Gutters and Roofing in Marin County
From Novato in the north to Sausalito in the south. Family-owned since 2002.
Marin County, in short
Do I need a permit to replace my roof in Marin County?
Yes. Inside most cities and towns, its own building department issues it. In the unincorporated communities of Black Point, Bolinas, Dillon Beach, Forest Knolls, Ignacio, Inverness, Kentfield, Lagunitas, Lucas Valley, Marin City, Marinwood, Nicasio, Paradise Cay, San Quentin, St. Vincent’s, Strawberry, Tamalpais Valley, Tocaloma and Woodacre, the County’s building and safety division does. If you wish, we can also pull the permit for you.
The story of Marin County
One of California’s original counties, the State Library says, named for a Coast Miwok man.
Marin County was named for Huicmuse, a Coast Miwok man the Spanish missionaries called Marino, the National Park Service says. The State Library calls Marin “one of California’s original counties,” and the County’s own resolution honors the Coast Miwok people who have lived here for centuries.
The State’s 1850 act declared the County of Marin organized and fixed its seat of justice at the town of San Rafael. Before that, in 1838, the Mexican government granted the land south of Mount Tamalpais, including Redwood Canyon and the town of Sausalito, to William Antonio Richardson. Regular ferry service linked San Francisco and Sausalito from 1868.
The redwood canyon became Muir Woods National Monument on January 9, 1908, named for John Muir at William Kent’s request. The Golden Gate Bridge District was incorporated on December 4, 1928.
In March 1942 the Maritime Commission established Marinship in Sausalito, and Marin City was built that year to house the shipyard’s workers. Today, the County says, agriculture remains “a fundamental way of life” in western and northern Marin, while the bayfront corridor grew into a more densely populated suburb.
Fire safety
Roofs and gutters kept clear
The Marin County Fire Department tells homeowners: “Make sure to clean up your roof and gutters, in addition to your yard.” Its fire code asks for roofs and gutters free of leaves and needles within the department’s limits, the County’s lands outside cities, towns and incorporated fire districts.
Maps: which zone your address is in
The County says the state’s Fire Hazard Severity maps identify areas as Moderate, High and Very High Severity Zones based on statewide criteria. It also keeps an interactive map of its wildland-urban interface areas: “You can look up your address on this interactive map.”
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100 feet around the home
The County tells homeowners: “Every homeowner must maintain a 100 foot defensible space around their home. It’s California state law.” Where its fire code controls, a hazard notice gives 10 days; after that the Marin County Fire Department can do the work and the cost goes on the property tax bill as a lien.
Which agency answers
In unincorporated Marin it is the Marin County Fire Department, which runs six stations: Point Reyes, Tomales, Woodacre, Hicks Valley, Marin City and Throckmorton. It says: “the closest fire station will respond to your emergency, despite jurisdictional boundaries.” Inside a town, see the fire agency named under its name below.
Culture and history
Muir Woods
The National Park Service says its 550-acre park “protects an old-growth forest of coast redwoods”. It has been a National Monument since 1908, named for John Muir, and “occupies the homelands of the Coast Miwok people.”
Fort Baker and the bridge
Fort Baker is a 335-acre former 1905 Army post just north of the Golden Gate Bridge, with over 25 historic army buildings around a main parade ground. The Bridge District puts the bridge at 1.7 miles with its approaches.
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Angel Island Immigration Station
From 1910 to 1940 the station was the West Coast equivalent of Ellis Island, its Foundation says, and it is a National Historic Landmark.
Community
The Mountain Play
Its own history page: “Established in 1913,” the Mountain Play has been “a unique, annual tradition for thousands of Bay Area residents” for over 100 years, on Mount Tamalpais.
Sausalito Art Festival
Held on Labor Day weekend, “Since 1952,” in the festival’s own words one of America’s premier outdoor art festivals.
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MarinArts
A county-wide arts events resource launched in 2017, “dedicated to advocating for all of the arts in Marin County.”
County rules
A re-roof permit you apply for online
In unincorporated Marin the County lists a re-roof among the jobs that get an online permit with no plans: “Apply online and get your permit as quickly as you can complete the application.”
Class A roof coverings
In unincorporated Marin the County Building Code (section 19.04.080) calls for “a fire-retardant roof covering that is at least Class A” on every new structure, on the whole roof when more than 50 percent of it is replaced within a year, and on any roof covering applied in a replacement.
Need a hand with this? Roof installation
Storms, flood and drainage
Rain on the mountain, rain by the bay
By the County Flood Control District’s own account, the summit of Mount Tamalpais “receives the most rainfall in the county”, 56 inches a year on average, and the mouth of the Mill Valley watershed gets 32 inches.
