AngryFarmer
August 30, 2026

Title 24 Cool Roof Requirements in Los Angeles: A Contractor’s 2026 Compliance Guide

Q: What happens if my roof does not comply?

The permit will not pass final inspection. Correction can mean re-covering the non-compliant area, which is why the product should be verified before material is ordered.

Last updated: August 2026

Title 24 cool roof requirements in Los Angeles are the energy-code rules in Part 6 of the California Code of Regulations that set a minimum aged solar reflectance and thermal emittance for roofing materials when you re-roof. As of the 2025 Energy Code edition, which took effect January 1, 2026, most Los Angeles homeowners replacing a flat or low-slope roof must install a Cool Roof Rating Council (CRRC) rated product, and many steep-slope re-roofs in LA County are covered as well.

We pull permits for re-roofs across the San Fernando Valley every month, and Title 24 is the single most common reason a roofing permit gets kicked back at plan check. This guide explains exactly what the code requires, what is exempt, and how compliance is documented — in the order an LADBS inspector actually looks at it.

What is a cool roof under Title 24?

A cool roof is a roof surface that reflects sunlight and releases absorbed heat instead of driving it into the attic. Two measured properties define it:

Solar reflectance (SR) — the fraction of sunlight the surface reflects, on a 0 to 1 scale. Higher is better.
Thermal emittance (TE) — how efficiently the surface radiates absorbed heat back out, also 0 to 1. Higher is better.

These two combine into the Solar Reflectance Index (SRI), a single number the 2025 code leans on more heavily than previous editions did.

Why “aged” values are the number that matters

This is the detail that trips up the most homeowners, and honestly a fair number of contractors too. Title 24 compliance is measured on aged values, not initial values.

The CRRC weathers products at outdoor exposure sites for three years before recording an aged rating. A tile that leaves the factory at 0.35 initial solar reflectance can settle near 0.22 aged once dirt, UV exposure and normal weathering have done their work. The initial number printed on a glossy product sheet is not the number your permit is judged against.

The practical rule: look the product up in the CRRC Rated Products Directory and read the aged column. If a supplier can only show you initial values, the product has not been aged-rated and it will not clear plan check.

What are the actual required values in Los Angeles?

Los Angeles sits in California climate zones 8 and 9; the San Fernando Valley — Northridge, Encino, Woodland Hills, Van Nuys, Tarzana, Reseda, Chatsworth, West Hills — falls in zone 9. The requirement depends on roof slope:

Roof type	Minimum aged solar reflectance	Minimum thermal emittance	Where it applies
Low-slope (flat, under 2:12)	0.63	0.75	All 16 climate zones — statewide
Steep-slope (2:12 and above)	0.20	0.75	Single-family re-roofs in zones 4 and 8–15, which includes LA

For low-slope roofs the 2025 edition expresses the target as an SRI of roughly 75, which an aged SR of 0.63 paired with 0.75 emittance satisfies. Products may comply either by meeting the individual SR and TE minimums or by hitting the SRI figure.

When does a re-roof actually trigger the requirement?

Title 24 does not govern every repair. The cool roof rules attach when the work rises to an alteration:

Replacing, recovering or recoating more than 50% of the roof area triggers compliance.
A residential project that replaces or recoats roughly 1,000 square feet or more of roof surface also triggers it.
Under the 2025 edition effective January 1, 2026, more project types count as alterations — notably a recover affecting over half the roof area, which some jurisdictions previously treated more leniently.

Spot repairs, storm patches and genuinely partial re-roofs under the threshold generally stay outside the requirement. That said, the thresholds are close enough to a typical Valley roof that most full re-roofs land inside them.

What is exempt?

Heavy roofs — assemblies weighing 25 lb/ft² or more. Traditional clay and concrete tile often qualify, which is why many Valley tile roofs are handled differently than an asphalt shingle roof next door.
Roof area under solar — the footprint covered by photovoltaic or solar-thermal panels, including building-integrated PV.
Unconditioned space — detached garages, sheds and outbuildings with no conditioned air below.
Historic buildings, where a compliant surface would compromise designated historic character.

