Every roofing contractor in Whittier starts from one citywide rule: the Building and Safety FAQ says all roofs in the city must meet a Class A rating, wherever the house sits. Re-roofs on buildings constructed before 1941 also need Planning approval of the architecture, finish materials and colors.
Best Top Roofing drives in from Camarillo to inspect, repair and replace roofs on Whittier homes. Inspections are free and photo-documented, and our written proposal carries the product specifications the city asks for with each re-roof application.
Postwar Housing and Earthquake History in Whittier
Whittier began as a Quaker settlement, with its first meeting house in 1887, and became the nation's largest walnut grower alongside its citrus ranches. After World War II the orange groves were subdivided, and SCAG's 2019 profile shows the result: 42.1 percent of today's homes date from the 1950s, and 82.4 percent were built before 1970.
The 1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake struck at 7:42 am on October 1, centered several miles north in Rosemead, and Whittier was the only area to reach intensity VIII. Caltech's summary says many chimneys collapsed, some falling through roofs, while wood-frame homes fared much better than masonry ones. A magnitude 5.2 aftershock on October 4 damaged more chimneys.
Rain is light, about 13.3 inches a year at the Whittier City Yard station under NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals, with February the wettest month and August nearly dry. Long dry stretches let small flashing gaps go unnoticed until the first winter storm finds them.
Hadley-Greenleaf, College Hills and Whittier's Other Districts
Whittier has four locally designated historic districts. Hadley-Greenleaf, designated in 1990, holds more than 190 properties, and Central Park, designated the same year, has 45; both include many Craftsman and Spanish Colonial Revival homes.
College Hills, around Whittier College, was subdivided in 1923 as the city's first planned hillside development, and its 97 properties sit on steep slopes and curving streets that make access part of the job. Earlham, designated in 2011, has seven homes from an early college neighborhood.
Friendly Hills, East Whittier, Starlite Estates, Murphy Ranch and Sunglow fall outside the four districts, though any house there built before 1941 still counts as a vintage building. In February 2022, a brush fire on the hillside near Sycamore Park destroyed two homes.
Our Work as a Roofing Contractor in Whittier
These five services answer Whittier's Class A rule, its older chimneys and its pre-1941 review. Each links to a page with full details.
Citywide Class A Coverings
Because the city requires Class A on every roof, a re-roof here means a Class A assembly even on a flat lot far from the hills. About 32 percent of Whittier is also mapped Very High, and on those parcels replacing half or more of a roof within 12 months brings in the state's new-construction rules. Our fire-resistant roofing scope adds ember-resistant vents and eave details on mapped lots.
Chimney Flashing and Repairs After the 1987 Earthquake
If your house kept a masonry chimney through the 1987 quake and its aftershock, the joint where it meets the roof deserves a close look. Cracked mortar, loose counterflashing and worn crickets are common leak points there. Our roof repair replaces step and counterflashing and rebuilds the cricket where needed. If the masonry itself looks unsound, we photograph it and suggest a mason review it first.
Pre-1941 Re-Roofs and Planning Approval of Materials and Colors
The city treats buildings constructed before 1941 as vintage buildings. When a re-roof follows the Historic Resources Ordinance and causes no significant change in appearance, a waiver lets the Commission's Secretary decide without a hearing, sometimes the same day and in up to about 10 days. Otherwise a full Certificate of Appropriateness goes to the Commission. We plan the roof replacement around that review and match the existing look where we can.
Low-Slope Systems and Flat Roofing
For roofs pitched at 2:12 or less, Whittier asks for full system specifications with the re-roof permit rather than a single product sheet. Low-slope sections often show up on additions and porch covers, where a pitched main roof meets a flatter one. Our flat roofing work covers membranes and built-up systems, with drainage details for spots where water tends to pond.
Free Inspections for 1950s Homes
With 42.1 percent of Whittier's homes built in the 1950s, many roofs rest on framing about 70 years old. A free roof inspection checks the covering, flashing, chimney, attic ventilation and gutters, and you keep the photos and written notes. It also tells us whether new sheathing belongs on the permit application, which the city asks you to state.
Whittier Re-Roof Permits, Historic Review and Fire Code
The Building and Safety Division at City Hall, 13230 Penn Street, reviews plans, issues permits and inspects work after Planning Services evaluates a project. Residential re-roof permits are filed online only, through the city's Online Permits and Inspections portal. Each application lists the product's style, model and color, its ICC-ES report, and whether the old roof comes off and new sheathing goes on.
As of January 1, 2026, the city enforces the 2025 California Building Standards Code, including the Historical and Existing Building codes, along with the 2023 Los Angeles County Fire Code. On mapped parcels, the Wildland-Urban Interface Code (Title 24, Part 7), which superseded CBC Chapter 7A that same day, adds the state's wildfire roof requirements.
