GAF product renderingCool Roof & Title 24
California Cool Roof
Requirements, Explained
If you're replacing your roof in California, you may have heard you're required to install a "cool roof." It's a real requirement under California's Title 24 energy code — but it doesn't apply to every home, and it almost certainly doesn't mean an ugly white roof. Here's what it actually means, whether it applies to your home, and how we make sure your new roof passes inspection the first time.
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The Basics
What Is a Cool Roof?
A "cool roof" is simply a roof surface that reflects more sunlight and absorbs less heat than a standard roof. Roofing products are measured on two properties: solar reflectance (how much sunlight the surface bounces back) and thermal emittance (how efficiently it releases absorbed heat). Those combine into a single Solar Reflectance Index, or SRI — the higher the number, the cooler the roof runs.
California's energy code sets minimum SRI values for roofs in certain climate zones, with the goal of reducing the air-conditioning load that hot roofs create. Cool-roof shingles use specially engineered reflective granules to hit those targets — while still coming in the same rich, dark colors most homeowners want.
Authoritative source: California Energy Commission — 2025 Building Energy Efficiency Standards.
Does It Apply to You?
Does My Roof Actually Need to Be a Cool Roof?
It depends on four things: your home's California climate zone, your roof's slope, how much of the roof you're replacing, and when your permit is pulled.
Climate zone
California is divided into 16 climate zones. Cool-roof requirements for standard pitched (steep-slope) roofs apply in the hotter inland and desert zones. Milder coastal zones may have no steep-slope requirement at all — but this is exactly where it pays to verify, because zone boundaries don't follow city lines.
Roof slope
Low-slope and flat roof sections face cool-roof requirements much more broadly across the state than standard pitched roofs do.
Scope
The requirement is generally triggered when you replace more than 50% of your existing roof — which most full re-roofs do.
Permit date
Permits pulled on or after January 1, 2026 fall under California's 2025 energy code.
Check Your Address
Want to Know If Your Home Needs a Cool Roof?
Because a single city can span more than one climate zone, and because the building department makes the final call at your specific address, the only way to know for certain is to check your exact location. Enter your ZIP on our Shingle Colors page — we'll show you whether a re-roof at your address requires a cool-roof color, and exactly which colors qualify.
Local Answer
What This Means Across Our Service Area
Our territory spans several California climate zones, so the answer genuinely differs depending on where you live:
Inland Empire
Riverside, Corona, Temecula, Murrieta, and similar inland areas fall in the hotter inland climate zones, where cool-roof requirements for pitched residential roofs generally do apply. If you're here, plan on a cool-roof-rated shingle for a full re-roof.
Coastal & Central San Diego and Orange County
These milder coastal zones may not carry the same steep-slope requirement — but low-slope sections and local variations mean it's worth confirming rather than assuming.
Either way, we confirm the exact requirement for your specific address before we quote — so there are no surprises at permit or inspection.
The Big Misconception
You're Not Limited to a White Roof
This is the biggest misconception about cool roofs. A cool roof is not a white roof. Modern cool-roof shingles use reflective granule technology that meets Title 24's targets while coming in the same deep, rich colors homeowners actually want — including dark charcoals, warm browns, and slate grays.
We install GAF's Timberline HDZ® and Grand Sequoia® Reflector Series™ shingles, which are engineered to comply with California's cool-roof requirements in dark, popular colors — not just light shades. So you can meet the energy code and still get the roof you actually want.
Alternative Paths
What If My Home Qualifies for an Exception?
California's energy code includes alternative compliance paths and exemptions — for example, adding a radiant barrier, additional attic insulation, or using a whole-building performance calculation instead of the prescriptive cool-roof requirement. In some cases these let you install a non-cool-roof color even in a zone that would otherwise require one.
These paths are specific and depend on your home's construction and your local jurisdiction. We review the options for your home and handle the compliance details as part of your project — including the paperwork your building department needs.
FAQs
Common Questions
Not Sure What Your Roof Needs? We'll Confirm It.
Every Westmark quote confirms the exact Title 24-compliant options for your specific home and climate zone — so your roof passes inspection the first time, with no surprises. Get an instant ballpark estimate in about 60 seconds, or request a detailed written quote.
Get an instant budget estimate for asphalt, DaVinci, and tile lift-and-relay projects in about 60 seconds using aerial roof data. New concrete tile projects require a project-specific quote — no appointment or sales call required.