Title 24 Roofing Requirements: What Southern California Re-Roofs Now Require (2026)
California’s building code changed on January 1, 2026. Title 24 now governs two things on every permitted re-roof: how your roof performs in a wildfire, and how it performs in the heat. Here’s what’s required, what triggers compliance, and how to verify what applies to your property — before anyone hands you an estimate.
Last updated: July 2026 · Reviewed by Jeff Moreno, Founder, Method Roofing Group · CSLB #1157257
Quick answer: Title 24 is California’s building code. As of January 1, 2026, re-roofs in mapped Fire Hazard Severity Zones — including High zones inside city limits that were previously exempt — require a Class A fire-rated roof assembly under the new Wildland-Urban Interface Code (Title 24, Part 7). Most Southern California re-roofs must also meet cool roof reflectance standards (Part 6). Replacing more than 50% of your roof within 12 months triggers full compliance.
What Is Title 24, and What Changed in 2026?
Title 24 is the California Building Standards Code — the statewide rulebook every permitted construction project must follow, including roof replacement. Two parts of it directly control what goes on your roof:
Part 6 — Energy. California’s energy code sets “cool roof” standards: minimum solar reflectance and thermal emittance values that roofing materials must meet, so your roof reflects heat instead of absorbing it.
Part 7 — Wildfire. Effective January 1, 2026, California consolidated its wildfire construction rules — previously scattered across Chapter 7A of the Building Code, Section R337 of the Residential Code, and Chapter 49 of the Fire Code — into a single standalone code: Title 24, Part 7, the California Wildland-Urban Interface Code (CWUIC). It requires a Class A fire-rated roof assembly for new construction and re-roofing in mapped Fire Hazard Severity Zones.
The 2026 change that matters most to homeowners is reach. Earlier rules applied mainly to State Responsibility Areas and Very High severity zones. The 2026 code extends mandatory compliance to High and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones inside city limits — neighborhoods that were previously exempt. The maps grew too: CAL FIRE’s 2025 update — its first comprehensive revision since 2007 — added roughly 1.4 million acres of High and Very High zones statewide, much of it in cities. Across Southern California, that pulls hundreds of thousands of homes into compliance for the first time, including hillside and canyon-adjacent communities throughout Orange County.
The 50% Rule: What Triggers Full Compliance
If more than 50 percent of your total roof area is replaced or recovered within a one-year period, the entire roof must be brought up to the current Class A standard. A repair below that threshold generally does not trigger full compliance — but stacked repairs across the same twelve months count cumulatively.
| Your project | What Title 24 requires |
|---|---|
| Repair under 50% of roof area (12-month total) | No full assembly upgrade; repaired sections use compliant materials |
| Re-roof or recover over 50% within 12 months | Entire roof brought to current Class A assembly standard (in mapped fire zones), plus Part 6 cool roof compliance |
| New construction in a mapped Fire Hazard Severity Zone | Full CWUIC compliance: Class A assembly, ember-resistant vents, WUI edge and valley detailing |
| Re-roof outside any mapped fire zone | Fire assembly rules don’t apply, but Part 6 cool roof standards still do at permit |
Two practical consequences:
A “small” repair can quietly become a code event. A leak repair in February plus storm damage in October can cross the 50% line, and the permit for the second job will be reviewed against the full requirement.
Partial bids that ignore the threshold are a red flag. If a contractor proposes recovering 60% of your roof without addressing assembly-level compliance, the proposal has a permitting problem before it has a pricing problem.
This is why we diagnose before we estimate. Scope determines code obligation, and code obligation determines real cost. Guessing at either helps no one. For what compliant replacement actually costs, see our residential roof replacement cost guide for Orange County.
THE METHOD MEMO · NO. 03
Title 24, on one page. The 2026 requirements, the 50% rule, cool-roof thresholds, and what they mean before you sign a re-roofing contract — one printable page. No email required.
What a Class A Roof Assembly Actually Means
“Class A” is the highest fire-resistance classification for roof coverings, tested under ASTM E108 / UL 790 — spread-of-flame, intermittent flame, and burning brand tests. Two paths get you there:
Stand-alone Class A materials. Fiberglass-reinforced asphalt shingles, concrete and clay tile, and most metal roofing systems carry the rating on their own.
