top of the state rules below | The city's building department |
| Anywhere in California | Wood roofing must be listed by the State Fire Marshal after a natural weathering test; re-roofing in a High or Very High zone or a wildland-urban interface area means a Class A assembly | Health and Safety Code 13132.7; CRC 2025 R902.2; CWUIC 2025 507.1 |
How to find out which zone a parcel is in is covered in check your fire hazard severity zone, and the fire rules for each kind of roof in fire-resistant roofing in Los Angeles.
What can replace it
Every option below can be built as a Class A roof, but only as the listed assembly for that product.
| Replacement | Installed weight | Deck it needs | What to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Composition (asphalt) shingle | About 2.1 to 2.3 lb per sq ft | Wood structural panels or solid board sheathing (CRC R905.2.1) | Shake-look premium shingles exist, in fewer colors; see shingle brands compared |
| Synthetic shake | About 3 lb per sq ft | Solid sheathing, per the makers' instructions and reports | Class A only over the underlayment its listing names; see synthetic slate and shake |
| Stone-coated steel shake | About 1.5 lb per sq ft | Battens or direct to deck, per the product's report | Class A only over a fire-resistant underlayment or barrier board; see stone-coated steel roofing |
| Clay or concrete tile | About 5.7 to 10 lb per sq ft | Solid sheathing in Southern California's seismic categories (CRC R905.3.1) | The framing has to carry it, and most tile is over the express permit's weight limit; see clay vs concrete roof tile |
Metal panels, such as standing seam, are another option; how they differ is in standing seam vs exposed-fastener metal roofs.
The deck under the shakes
A roof replacement under California's residential code removes the old covering down to the deck (R908.3), and what's under the shakes then decides part of the job. The code lets wood shakes go on spaced boards, at least 1 by 4 inches (R905.8.1). Asphalt shingles can't: they have to be fastened to wood structural panels or solid board sheathing (R905.2.1). Clay and concrete tile need solid sheathing too, except in the lowest seismic design categories, A to C (R905.3.1). So if the shakes are on spaced boards, a shingle or tile roof needs new solid sheathing over the whole roof.
The state code does allow metal or tile to go over existing wood shakes in some cases, if the whole old surface is first covered with gypsum board, mineral fiber or another approved material so no combustible space is left hidden (R908.4, R908.4.1). Whether that route is accepted for your house is a question for the building department before you plan around it.
In the City of Los Angeles, a re-roof with a Class A or B covering under 6 pounds per square foot over new solid sheathing is on the express permit list, with no plan check (item 5); the routes are in do you need a permit to replace a roof in Los Angeles.
Woodland Hills, 2025. On a house we re-roofed in the fall of 2025, 28 squares of wood shake at the end of its life came off, and the whole roof was re-decked with new plywood, 87 sheets of it, rather than patched over the old boards. Synthetic underlayment, ice-and-water membrane at the edges, valley metal, new flashings and drip edge, ridge cap and twelve low-profile attic vents went on under the new shingles. We priced two shingles side by side, a standard architectural shingle with a cool-roof rating and a premium triple-laminate shingle made to look like hand-split shake, which cost more, came in fewer colors and took longer to arrive. The City of Los Angeles permit was applied for on October 3 and finaled on October 15 (the Woodland Hills case).
Insurance, the sale and the cool-roof rule
- Insurance. Many of the largest insurers decline or restrict wood roofs in their filed rules, as roof age and home insurance shows, and the California Department of Insurance doesn't count wood shake as Class A for the wildfire discount; replacing it is what earns that discount, as the wildfire insurance discount for a fire-safe roof explains.
- Selling. In a High or Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, the seller of a house built before 2010 has to disclose an untreated wood shingle or shake roof they know about (Civil Code 1102.6f); see does a new roof add home value?
- Cool roof. Replacing more than half the roof can bring in California's cool-roof rule, which narrows the colors; it's in the cool-roof requirement on a re-roof.
Frequently asked
Can I replace my wood shake roof with new wood shakes in Los Angeles?
Can new shingles go over my old wood shakes?
What looks most like a wood shake roof?
Do I need new plywood when I replace a shake roof?
Can I repair a few shakes instead?
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 7, 2026.
- Los Angeles Municipal Code, Section 91.1505, Fire Classification (as amended by Ordinance 188,797, effective December 31, 2025)
- County of Los Angeles, ordinance amending Title 26, Building Code (2025 California Building Code, home-hardening amendments)
- County of Los Angeles Board of Supervisors, Statement of Proceedings, November 25, 2025 (Building Codes hearing)
- California Residential Code 2025, Chapter 9 Roof Assemblies, R902.2, R905.2.1, R905.3.1, R905.8.1, R908.3, R908.4 and R908.4.1 (UpCodes)
- California Health and Safety Code §13132.7 (fire-retardant roof covering)
- California Civil Code §1102.6f (wildfire disclosure in high and very high fire hazard severity zones)
We'll replace the shake roof and the deck it needs
Call (323) 844-7777. We check the deck under the shakes, price the replacement options side by side and take the job through the permit to final inspection. Have ready the address, the roof's approximate size if you know it, and any notice from your insurer about the roof.
Prepared by Cali Energy, October 7, 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)