Roofing H USA works on homes in Culver City, where changing a flat roof to a sloped one has its own line on the City’s list of work that needs a Building Safety permit.
That line sits apart from a plain re-roof for good reason. A new slope means new framing and a taller roofline, so the Planning Division, the building permit process and the state energy code each get a say.
Why is a flat-to-sloped change its own permit item?
Culver City’s list of work that needs a building permit names a re-roof and, as a separate entry, a roof change from flat to sloped. Remodels or alterations and skylights have entries of their own as well.
The City’s general rule covers the construction, enlargement and alteration of a building, so a new roof shape falls within it. An older City handout adds that work shall not begin before the permit has been issued.
Plans are the next question. The City requires plan submission for projects at or above its plan check thresholds, a list that opens with new construction, additions and demolition, and it warns that some projects off that list may still need plan review.
New rafters or trusses over an existing house can fall into that last group, so ask Building Safety early whether your project needs drawings.
Does the Planning Division need to see it first?
For a single-family remodel, Culver City tells owners to contact the planning counter before submitting plans to the Building Safety Division, ideally with preliminary site, floor and elevation plans to talk through with the planner on duty.
Once the planner confirms the proposal meets the development standards, Building Safety explains its submittal requirements, and the plans are routed to the other divisions that need to review them.
Height is one of those standards. The City points owners to the residential zoning chapter of its Zoning Code, or to the planning counter, for the maximum height, lot coverage and density that apply to a residential property.
A pitched roof rises above the flat one it replaces, so the new height is worth checking before anything is drawn. To find your zone, use the Culver City Zoning Map or give the planning counter your address or Assessor’s Parcel Number.
What if the house no longer meets the current zoning code?
Some homes are what the City calls legal non-conforming: legally built, but not in line with current code provisions and standards.
For those, Culver City says certain additions and modifications have to conform with the current zoning code. Its own example is a garage remodel that would then have to meet current setbacks, giving up the setback it was allowed to keep.
A survey can come into it as well. The City requires one with the plans when additions are made to a legal non-conforming property, and it says the exact location of property lines takes a professional land surveyor.
If your house sits close to a property line, or already stands near the height limit for its zone, raise it with the planner before the new roof is designed, not after.
Which cool roof requirement applies after the change?
Culver City’s ZIP codes fall in Climate Zone 8. There, the state energy code has requirements for both low-sloped and steep-sloped roofs on homes, and the two are not the same.
A low-sloped roof faces the higher reflectance bar. On a single-family re-roof in Climate Zone 8, the state also asks for added insulation over low-sloped roof areas, with exceptions for roofs that already carry enough.
A steep-sloped roof faces a lower bar, and the code accepts stand-ins for it: ceiling insulation at a set level, a radiant barrier in the attic space, or continuous insulation at the deck.
One more stand-in, for homes with no ducts in the attic, is limited to other zones and does not include Climate Zone 8.
So the conversion can change which requirement the new roofing is measured against. Ask Building Safety how it will apply the rule to your project before the material is chosen.
What goes with the permit application?
Culver City’s building permit application asks about the homeowners association. Owners upload the association’s approval letter, a letter saying its approval is not required, or their own statement that the association has been notified of the work.
An asbestos declaration and a signed owner form are on the same list. Applications go in through the City’s online permit portal, which is also where plan check corrections and inspection status are handled.
Ask your roofer who will prepare the drawings for the new framing, who will take them to the planning counter, and how the Culver City permit will be pulled.
On the roofing side, our residential roofing work carries the 5-year labor guarantee. We plan it with you on the strength of 34 years of roofing experience.
Talk to us
Thinking about giving a flat roof some pitch? Give Roofing H USA a call at (213) 921-3424, share your Culver City address, and we will map out the permit and planning steps with you.