A Class A roof may be required under City of Los Angeles or LA County rules, depending on where the address sits on the fire hazard map and which authority issues the permit.
Who must have a Class A roof
Inside the City of Los Angeles, only Class A is accepted in the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. In Fire District No. 1, Class A or B is accepted. The rest of the City may use a Class A, B or C covering under the building code.
In LA County jurisdiction, reroofs in the Very High zone follow the County building code provisions for that zone, and wood shakes and shingles are prohibited there.
Other cities adopt their own maps and rules. If your city is not Los Angeles, the city's building or fire office is the source, and the permit decides which class applies.
Where the roof is being replaced at an address outside any mapped zone, Class A is still available as a choice. Ask us whether the product you like has a Class A assembly listing.
Looking up an address
CAL FIRE publishes the Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps, and the State Fire Marshal's office runs the official map viewer. Enter the address there and read the zone it falls in.
The maps changed recently. In March 2025 CAL FIRE issued new maps for local responsibility areas, and the Southern California phase came out on 24 March. Each local government had 120 days to adopt them, and it can add zone area but cannot take any away (ABC7, 25 Mar 2025). An address that was outside a zone before may now be inside one.
The map tells you the zone. Your city's fire or building office tells you what your permit requires. Check both.
Keep a record. Save a screenshot of the map result with the date, plus any letter from the fire or building office. If the maps change again, the record shows what applied when your permit was issued.
What a fire-zone scope should name
- The tested assembly listing for the Class A claim
- Underlayment and deck that are part of that assembly
- Vent type and screening
- Eave closure and gutter material
- Removal of any wood shake or shingle
- The zone and the authority that issued the permit
Signs your roof may need a class check
- The address was added to a fire map in 2025
- Wood shake or shingle covering is still on the roof
- A permit comment asks for fire class evidence
- Open attic vents or gaps at the eaves
Wood shake and what must come off
Inside the City, wood shake and wood shingle are banned as coverings, with one exception: a repair of up to 5 percent can be approved by modification request.
Under LA County jurisdiction, existing wood shakes must be removed on a reroof, and reroofing in the Very High zone with wood shakes or shingles is prohibited.
If a wood shake roof is being replaced, it comes off, and the new covering is chosen from the classes the zone allows.
Materials, vents and eaves
Class A coverings include many asphalt shingle lines, concrete and clay tile with the right underlayment, metal assemblies and some synthetic products. The class belongs to a tested assembly, so ask for the listing that names the covering, the underlayment and the deck.
Embers matter. Burning fragments land on roofs and get pulled into attic vents, eaves and gutters. Since 1 January 2026, the 2025 Wildland-Urban Interface Code, Part 7 of Title 24, carries the rules that used to sit in Chapter 7A of the building code (DGS/California Building Standards Commission, 2025). Screened vents, boxed eaves and non-combustible gutters are part of that conversation.
A roof scope for a fire zone should name the vents, the eave closure and the gutter material, not only the covering.
Gutters and fascia complete the assembly. Non-combustible gutters and guards keep debris from collecting at the eave. Ask whether the scope covers the roof edge, since the covering alone does not carry the class.
Fire class questions
Which addresses are held to Class A?
Within the City of Los Angeles, the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone accepts Class A alone, and Fire District No. 1 allows Class A or B. Other cities and unincorporated areas set their own rules, so check with the office that issues your permit.
Where can I check my address against the fire hazard map?
Open the State Fire Marshal's official viewer for CAL FIRE's Fire Hazard Severity Zones, enter the address and read the zone. Then ask your city's fire or building office what your permit requires.
Is an existing shake roof allowed to stay?
The City of Los Angeles prohibits wood shake and shingle covering, with a narrow allowance of up to five percent through a modification request. In LA County jurisdiction, existing wood shakes must be removed on a reroof.
Which materials reach Class A?
Many asphalt shingle lines, concrete and clay tile with the right underlayment, metal assemblies and some synthetic products. The class belongs to a tested assembly, so ask for the listing, not just the product name.
What role do vents, eaves and gutters play in a fire zone?
Embers enter through attic vents and open eaves and collect in gutters. The 2025 Wildland-Urban Interface Code, Part 7 of Title 24, now carries the rules that used to sit in Chapter 7A, effective 1 January 2026 (DGS/California Building Standards Commission, 2025).