--- title: "Santa Barbara Roofing & Roof Repair | Global Green Roofing" description: "Roofing and roof repair in Santa Barbara: instant like-for-like reroof permits, clay tile rules in El Pueblo Viejo and Class A in the High Fire Hazard Area." source: https://globalgreenroofing.com/service-areas/santa-barbara-ca/ --- # Roofing and Roof Repair in Santa Barbara, CA Global Green Roofing offers roofing and roof repair in Santa Barbara, including tile re-roofs, leak repairs and fire-rated roofs. Santa Barbara re-roofs turn on three local rules: whether the new roof matches the old one (which decides the permit type), whether the house is in El Pueblo Viejo or the Hillside Design District (which brings design review and clay tile standards), and whether it is in the city's High Fire Hazard Area. - **Permit office:** City of Santa Barbara Building & Safety, 630 Garden Street - **Permit type:** Like-for-like re-roof: instant online permit. New material, color or type: express permit - **Title 24 climate zone:** 6 (93130 is listed as 5) - **Cool roof on a re-roof:** Low-slope roofs only; pitched roofs have no cool-roof requirement in zone 6 - **Housing age:** Median year built 1965; 74% of homes built before 1980 ## Santa Barbara re-roof permits: instant or express The City of Santa Barbara sorts re-roofs by whether anything changes. "Reroofs that maintain the same color, material, and type of roofing" qualify for an OnDemand permit, issued automatically with no plan review through the city's online permit portal, for one- and two-family homes. "Reroofs with new material, color, and type of roofing" are Express permits, which the city says are issued "within 5 or less business days when accepted for review". The city has enforced the 2025 California codes since January 2, 2026. The state rules that sit behind every re-roof permit are in our [guide to roofing permits in California](https://globalgreenroofing.com/roofing-guides/roofing-permit-california/). ## Clay tile and design review: El Pueblo Viejo and the hillsides Changing the look of a roof can bring design review in two parts of the city, and in El Pueblo Viejo any alteration falls under the Historic Landmarks Commission: ### El Pueblo Viejo Landmark District The district covers the area around the Royal Presidio, the State Street commercial corridor and Cabrillo Boulevard (Part I), and the area around the Mission (Part II). The city says "all properties in El Pueblo Viejo Landmark District are under the jurisdiction of the Historic Landmarks Commission for alterations or new construction." The district's design guidelines are specific about roofs: "Roof tile should be two-piece cap and pan, dark terra-cotta clay tile. Starter course should be double tiled (booster tile). Visible birdstops are not to be used." Staff can approve a re-roof when the material and color suit the building's style, but the Commission's guidelines say "S-Tile roofs are not eligible for administrative approvals." ### Hillside Design District and other single-family homes The city's Single Family Residence Design Guidelines (2007) list, as a design review trigger in the Hillside Design District, "the replacement of an existing roof covering with a roof covering of different materials or colors (excluding 'like for like' re-roof)". Where a traditional Hispanic style is proposed or the site is prominent, the guidelines require a two-piece terra cotta Mission "C-tile" roof. They allow clay S-tile on a re-roof only when four criteria are met: the S-tile suits the architecture, a licensed engineer or architect finds the building cannot carry two-piece barrel tile, the result is consistent with the guidelines' intent, and the installation details set as conditions of approval are followed (for example, 15% to 20% of field tiles laid with mortared, randomly placed boosters). In practice: a like-for-like tile re-roof is the simple path, and a change of tile profile or color is where design review starts. Inside El Pueblo Viejo, confirm with the city whether a like-for-like re-roof needs Historic Landmarks Commission or staff sign-off before the permit. Our [tile roofing](https://globalgreenroofing.com/our-services/tile-roofing/) page covers lift-and-relay re-roofs that keep the original clay tiles, which avoids a change of look altogether. ## Class A roofs in Santa Barbara's High Fire Hazard Area The city's building code amendments for the 2022 code cycle (Ordinance 6093, effective January 1, 2023) require that "roof coverings shall be class A or noncombustible fire retardant materials on existing buildings and additions or repairs to existing buildings" in the High Fire Hazard Area, and allow fire-retardant treated shakes only to replace less than 20% of an existing shake roof within two years. The city's high