Gutters and Roofing in Contra Costa County
From the bay shore to the Delta, and up the slopes of Mount Diablo. Family-owned since 2002, with our main office right here in El Cerrito.
Contra Costa, in short
Do I need a permit to replace my roof in Contra Costa County?
Yes. Inside most cities, the city’s building department issues it. In unincorporated Contra Costa, and in Clayton, Hercules, Lafayette, Moraga and Orinda, the County’s building division does. If you wish, we can also pull the permit for you.
The story of Contra Costa
The “opposite coast”, from the bay shore to the Delta.
The name means “opposite coast”: the County and its Historical Society both say so. The twist is that the land truly opposite San Francisco went to the new Alameda County in 1853.
Contra Costa was one of California’s 27 original counties, created in 1850. Mount Diablo, 3,849 feet, was chosen in 1851 as the starting point for the land surveys of two-thirds of California and all of Nevada.
In the Historical Society’s words, the Bay Miwok, Ohlone and Delta Yokuts “are still here.”
Coal came first in the east, from the 1860s to the early 1900s; then wheat, grapes and walnuts; then industry along the deep water of the western shore and the Carquinez Strait.
Fire safety
Which fire agency is yours
Con Fire for most of the county; San Ramon Valley for Alamo, Danville and San Ramon; Moraga-Orinda for Moraga and Orinda; El Cerrito-Kensington Fire for El Cerrito and Kensington; Richmond’s own department for Richmond.
Checked Oct 14, 2026
Roofs kept clear, in San Ramon Valley
“Maintain 5 feet of vertical clearance between roof surfaces and portions of trees overhanging all structures, and keep roofs free of leaves, needles, twigs, and other combustible matter.”
Updated Oct 7, 2026
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Embers and roof debris
Con Fire names “ember ignition of vegetative debris on the roofs” as one way a fire reaches a home.
District brochure
Con Fire’s fire hazard zone map
The district’s updated zone maps are in effect from July 10, 2025; look up your address on its map.
Checked Oct 14, 2026
The yearly clearing deadline
Con Fire’s yearly weed-abatement deadline for 2026 was June 1 in Central and West County and May 15 in East County. The district’s ordinance says fuel breaks are kept up yearly by June 1. Check Con Fire’s page each spring for the new date.
Con Fire page read Nov 5, 2026
Need a hand with this? Gutter guards
Culture and history
Why “opposite coast”
The name means “opposite coast”, and the land truly opposite San Francisco went to the new Alameda County in 1853.
Mount Diablo, the surveyors’ starting point
Chosen in 1851 as the initial point for the land surveys of two-thirds of California and all of Nevada (California State Parks).
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The first peoples
The Bay Miwok, Ohlone and Delta Yokuts, in the Historical Society’s words, “are still here.”
The county fair, every May
Held in Antioch; the first county fair was in October 1859.
The Mount Diablo Beacon, every December 7
Lit each year in tribute to the lives lost at Pearl Harbor.
Community
Five Easy Actions, a free talk
The Diablo Firesafe Council gives a free 90-minute home hardening talk to Firewise groups.
West Contra Costa Fire Safe Council
Wildfire preparedness workshops for West County residents.
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Becoming a Firewise neighborhood
Con Fire helps neighbors organize, plan and act as a Firewise USA site.
County rules
A permit to replace your roof
Your city’s building department, or the County’s in the unincorporated area and in Clayton, Hercules, Lafayette, Moraga and Orinda.
Cool roofs and roof classes
The County’s re-roof sheet says roofs steeper than 2:12, east of the Berkeley Hills and El Sobrante ridge, that are replaced, recovered or recoated are to be cool roofs, with a few exceptions. For Orinda and Lafayette it says the cities have specific areas that need Class A or Class B roofs: check with your city.
County sheet read Nov 5, 2026
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Big native trees: prune, don’t top
In the unincorporated area a County tree permit is needed to cut down or top a protected tree; routine pruning needs none.
When you buy or sell, in Con Fire’s district
Con Fire’s Ordinance 2023-07 says that before escrow closes the seller gives the buyer the Fire Code Official’s documentation that the property meets the fuel mitigation requirements. The district’s own page on state law AB 38 limits the sale inspection to homes in High and Very High fire hazard severity zones, so check with Con Fire about your parcel.