Assembly-rated Class A. Some coverings only achieve Class A when installed over a specific tested underlayment or barrier. Substitute or skip the specified layer and the rating is void — even if the surface material is fire-resistant. The manufacturer’s tested assembly, documented in its ICC-ES evaluation report, is part of your permit packet.
The 2026 code treats the roof as a system, not a surface. Requirements extend beyond the covering:
- Ember-resistant vents. Roof, ridge, eave, and gable vents must meet the ASTM E2886 ember-intrusion standard. Replacing a roof means upgrading non-compliant vents — inspectors verify this.
- Edges, valleys, and gutters. Wind-driven embers, not direct flame, destroy most homes in a wildfire. Detail work at intersections and debris-collection points is where Class A roofs succeed or fail.
- Wood shake is out. Cedar shakes and wood shingles are prohibited in WUI zones under the 2026 code regardless of fire-retardant treatment.
Documentation is the asset
The signed-off permit proving your roof meets the current code is a document you will use again — at resale, and increasingly with your insurance carrier. Keep it with your closing papers.
The Cool Roof Side of Title 24
Fire is only half of Title 24 compliance. The energy code applies to most Southern California re-roofs at permit, and it’s the half homeowners hear about last — usually when a product they’ve already picked doesn’t meet reflectance minimums.
The short version: in Southern California’s climate zones, re-roofed low-slope roofs and many steep-slope roofs must meet minimum aged solar reflectance and thermal emittance values. Compliant “cool” products exist in every major category — shingle, tile, and metal — and the difference is real: reflective roofing measurably reduces attic temperatures and summer cooling loads in our climate.
What this means when selecting materials: color, finish, and product line all affect whether a roof passes plan check. A qualified contractor confirms Part 6 compliance in the proposal, not at the permit counter. Ask to see the CRRC (Cool Roof Rating Council) listing for any product you’re quoted.
Is Your Orange County Home in a Fire Hazard Severity Zone? Verify Before You Plan
Compliance obligations follow the map, not the neighborhood’s reputation. Verify your parcel:
- CAL FIRE’s Fire Hazard Severity Zone viewer — search your address and note the designation: Moderate, High, or Very High.
- Your city or county building department — local jurisdictions adopt and sometimes extend the state maps, and the local determination is what your permit is reviewed against. (State law required cities to adopt the 2025 maps by ordinance within 120 days of release.)
In Orange County, the 2025 maps place portions of many communities in High or Very High zones — including areas of Anaheim Hills, Yorba Linda, Laguna Beach, Tustin, Irvine’s foothill edges, and canyon-adjacent Newport Beach. Flat coastal neighborhoods a mile away may carry no designation at all. Two homes on the same street can have different obligations. That’s exactly why we verify zone status as part of every roof inspection rather than assuming from the ZIP code — across Orange County, LA County, the Inland Empire, San Diego, and Ventura County.
What Compliance Does for Your Insurance
California’s insurance market is repricing wildfire risk in real time. The roof is the first thing underwriters look at.
- Premium credits. Under the state’s Safer from Wildfires framework, carriers offer discounts for verified hardening measures. A Class A roof is the anchor measure. Credits vary by carrier and typically range from roughly 5% to 15%.
- A path off the FAIR Plan. For homeowners pushed onto the state’s insurer of last resort, a documented Class A roof — often paired with an IBHS Wildfire Prepared Home designation — is frequently a decisive factor in getting a voluntary carrier to write the home again.
- Help paying for it. The California Safe Homes grant program (AB 888) took effect January 2026. It provides state grants — not loans — that help income-qualified homeowners in high-risk fire zones fund fire-safe roof replacement and home-hardening within five feet of the structure. Applications opened through the Department of Insurance in spring 2026.
- Stronger rebuild coverage. As of July 1, 2026, replacement-cost homeowners policies in California must include building-code upgrade coverage of at least 10% of the dwelling limit. Code-required improvements like Class A assemblies are better covered after a loss.