fire handout (2019 codes) calls for vent mesh openings from 1/16 inch to no more than 1/8 inch. The city scheduled its amendments for the 2025 codes for adoption in December 2025; check the current text with Building & Safety, and see the state rule in [Class A fire-rated roofing](https://globalgreenroofing.com/roofing-guides/class-a-fire-rated-roofing/). That area grew in 2025. After CAL FIRE released updated local maps on March 10, 2025, the city said "more areas in Santa Barbara are now considered a hazard", including "parts of the Mesa neighborhood, especially near Cliff Drive and Flora Vista, and areas in the northern parts of San Roque and La Cumbre." The city's MAPS tool has a High Fire Hazard Area layer to check a parcel. See [Class A fire-rated roofing](https://globalgreenroofing.com/roofing-guides/class-a-fire-rated-roofing/) for what the rating covers. ## Sundowner winds and Santa Barbara's fire history The National Weather Service describes "sundowners" as extreme northerly winds along the south coast of Santa Barbara County that "can produce damaging gale force winds and dangerous fire weather conditions", and ties them to the "devastating 'Tea Fire' of 13-17 November 2008". The city's 2021 Community Wildfire Protection Plan notes that "the largest and most damaging fires have occurred during such winds." CAL FIRE records that the 2017 Thomas Fire burned 281,893 acres across Santa Barbara and Ventura counties and destroyed 1,063 structures; the city's plan says it "burned into the eastern part of the City." The Santa Barbara County Fire Safe Council calls a Class A roof "the most important home hardening upgrade you can do" if you do not have one, and advises sealing openings at roof edges with bird stops or cement. Inside El Pueblo Viejo the district guidelines add that visible birdstops are not to be used, and the single-family guidelines ask for bird stops mortared with natural cement, so the two rules are checked together. ## Older homes, mild weather: what Santa Barbara roofs need The Census Bureau's 2024 survey puts the median Santa Barbara home at 1965, with 74% built before 1980. The city's own wildfire plan notes that "much of the City was developed before the adoption of building and fire codes that required noncombustible roofing". On roofs this old, a re-roof is the moment to strip to the deck, check the sheathing and bring the roof to current fire rules; the California code does not allow a new covering over existing clay or cement tile. NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for the Santa Barbara station (USC00047902), inside the city, show an average August high of 77.7 F, about 5 days a year at 90 F or hotter, and 18.98 inches of rain a year, about 87% of it from November to March. In climate zone 6, a pitched re-roof has no Title 24 cool-roof requirement; a flat or low-slope re-roof does (see [flat roofing](https://globalgreenroofing.com/our-services/flat-roofing/)). The El Pueblo Viejo guidelines themselves note that cool roofs are "otherwise incompatible" with the district's style, which is one more reason the low-slope rule and the design rules are checked together. ## Services and guides for roofs in Santa Barbara - [Tile Roofing](https://globalgreenroofing.com/our-services/tile-roofing/): Clay tile re-roofs, including lift and relay that keeps your original tile. - [Tile Roof Repair](https://globalgreenroofing.com/our-services/tile-roof-repair/): Cracked and slipped clay tile and leaks at valleys and flashing. - [Roof Replacement](https://globalgreenroofing.com/our-services/roof-replacement/): Full re-roofs to current fire rules in the High Fire Hazard Area. - [Tile Roof Underlayment Replacement: How a Lift and Relay Works](https://globalgreenroofing.com/roofing-guides/tile-roof-underlayment-replacement/): How a lift and relay works and which tiles can go back on. - [What Is a Class A Fire Rated Roof, and When Does California Require One?](https://globalgreenroofing.com/roofing-guides/class-a-fire-rated-roofing/): What a Class A assembly includes, from underlayment to eave closures. ## Roofing in Santa Barbara: common questions ### Is a re-roof permit instant in Santa Barbara? For a like-for-like re-roof, yes: the city issues an OnDemand permit online with no plan review for one- and two-family homes when the color, material and type stay the same. A change of material, color or type is an Express permit, issued within 5 business days or less once accepted. ### Do I need design review to re-roof in Santa Barbara? Sometimes. The city puts all El Pueblo Viejo properties under the Historic Landmarks Commission for alterations, though its guidelines let staff approve compatible re-roofs other than S-tile. In the Hillside Design District, the 2007 single-family guidelines list a change