District documents read Oct 7, 2026
Need a hand with this? Roof installation
Storms, flood and drainage
Three times the rain in the hills
The County’s own gauges average 11 inches a year at Bethel Island on the Delta and 33.5 at Bald Peak above Tilden Park.
Most of it November to March
About 83 percent of the year’s rain falls in those five months.
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Storms the county has seen
FEMA has declared 14 storm and flood disasters naming Contra Costa, the latest after the storms of December 2022.
A creek on your land
The County: “If your property has a creek or a waterway flowing through it, it is your responsibility to maintain it.”
Free advice for creekside homes
The County-funded Streamside Management Program for Landowners gives a free site visit and advice.
Need a hand with this? Gutter cleaning
Programs, loans and insurance
Your fire district and your insurance rate
Every fire agency serving these towns is on the state’s 2026 Fire Risk Reduction Community list, which insurers must reflect in your rate.
Flood insurance, unincorporated county
The County’s Class 6 rating takes 20% off National Flood Insurance Program policies in its unincorporated area.
Checked Oct 14, 2026
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Free gutter covers in Moraga and Orinda
The Moraga-Orinda Fire District’s Home Hardening Grant Program is open to all residents within the district until June 30, 2027, and ships free stainless steel gutter coverings to the home; installation is up to the homeowner.
District page read Nov 5, 2026
Home repairs, roofs included
Habitat for Humanity East Bay/Silicon Valley’s home repair program lists roof repairs, in many Contra Costa cities.
Where we work
Towns in Contra Costa County
West County
Central County
East County
Where we work
Contra Costa County and the 24 towns we serve
The story of Contra Costa
Contra Costa means “opposite coast”: the County and its Historical Society both say the name refers to its place across the bay from San Francisco. When a new county was formed from part of Contra Costa in 1853, the land that actually faced San Francisco became part of Alameda County.
Contra Costa was one of the 27 original counties created by the California Legislature in 1850, and Martinez is the county seat.
The Historical Society writes that the county belonged to Native People for countless generations, and that the Bay Miwok, Ohlone and Delta Yokuts “are still here, preserving their cultural traditions.” California State Parks says Mount Diablo is sacred to Native Americans.
Spanish explorers came in the 1770s and named many of the county’s features; Spain and then Mexico granted large ranchos, and cattle ranching came first.
Mount Diablo, 3,849 feet, was set in 1851 as the starting point of the Mount Diablo Base Line and Meridian, used for land surveys across two-thirds of California and all of Nevada.
Coal mining ran in the east of the county from the 1860s to the early 1900s, around what is now the Black Diamond Mines preserve south of Pittsburg and Antioch. Wheat, grapes and walnuts each had their time, and industry grew along the deep water of the western shore and the Carquinez Strait: the refinery at Richmond, sugar, canning, explosives and lumber.
John Muir ranched in the Alhambra Valley from the 1880s; his home in Martinez is now the John Muir National Historic Site.
Today the East Bay Regional Park District keeps parklands across Alameda and Contra Costa counties, and Save Mount Diablo has worked since 1971 to protect the land on and around the mountain.
Why homeowners call us
- Family-owned since 2002.
- Licensed, bonded and insured: CSLB #1053780.
- Gutters and roofs, from cleaning and repairs to new installations.
- Serving the Bay Area for 24 years.
- We cover all nine Bay Area counties.
Our services: gutter services (cleaning · installation · gutter guards) · roofing (roof installation)
What Contra Costa homeowners ask us
Do I need a permit to trim or remove a tree in unincorporated Contra Costa?
For a protected tree, yes: the County asks for a tree permit at least ten days before cutting it down or topping it. Routine pruning that is not topping needs none.
When is the yearly clearing deadline?
Con Fire’s yearly weed-abatement deadline for 2026 was June 1 in Central and West County and May 15 in East County. Check Con Fire’s page each spring for the new date.
Do I need the fire district’s paperwork to sell my house?
It can be. Con Fire’s Ordinance 2023-07 asks the seller to give the buyer the Fire Code Official’s documentation that the property meets the fuel mitigation requirements before escrow closes. The district’s own page on state law AB 38 limits the sale inspection to homes in High and Very High fire hazard severity zones, so check with Con Fire about your parcel.
What our customers say
Get a free estimate
We reply the same business day. Quotes in Spanish on request. Other counties: Service Areas.