Exemptions are claimed on the compliance documents, not assumed on site. If you are relying on the heavy-roof exemption, the assembly weight has to be documented.

What we actually see on Los Angeles re-roofs

A few patterns from our own permit history that the code text will not tell you:

Mixed-slope houses are the most common compliance mistake. A great many Valley homes are a steep-slope main roof with a low-slope patio, porch or addition tied into it. The flat section carries the much stricter 0.63 standard even when it is a small share of the total area. Roofs get specified off the main pitch and the flat section fails.

Colour is not the test. Homeowners frequently assume a light-coloured shingle is automatically compliant and a dark one automatically is not. Modern dark shingles built with reflective granules can hit the steep-slope 0.20 aged threshold, and plenty of pale products never got aged-rated at all. The CRRC listing decides it, not the sample board.

Bring the CRRC documentation to plan check. The delays we see are almost never a genuinely non-compliant roof — they are a compliant roof with missing paperwork. Carry the CRRC product listing and the completed CF2R compliance form and the inspection is uneventful.

How compliance gets documented

Residential re-roofs are documented on a CF2R (Certificate of Installation) form, completed and signed by the installing contractor and made available to the building department at inspection. In the City of Los Angeles that inspection runs through LADBS. Keep the CRRC product listing with the CF2R — an inspector may ask to see the aged rating directly.

Any licensed contractor performing this work must hold an active CSLB license; you can verify a licence number, bond and workers’ compensation status in seconds on the CSLB website before signing anything.

Does a cool roof actually save money in the Valley?

The U.S. Department of Energy reports that a cool roof can stay roughly 50°F cooler at peak than a comparable conventional roof surface. In a Valley summer, where triple-digit afternoons are routine, that difference shows up in attic temperature and in cooling load — which is precisely why the code exists rather than merely encouraging the practice.

The savings are real but they are not dramatic on their own. In our experience the compliance-driven roof pays off most when it is paired with attic insulation and ventilation work at the same time, since the roof deck and the attic behave as one system. If the roof is already open, that is the cheapest hour you will ever spend on insulation.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a cool roof if I am only repairing part of my roof?

Generally no. The requirement attaches when more than 50% of the roof area is replaced, recovered or recoated, or when a residential project reaches roughly 1,000 square feet of roof surface. Smaller spot repairs typically fall outside it, though your local building department makes the final call.

Does Title 24 apply to tile roofs in Los Angeles?

Often not directly, because clay and concrete tile assemblies frequently exceed 25 lb/ft² and qualify for the heavy-roof exemption. The exemption still has to be documented on your compliance forms rather than simply assumed.

Can I use a dark-coloured roof and still comply?

Yes, in many cases. Steep-slope roofs in Los Angeles need an aged solar reflectance of only 0.20, and several dark shingle and tile products with reflective granule technology meet it. Verify the specific product in the CRRC Rated Products Directory.

What happens if my roof does not comply?

The permit will not pass final inspection. Depending on how far the work has progressed, correction can mean re-covering the non-compliant area — which is why the product should be verified before material is ordered, not after it is on the roof.

Are solar panels exempt from the cool roof requirement?

The roof area directly covered by photovoltaic or solar-thermal panels is exempt, including building-integrated PV. The remaining exposed roof area still has to meet the applicable standard.

Which climate zone is the San Fernando Valley in?

The San Fernando Valley is in California climate zone 9, with parts of Los Angeles County in zone 8. Both are inside the 4 and 8–15 range where single-family steep-slope re-roof requirements apply.

Planning a re-roof in the San Fernando Valley

HomeSense Construction & Remodeling is a licensed general contractor (CA Lic #1125001) working across the San Fernando Valley and greater Los Angeles since 2011. We handle Title 24 product selection, CF2R documentation and LADBS inspection as part of the re-roof rather than as an afterthought. Call (818) 300-3422 for a straight answer on whether your roof triggers the requirement.