Storm season
The District says: “From roughly October to April, Mount Tamalpais and its ridges capture storms off the Pacific.” It also names the county’s major flood years: 1997/98, 1982/83 and 2005/06.
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Where the flood zones are
The District runs eight flood control zones (Novato, Richardson Bay, Bel Aire, Stinson Beach, San Rafael Meadows, Santa Venetia, Ross Valley and Inverness). Its words: “The Flood Zones do not cover the entire county and are mostly concentrated in the county’s eastern urbanized corridor.” For a property’s flood map, the County points owners to FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center.
When drains back up
By the District’s account: “When the stormdrains are obstructed or broken or when the creeks that they lead to are already full, water backs up onto the streets.”
Need a hand with this? Gutter cleaning
Programs, loans and insurance
Reimbursement for metal gutters and guards
Marin Wildfire, the wildfire authority funded by the Measure C parcel tax, reimburses eligible work found in your Wildfire Risk Report, up to $2,500. The page’s list includes “Installing metal gutters and guards”; if your gutters are combustible, you may be reimbursed to upgrade them to metal first. Its Measure C covers most of the county, but not Tiburon and Belvedere.
A free evaluation first
The grants start from a free evaluation by your local fire agency, which ends in a personalized Wildfire Risk Report. The report may flag gutters among its items.
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Free curbside chipping
The Chipper Day Program offers “free curbside pickup and disposal of excess vegetation from residential properties” within the authority’s area. Pre-registration is required.
Tax exemption for low-income seniors
Owners 65 or older who live in their own single-family home can apply for an exemption from the Measure C parcel tax; “You must re-apply every year before June 30th.”
Your own fire district
Southern Marin Fire offers a free home assessment (415-388-8182) and free chipping to residents of its district. Central Marin Fire’s area, Corte Madera, Larkspur and Greenbrae, has its own free curbside chipping, booked through Marin Wildfire.
Where we work
Towns in Marin County
Cities and towns
Fairfax
Fire: Ross Valley Fire
Page on its way
Larkspur
Fire: Central Marin Fire
Page on its way
Ross
Fire: Ross Valley Fire
Page on its way
San Anselmo
Fire: Ross Valley Fire
Page on its way
Sausalito
Fire: Southern Marin Fire
Page on its way
The unincorporated communities of Marin, which the County itself serves, are named in the short answer above.
Where we work
Marin County and the 11 towns we serve
The story of Marin County
Marin County was named for Huicmuse, a Coast Miwok man the Spanish missionaries called Marino. The National Park Service says mission records show a 20-year-old Marino baptized at Mission San Francisco de Asis on March 7, 1801, and that factual records about the man are scarce. The State Library calls Marin “one of California’s original counties.” The County’s own resolution honors “the Coast Miwok people who have lived here for centuries,” and the later arrivals who settled the area: Europeans, Mexican ranchers and American homesteaders.
The Legislature’s act of April 22, 1850 declared that “the County of Marin, with the boundaries prescribed by law, is hereby declared to be organized, and the seat of justice of said County is hereby fixed at the town of San Rafael.” In 1838, the Mexican government had granted the land south of Mount Tamalpais, including Redwood Canyon and the town of Sausalito, to William Antonio Richardson. Regular ferry service between San Francisco and Sausalito began in 1868.
The Huimen, a tribe of the Coast Miwok, held the redwood canyon as their homeland. William Kent and Elizabeth Thacher Kent acquired the property in 1905, and President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed Muir Woods a National Monument of 295 acres on January 9, 1908; Kent asked that it be named for the conservationist John Muir. The Marin Municipal Water District was chartered on April 25, 1912, and calls itself the first municipal water district in California. On Mount Tamalpais, the Great Fire of 1929 burned 2,500 acres and 117 homes over three days, and between 1929 and 1934 the water district brought 24,000 trees down from the Fort Bragg area to reforest its watershed.
The Golden Gate Bridge and Highway District was incorporated on December 4, 1928, to finance, design and build the bridge. In World War II, the U.S. Maritime Commission established Marinship in March 1942, one of six emergency shipyards in the Bay Area, and Marin City was built that year to house 6,000 of the 20,000 workers who came from across the country. The Marin County Free Library’s exhibit calls Marin City the county’s only primarily Black enclave.
Other communities shaped the county too. Chinese immigrants, in Marin as early as 1855, worked at the McNear Ranch, and China Camp Village reached almost 500 residents in the 1880s, its Friends say. From 1910 to 1940 the Angel Island Immigration Station, the West Coast equivalent of Ellis Island in its Foundation’s words, processed hundreds of thousands of immigrants, the majority from China. The Marin Agricultural Land Trust, founded in 1980, calls itself the first farmland trust in the nation. The County’s own account is that agriculture remains “a fundamental way of life” in western and northern Marin.
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 our customers say
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