Is your home in a historic district?
The City Council has designated 18 neighborhoods as historic districts, including Belmont Heights, Bluff Heights, Bluff Park and California Heights, which the City describes as its largest district with nearly 1,500 homes.
The City's historic districts page links to district maps and ordinances. If you are unsure whether your address is included, check them or ask the Planning Bureau before planning a re-roof.
A Certificate of Appropriateness comes first
- Exterior changes to historic district properties and landmarks must be approved through a Certificate of Appropriateness.
Source: City of Long Beach, Historic District Design Guidelines
- Work cannot proceed until the Certificate of Appropriateness is issued.
- The certificate does not replace the building permits or other permits required under the Long Beach Municipal Code.
- The completed re-roofing application is emailed to historicpreservation@longbeach.gov.
Source: City of Long Beach, Certificate of Appropriateness Re-Roofing Application (revised 12/16/2025)
What the re-roofing application asks for
- The existing and the proposed roofing material, with brand and color.
- Gutters and rafter tails: none existing, no change, repair or replace to match, or new.
- Which structures are in scope: the primary building, a garage or others.
- The square footage of roof area in scope.
Source: City of Long Beach, Certificate of Appropriateness Re-Roofing Application (revised 12/16/2025)
Material and color rules on the application
- Dimensional composition shingles are listed with a 30-year minimum.
- Midnight or black shingles are not allowed.
- Clay tile coping must be reused on all flat roofs.
- Drip edges, gutters and downspouts should be placed as inconspicuously as possible and finished to match the roofing or the house trim.
Source: City of Long Beach, Certificate of Appropriateness Re-Roofing Application (revised 12/16/2025)
Historic roofing materials by architectural style
| Material | Associated architectural styles | Patterns |
|---|---|---|
| Slate | Tudor, French Provincial | Square, elongated, rusticated, block |
| Clay tile | Spanish, Mission, Mediterranean, Italian | Roman, Spanish, interlocking |
| Tar and gravel | Ranch, International | None |
| Wood shakes | Neo-Traditional, Ranch | Sawed, split |
| Wood shingles | Original to Victorian, Queen Anne, Transitional, Colonial Revival, American Foursquare, Craftsman | Fishscale, diamond, octagon, hexagon, plain, variegated |
| Composition shingles | Preferred substitute for wood shingles on Victorian, Queen Anne, Mass Plan, Transitional, Colonial Revival, American Foursquare, Craftsman | Fishscale, diamond, octagon, hexagon, plain, variegated |
| Metal | Industrial, Modern and Contemporary | Batten, ribbed, standing seam, corrugated |
| Roll roofing | Budget substitute for composition shingles, inappropriate for most styles except Art Deco and Streamline Moderne properties with parapets | None |
Source: City of Long Beach, Certificate of Appropriateness Re-Roofing Application (revised 12/16/2025)
Planning a historic re-roof with Pro Roofing
Pro Roofing Service Long Beach is licensed and insured and offers free estimates. When you call, mention that your home is in a historic district so material and color choices can be planned around the City's requirements from the start.
The City decides every Certificate of Appropriateness. This guide summarizes the City's published documents and is not a substitute for them; check the current application before you apply.
Contact the City's historic preservation staff
Planning Bureau, Historic Preservation: 562.570.6194, historicpreservation@longbeach.gov, 411 W. Ocean Blvd, 3rd Floor, Long Beach, CA 90802.
Source: City of Long Beach, Certificate of Appropriateness Re-Roofing Application (revised 12/16/2025)
Sources
- City of Long Beach, Certificate of Appropriateness Re-Roofing Application (revised 12/16/2025)
- City of Long Beach, Historic Districts
- City of Long Beach, Historic District Design Guidelines
Checked against these official pages on October 22, 2026.