For the full picture — discounts, grants, and the path off the FAIR Plan — see our guide to California homeowners insurance roof requirements.
How Method Roofing Group Approaches Title 24 Re-Roofs
A code-compliant roof starts with an accurate diagnosis, not a product pitch. Our documented inspection of a Southern California re-roof covers, in order:
- Zone verification — your parcel’s Fire Hazard Severity Zone status, confirmed against CAL FIRE mapping and your local jurisdiction’s adoption.
- Scope determination — what the roof actually needs, and whether it crosses the 50% threshold that triggers full assembly compliance.
- Assembly specification — Class A path (stand-alone or tested assembly), ember-resistant venting, edge and valley detailing, and Part 6 cool-roof compliance, documented product by product.
- Permit-ready report — the written inspection report and specification you can take to plan check, your HOA, or your insurance carrier. You keep it whether you hire us or not.
This methodology is built on decades of industry experience spanning roofing manufacturing and executive contractor operations — which means the specification is grounded in how these systems are actually tested, listed, and approved, not in what’s on the truck.
Answers before estimates. That’s the method.
Title 24 Roof Inspections Across Southern California
Title 24 applies statewide, but enforcement runs through your local building department, and fire zone status varies parcel by parcel — even street by street. Method Roofing Group verifies your zone designation, compliance triggers, and assembly requirements as part of every free documented roof inspection, wherever you are in Southern California:
Title 24 Roofing FAQs
Does Title 24 apply to roof repairs, or only full replacements?
Repairs below 50% of total roof area within a one-year period generally don’t trigger full compliance. Cross that threshold — in one job or cumulatively — and the entire roof must meet the current Class A standard. Permits are reviewed against the twelve-month total, not the individual invoice.
What is a Class A roof?
A Class A roof is the highest fire-resistance classification for roof coverings under ASTM E108 / UL 790 testing. Fiberglass asphalt shingles, concrete and clay tile, and most metal roofing qualify — some on their own, others only as part of a specific tested assembly with the correct underlayment.
What changed in California’s roofing fire code in 2026?
Effective January 1, 2026, California consolidated its wildfire construction rules into a standalone code — Title 24, Part 7, the California Wildland-Urban Interface Code. Coverage expanded to High and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones within city limits, bringing many previously exempt Southern California neighborhoods into mandatory compliance.
What are the cool roof requirements in Southern California?
Title 24, Part 6 sets minimum aged solar reflectance and thermal emittance values for re-roofed low-slope roofs and many steep-slope roofs in Southern California climate zones. Compliant products exist in shingle, tile, and metal; verify any product’s CRRC listing before you sign.
How do I find out if my home is in a Fire Hazard Severity Zone?
Search your address in CAL FIRE’s Fire Hazard Severity Zone viewer, then confirm with your city or county building department — the local adoption is what your permit is reviewed against. Zone status varies parcel by parcel, even on the same street.
Will a Title 24-compliant roof lower my homeowners insurance?
It can. California’s Safer from Wildfires framework requires carriers to offer credits for verified hardening, with a Class A roof as the anchor measure — discounts typically run 5–15% depending on carrier. For FAIR Plan policyholders, a documented Class A roof is often key to returning to the voluntary market.
Are wood shake roofs still legal in California?
In mapped WUI fire zones, no — the 2026 code prohibits cedar shakes and wood shingles regardless of fire-retardant treatment. Several Southern California jurisdictions extend the prohibition beyond mapped zones by local ordinance.
How much does a Title 24-compliant roof replacement cost?
Compliance itself doesn’t have a fixed price — it shapes material and assembly choices. Class A-rated products exist at every price tier, and cool-roof versions typically add little or nothing to material cost. The bigger cost driver is scope: whether your project crosses the 50% threshold. See our Orange County roof replacement cost guide for current ranges.
Find Out What Title 24 Requires for Your Roof
Request a free documented roof inspection and get a written answer: your fire zone status, your compliance triggers, and a permit-ready specification — before you commit to anything.
Schedule a roof inspection below — or call (949) 866-3011 to speak with our team directly and book by phone.
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