What fire hazard zones are
CAL FIRE and the Office of the State Fire Marshal map California into Fire Hazard Severity Zones rated Moderate, High or Very High. The ratings are based on the physical conditions that drive wildfire behavior over the long term — vegetation, slope, typical fire weather and the likelihood of embers reaching a neighborhood. They are not a prediction that a particular home will burn, and they do not consider things like how clean a yard is.
There are two sets of maps. State Responsibility Area maps cover land where the state is responsible for wildfire protection. Local Responsibility Area maps, updated in 2025, cover land protected by cities and local fire departments — which is where most Los Angeles homes sit. Hillside and canyon neighborhoods across the Santa Monica Mountains, the Verdugos and the San Gabriel foothills commonly appear in the Very High category, while flatter parts of the Valley often do not.
Why Class A roofing matters
In a wildfire, many homes are lost to embers rather than to the flame front. Embers land on roofs, collect in gutters and valleys, and get pulled into attic vents. A Class A roof assembly is the highest fire-resistance rating for roof coverings under standardized testing, and ember-resistant vents are designed to keep burning debris out of the attic.
That is why California's wildland-urban interface rules (Building Code Chapter 7A) generally call for Class A roof assemblies and ember-resistant vents on new roofs and re-roofs in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones. Local agencies can adopt stricter rules, so the requirement is confirmed with your building department for your address. Composition shingle, tile and metal roofs can all be built as Class A assemblies with the right underlayment and details — see our roof replacement page for how we approach materials.
How to read your results
Permit office tells you which agency reviews a re-roof. Many LA addresses carry a neighborhood name — Sherman Oaks, Encino, Pacific Palisades — but sit inside the City of Los Angeles, so the permit goes through LADBS. Independent cities such as Burbank or Calabasas run their own building departments, and unincorporated communities go through LA County Public Works.
Fire zone shows the highest rating found for the point on the CAL FIRE maps. If the result says "not in a mapped zone," that reflects the state maps only. Climate zone is the California Energy Commission building climate zone, which affects whether cool-roof reflectance rules apply to a re-roof.
Address matching uses the US Census geocoder, which occasionally places a point at the street rather than the parcel. Near a zone boundary, treat the result as a starting point. We verify everything with the building department before writing an estimate — roof repair or full replacement. Questions? Call (877) 702-6180.