Pacific Palisades Fire Zone Extensions: How Santa Monica Roofers Navigate California’s Expanding Fire-Resistant Requirements
The devastating 2025 Pacific Palisades Fire has fundamentally changed how California approaches wildfire preparedness, particularly in the roofing industry. California fire officials recently released updated wildfire hazard maps that significantly expand the areas where fire-resistant building codes apply. These new maps add 1.4 million acres statewide to high or very high-risk designations, including more than 500 additional buildings in the Eaton Fire footprint that affected Altadena. Los Angeles County must adopt these new zones by July 2025, giving affected property owners only three months before the more stringent rules take effect.
Understanding the New Fire Zone Requirements
Cal Fire is in the process of rolling out updated maps that will classify additional land as “very high” and “high” risk, expanding the area that WUI standards would apply to by more than 1 million acres. These expanded Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) zones now require homeowners and contractors to meet significantly more stringent building standards.
WUI standards require having sidings and roofs that are covered with material that are nonflammable, non-combustible, fire resistant, and windows that have double pane glasses that are tempered for high temperatures, so that they don’t shutter eaves that are closed, particular requirements on vents that have to have a very tight mesh in order to provide protection from members so that they cannot penetrate inside. The long and the short of the WUI standards basically provides an exterior envelope to all the features on the house that are far more resistant to fire penetration than a normal, regularly built house.
Class A Roofing Materials: The New Standard
For properties within these expanded fire zones, Grade A roof covering materials are now required. Grade A roof coverings provide the best performance against fires. Common Class A roof coverings include asphalt fiberglass composition shingles, standing seam metal, clay, concrete and flat/barrel-shaped tiles. These materials represent the highest level of fire resistance available to homeowners.
Class A is the most fire-resistant and should be the choice of anyone living in wildfire-prone areas. Common Class A roof coverings include asphalt fiberglass composition shingles and concrete or clay tiles. The fire rating system ensures that these materials can withstand severe fire exposure without igniting or allowing flames to penetrate through to the underlying structure.
Critical Fire-Resistant Installation Requirements
Beyond material selection, the new codes mandate specific installation practices that are crucial for ember resistance. Enclose roof eaves and fascias, and screen in soffits and roof vents with 1/8″ or smaller metal mesh to resist sucking in embers. Note: There are roof assemblies that can meet all code requirements without needing to be vented, which may also be more energy efficient and healthier assemblies.
Fire embers can pass through roof vents and ignite flammable material inside the homes, like couches and tables. In the Camp Fire study, embers were the leading cause of ignition. This makes proper ventilation screening one of the most critical aspects of fire-resistant roofing systems.
How Royal Roofing Prepares for These Changes
Royal Roofing Company, a trusted roofer santa monica residents have relied on since 1980, has been proactively preparing for these expanded requirements. Specializing in roof repairs, maintenance, restoration, re-roofing, and more, we serve commercial, industrial, and multi-family properties with solutions that are built to last. By treating every client like family and consistently delivering superior quality and service, we strive to become your local roofing contractor for life.
We’re very Proud to have maintained the GAF “Master Elite” status since 2002. This means our Workmanship is nationally ranked in the Top 2% of all GAF registered Roofing Firms. This certification ensures that Royal Roofing stays current with the latest fire-resistant materials and installation techniques required by the expanding WUI codes.
Coastal Considerations for Santa Monica Properties
Santa Monica properties face unique challenges that make fire-resistant roofing even more critical. We stock UV-resistant shingles and protective coatings specifically chosen for year-round California sunshine. Our metal components resist the accelerated corrosion that happens within two miles of the Pacific Ocean. The combination of salt air, UV exposure, and now expanded fire zone requirements creates a complex set of challenges that require specialized expertise.
Properties highly impacted by the Santa Ana winds should take extra precautions in hardening buildings and properties along high-risk exposure areas as winds blow southwest towards the coast. This makes Santa Monica’s location particularly vulnerable during fire events, as demonstrated by the recent Palisades Fire.
The Importance of Professional Installation
Home hardening involves retrofitting and constructing buildings with fire-resistant materials, such as ember-resistant vents, fireproof roofs and tempered glass windows. California’s public resources code was updated in 2020 to mandate that homeowners in wildfire-prone areas maintain 100 feet of defensible space around their properties. Additionally, a chapter of the California building standards code requires homes in high fire-risk areas to use fire-resistant construction materials and take other home hardening measures.
The complexity of these requirements makes professional installation essential. After decades in business, our values haven’t changed. We still—and always will—believe in doing the job right and standing behind our work. Royal Roofing’s commitment to quality ensures that installations meet or exceed the new fire-resistant requirements.
Looking Ahead: The 2026 Code Changes
As part of the triennial code cycle, when the 2025 edition of Title 24 goes into effect in 2026, all the WUI code provisions will be coalesced into their own California Wildland-Urban Interface Code, which will be located in Part 7 of Title 24. Thus, all the measures from Chapter 7A, Chapter 49, and those in the residential code will be contained in this single location moving forward.
These changes represent the most comprehensive wildfire building standards in the nation, and Santa Monica area contractors must be prepared to implement them effectively. The state’s “Chapter 7A” requirements, which mandate fire-resistant construction in designated high-risk zones, represent some of the most progressive wildfire building standards in the nation.
For homeowners in the expanded fire zones, working with experienced contractors who understand both the technical requirements and local conditions is essential. The investment in proper fire-resistant roofing not only protects property but can also result in significant insurance savings and peace of mind in an increasingly fire-prone environment.