Roofing in VeniceThe Coastal Zone, Small Roofs and Old Houses

The Coastal Zone: What It Means for a Reroof

The part of Venice west of Lincoln Boulevard is in the California Coastal Zone, and Venice has no certified Local Coastal Program, so the City handles coastal permits itself, with appeals to the Coastal Commission. For a roof, that usually means one extra step rather than a full coastal permit:

• An in-kind reroof is usually exempt repair. City Planning's Coastal Exemption form names re-roofing as exempt repair or maintenance, as long as the work doesn't replace 20% or more of the structure's materials with a different kind and doesn't rebuild the roof structure. The exemption is a Planning sign-off that goes with the LADBS permit.
• Only in the single-jurisdiction area. The exemption is available only in the part of the Coastal Zone where the City alone has permit authority. Parcels in the dual-jurisdiction strip, generally nearest the water, also need the Coastal Commission. ZIMAS shows which one applies to your parcel.
• Walk streets and roof changes. The Venice Coastal Zone Specific Plan routes projects on walk streets to a fuller review, and it sets height limits measured to the top of the roof or parapet. Those matter if the work changes the roof's shape or height, or adds a roof deck; a like-for-like reroof doesn't.

The practical rule: tell any bidder the address up front, and expect the contractor to clear the coastal step before work starts. Don't assume an Express Permit alone covers a Venice reroof.

Sources: City Planning, Coastal Exemption form CP-1608.3; City Planning, Venice Local Coastal Program; Venice Coastal Zone Specific Plan; Coastal Act §30610.

What Venice's Reroof Permits Show

LADBS issued 966 reroof permits in the Venice Neighborhood Council area from 2020 through 2025, about 161 a year. Venice roofs are small: the median permit lists 17 squares against 23 citywide, the smallest of any neighborhood we cover, which fits narrow lots and small bungalows. 23% were on apartment buildings, against 13% citywide.

Venice here means the Venice Neighborhood Council area, from the Santa Monica city line south to Marina del Rey and from the ocean east to roughly Walgrove Avenue and Lincoln Boulevard. Data: LADBS permits via data.lacity.org (pi9x-tg5x), through 2026-09-26; roof size and sheathing counted where the permit states them.

Old Houses, Salt Air and Zone 6

In ZIP code 90291, a quarter of homes were built before 1940 and half before 1960. On a house that old, expect the deck and flashing to be part of the conversation, not just the shingles. Near the coast, salt air and marine moisture are generally understood to age metal flashing and fasteners faster, so ask what the flashing and fasteners are made of. Venice is Title 24 climate zone 6: a steep-slope house roof has no cool-roof requirement there, but low-slope roofs and apartment buildings do; see the Title 24 cool roof guide. Venice has no adopted Historic Preservation Overlay Zone.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024, tables B25034 and B25024 by ZIP code tabulation area, via Census Reporter; City Planning, adopted HPOZs.

Marina del Rey Is a Different Permit

Marina del Rey, just south of Venice, is unincorporated Los Angeles County, not the City. A roof there goes through LA County, not LADBS, and the County's Design Control Board reviews exterior changes on Marina parcels. ZIP code 90292 covers both Marina del Rey and part of the City, so the ZIP alone doesn't tell you which applies; the address does.

LA County Beaches and Harbors, Design Control Board; LA County Regional Planning, coastal planning.

ZIP Codes in Venice

Most Venice 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 Venice 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.

Venice Roofing FAQs