Roofing in NorthridgeBig Roofs, Flat Lots and 1950s Tracts

Permits: LADBS, Usually an Express Permit

Northridge is part of the City of Los Angeles, so the reroof permit comes from LADBS, online or at the Van Nuys Development Services Center at 6262 Van Nuys Blvd. Most reroofs qualify for an Express Permit with no plan check: a Class A or B covering under 6 pounds per square foot over existing or new solid sheathing, a tile lift-and-relay, or a coating. New clay or concrete tile is heavier and goes through plan check. The permit guide and checker walks through it, and the contract should name the contractor as the one pulling it.

Source: LADBS Express Permit bulletin P/GI 2026-003.

What Northridge's Reroof Permits Show

LADBS issued 2,171 reroof permits across Northridge's three neighborhood councils from 2020 through 2025, about 362 a year. The median permit lists 30 squares, against 23 citywide, the largest of the neighborhoods we cover. Only 6% were on hillside lots, against 20% citywide: Northridge is mostly flat, single-story tract housing.

Northridge here means the Northridge East, Northridge South and Northridge West Neighborhood Council areas combined. Data: LADBS permits via data.lacity.org (pi9x-tg5x), through 2026-09-26; roof size and sheathing counted where the permit states them.

Mostly Outside the Fire Zone

Unlike the Valley neighborhoods against the Santa Monica Mountains, Northridge is mostly outside the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. On the City's map it covers about 11% of the Northridge West neighborhood council area, at the northwest edge, about 1% of Northridge East and none of Northridge South. Outside the zone, a Class A roof isn't required by LADBS, though many homeowners choose one anyway. Check your parcel on ZIMAS before assuming either way.

Fire zone and hillside shares: our overlay of the City's NavigateLA "Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones" and Hillside Area layers on the neighborhood council boundary. That layer is the 2011 map written into the municipal code; CAL FIRE's 2025 recommended maps are not yet adopted by the City. Check a parcel on ZIMAS or LAFD's fire zone page.

The 1994 Earthquake and Older Chimneys

The magnitude 6.7 Northridge earthquake struck at 4:30 a.m. on January 17, 1994, centered about a mile south-southwest of Northridge. The Southern California Earthquake Data Center describes its shaking as the strongest ground motion ever recorded instrumentally in an urban setting in North America. A U.S. Geological Survey review afterward found post-1940 single-family houses the strongest building category, but a 1950s house may still have a masonry chimney that was repaired or braced afterward. Where a chimney meets the roof is one of the most common leak points, so on any reroof bid ask whether the chimney flashing and cricket are being replaced or reused.

Sources: Southern California Earthquake Data Center, 1994 Northridge earthquake; USGS Open-File Report 96-263.

1950s Tracts and Central Valley Heat

In both Northridge ZIP codes, 91324 and 91325, about two-thirds of homes were built before 1980, and the 1950s were the biggest decade. About half are single-family houses, and more than a third of homes are in buildings of 20 or more units. NOAA's Van Nuys Airport station, in the central Valley, averages 14.7 days a year at or above 100°F and a July average high of 91.2°F. Northridge is climate zone 9, so a residential reroof of more than half the roof needs a cool-rated product unless an exception applies, and LADWP customers can apply for its rebate; see the Title 24 cool roof guide.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024, tables B25034 and B25024 by ZIP code tabulation area, via Census Reporter; NOAA NCEI normals, Van Nuys Airport.

ZIP Codes in Northridge

Most Northridge reroof permits fall in these ZIP codes. If your address is in one of them, the permit, climate-zone and hillside notes on this page apply to your roof.

Permits counted inside the Northridge neighborhood council area only; a ZIP code can also cover parts of nearby neighborhoods. Data: LADBS permits via data.lacity.org (pi9x-tg5x). Climate zones from the California Energy Commission's ZIP code list, which gives each ZIP one zone; confirm an address near a zone line with the CEC climate zone tool.

Northridge Roofing FAQs