Yes — the San Francisco Department of Building Inspection (SF DBI) requires a permit for:
- Any full roof replacement (tear-off and re-roof)
- Recovering an existing roof with a new layer
- Repairs exceeding 100 square feet
- Structural changes to rafters, sheathing, or roof framing
- Adding or replacing skylights
Other Bay Area jurisdictions (Oakland, Berkeley, San Mateo County, Alameda County, Santa Clara County) all have similar permit thresholds — usually 100 sq ft or 25% of the roof area, whichever is smaller. We pull permits in our own name as the licensed contractor (CSLB #1148511) on every job. This is not optional and not a place to save money: an unpermitted re-roof can void homeowners insurance claims and become a finding in the next sale’s home inspection.
Typical permit cost in SF: $400–$900 depending on the roof’s square footage. We include this in every written estimate.
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