of roof material or color, excluding like-for-like re-roofs, as a design review trigger. ### Can I re-roof with clay S-tile instead of two-piece Mission tile? In El Pueblo Viejo, S-tile re-roofs are not eligible for staff approval. Under the 2007 single-family guidelines, S-tile on a re-roof is judged against four criteria, including a licensed engineer's or architect's finding that the building cannot carry two-piece barrel tile. ### Does this page cover Montecito and Goleta? No. This page covers the City of Santa Barbara only; other jurisdictions have their own rules. Other cities we cover are listed on our [service areas](https://globalgreenroofing.com/service-areas/) page. ## Sources for this page 1. [City of Santa Barbara, Building permit forms and applications (OnDemand and Express permits)](https://santabarbaraca.gov/services/construction-land-development/forms-applications/building-permit-forms-applications) 2. [City of Santa Barbara, Building & Safety (2025 codes)](https://santabarbaraca.gov/building-safety) 3. [City of Santa Barbara, El Pueblo Viejo Landmark District](https://santabarbaraca.gov/government/priorities-policies/historic-preservation/historic-districts/el-pueblo-viejo-landmark) 4. [City of Santa Barbara, El Pueblo Viejo Design Guidelines](https://santabarbaraca.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Services/EPV%20Guidelines/EPV%20Guidelines.pdf) 5. [City of Santa Barbara, Historic Landmarks Commission General Design Guidelines](https://santabarbaraca.gov/sites/default/files/2022-06/Historic%20Landmarks%20Commission%20HLC_with_Infill_Final_updated.pdf) 6. [City of Santa Barbara, Single Family Residence Design Guidelines (2007)](https://santabarbaraca.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Services/Design%20Guidelines/Single%20Family%20Residence%20Design%20Guidelines.pdf) 7. [City of Santa Barbara, Construction Codes Local Amendments (Ordinance 6093)](https://santabarbaraca.gov/sites/default/files/2023-03/Construction%20Codes%20Local%20Amendments%20Ord%20No.%206093%20Adopted%20Nov-15-2022.pdf) 8. [City of Santa Barbara, High Fire Requirements handout](https://santabarbaraca.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Community%20Development/Laws%20%26%20Rules/High%20Fire%20Requirements%202019%20Code.pdf) 9. [City of Santa Barbara, Update to safety plans after new fire hazard zone maps (April 8, 2025)](https://santabarbaraca.gov/press-releases/santa-barbara-update-safety-plans-new-fire-hazard-zone-maps) 10. [City of Santa Barbara, Wildland fire and MAPS tool](https://santabarbaraca.gov/government/departments/fire-department/wildland-fire) 11. [City of Santa Barbara, 2021 Community Wildfire Protection Plan](https://santabarbaraca.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Fire/Community%20Wildfire%20Protection%20Plan/2021%20Community%20Wildfire%20Protection%20Plan%20%28CWPP%29.pdf) 12. [CAL FIRE, Thomas Fire incident page](https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2017/12/4/thomas-fire) 13. [National Weather Service, Extreme Northeasterly Wind Events in the Hills Above Montecito](https://www.weather.gov/media/wrh/online_publications/talite/talite1302.pdf) 14. [Santa Barbara County Fire Safe Council, Wildfire home hardening guide: roof](https://sbfiresafecouncil.org/wildfire-home-hardening-guide/chapters/roof.html) 15. [NOAA NCEI, 1991-2020 Climate Normals, Santa Barbara (USC00047902)](https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/data/normals-annualseasonal/1991-2020/access/USC00047902.csv) 16. [California Energy Commission, Climate Zone Assignments by ZIP Code](https://www.energy.ca.gov/media/3560) 17. [California Energy Commission, 2025 Building Energy Efficiency Standards, Section 150.2(b)1I](https://www.energy.ca.gov/sites/default/files/2025-07/CEC-400-2025-010-F_0.pdf) 18. [U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5-year: housing in Santa Barbara (tables B25035, B25034, B25003, via Census Reporter)](https://censusreporter.org/profiles/16000US0669070/) 19. [2025 California Residential Code, Chapter 9 (R908.4), via UpCodes](https://up.codes/viewer/california/ca-residential-code-2025/chapter/9/roof-assemblies) Public sources read on September 30, 2026. Climate zones and fire hazard maps are drawn by address; check yours with the tools linked above. ## Book a roof assessment in Santa Barbara We inspect, photograph what we find and send a written proposal before anything is decided. Contact us ## Let's talk roofs Tell us what is going on with your roof. We will schedule an on-site assessment and send a written proposal before anything is decided. **Call**(323) 760-7835**Email**info@globalgreenroofing.com **Serving**Los Angeles and Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties **Hours**Every day: 8 AM to 9 PM