Gutters and Roofing in Sonoma County
From Cloverdale in the north to Petaluma in the south, and east to the city of Sonoma.
Sonoma County, in short
Do I need a permit to replace my roof in Sonoma County?
Yes. Inside most cities and towns, the city or town’s own building department issues it. In the unincorporated communities, such as Bodega Bay, Forestville, Glen Ellen, Guerneville, Occidental and Penngrove, Permit Sonoma, the County’s permit agency, does. If you wish, we can also pull the permit for you, as most of our customers ask us to.
The story of Sonoma County
The largest of the nine Bay Area counties, in the County’s own General Plan.
The County’s General Plan calls Sonoma County the largest of the nine Bay Area counties; by the Census Bureau’s count its land covers 1,575 square miles.
California State Parks’ timeline lists Sonoma among the state’s first 27 counties, formed by an act of the Legislature in 1850. The county seat is Santa Rosa.
In the County’s own historic overview, the Russians established the short-lived Fort Ross on the coast in 1812, the Sonoma Mission was established in 1823, and Sonoma became the county’s first town, a pueblo, under General Mariano Vallejo.
Winegrapes came with the Russian settlement at Fort Ross and the mission in Sonoma in the early 1800s, the County’s Department of Agriculture says; today the county has 19 American Viticultural Areas.
Fire safety
Roofs and rain gutters
The County’s code says: “Maintain the roof of any structure free of leaves, needles, or other dead/dying wood. Remove any leaves, needles, branches, or debris from the roof and/or gutters.” It adds: “Compliance with the provisions of this Chapter 13A is required throughout the year.”
Where the County’s code applies
Chapter 13A of the County’s code says: “In the state responsibility area, Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations Sections 1299.01-1299.05 applies to improved parcels. This ordinance also applies a duty to maintain defensible space and abate hazardous vegetation on improved parcels in the unincorporated area of the county outside of the state responsibility area, and to unimproved parcels within the local and state responsibility areas.”
See 3 more
Fire agencies
The County’s emergency page lists 21 fire agencies, from Cazadero Community Service District to TRACEN Fire Department, and gives a service area for only some of them. The towns box on this page names the agency of each town where its own page says so.
The County’s hazard map pages
The County’s page on fire hazard severity zones links the County’s map of the unincorporated area and an interactive map, and says: “Under an agreement with CAL FIRE, Sonoma County serves as the inspection authority and enforces fire safety requirements outlined in Sections 13-21 of the county code and Title 14 of the Natural Resources Code.” Permit Sonoma’s wildland-urban interface page says the County keeps no official public map of State Responsibility Area boundaries and points to CAL FIRE’s map viewer, which is searchable by address.
Zone 0, the State’s first-five-feet rule
Adopted by the Board of Forestry; in final review with the Office of Administrative Law; no effective date known.
Standing check of Oct 22, 2026
Need a hand with this? Gutter guards
Culture and history
Fort Ross State Historic Park
California State Parks says Fort Ross preserves several buildings and a reconstructed stockade wall of North America’s southernmost Russian colony, and was the site of California’s first windmills and shipbuilding.
Jack London State Historic Park
A 1,400 acre state park near Glen Ellen: the cottage, Beauty Ranch, the Wolf House ruins and the House of Happy Walls Museum, with a trail to Jack London’s grave.
See 4 more
Armstrong Redwoods
State Parks says Sonoma County ran the grove until 1934, when the State took ownership; it opened to the public as Armstrong Redwoods State Park in 1936 and has been a State Natural Reserve since 1964.
Luther Burbank Home & Gardens
In downtown Santa Rosa. The Luther Burbank Home & Gardens Association says Burbank made his home in Santa Rosa for more than 50 years and introduced more than 800 new varieties of plants.
Charles M. Schulz Museum
The museum says it opened in 2002 to celebrate the life and art of Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz, who lived and worked in Sonoma County for over 40 years.
Museum of Sonoma County
The museum, in downtown Santa Rosa, says it opened its doors in 1985 as the Sonoma County Museum and calls itself “a landmark on the National Register of Historic Places.”
Community
Regional Parks
Sonoma County Regional Parks “includes more than 60 parks and beaches from Petaluma to Gualala and Sonoma to Bodega Bay,” and says it provides “essential opportunities for people to connect with nature.”
Checked Oct 25, 2026
Ag + Open Space
Sonoma County Ag + Open Space says it “permanently protects the diverse agricultural, natural resource, and scenic open space lands of Sonoma County for future generations,” and its page says the Board of Supervisors placed a measure on the ballot to fund the work with a quarter-cent sales tax.
Checked Oct 25, 2026
See 3 more
Sonoma County Library
The library’s history page says it is “a countywide system, encompassing all nine cities and the unincorporated areas,” with 12 regional libraries, two rural stations and three special collections.
Checked Oct 25, 2026
Fire Safe Sonoma
Fire Safe Sonoma calls itself “the countywide Fire Safe Council serving Sonoma County.” It has a defensible space tool trailer “available to community groups” that “is not available for individual property use.” Its free assessment and improvements program with Habitat for Humanity “has ended,” so check back or ask Fire Safe Sonoma about similar resources.
Checked Oct 25, 2026
Municipal advisory councils
The County’s Governance Toolkit says: “Unincorporated communities are parts of Sonoma County that lie outside city limits” and that “In unincorporated communities, the County functions as the local municipal government.” The Board of Supervisors lists six municipal advisory councils for areas of the unincorporated county: Sonoma County Coast, Geyserville-Alexander Valley, Lower Russian River, Mark West Area, North Sonoma Valley and Springs. The Coast council’s page says the council “gives residents a meaningful way to participate in County government.”
County rules
Permit Sonoma
Permit Sonoma says: “Virtually any land development or construction that takes place in the unincorporated area of Sonoma County (outside the nine incorporated cities) is reviewed, permitted, and inspected by Permit Sonoma.”
The re-roofing permit
The County has a re-roofing permit and a page that walks through it. The page says you need at least two inspections, “a pre-inspection (code 137) and a final inspection (code 199),” that “You will need to pay your fees when you submit your application,” and to “Make sure there are no open building code violations on your property.” For a coastal community it says to visit the Planning counter at the Permit Center “to discuss potential additional requirements associated with coastal zones.”
See 2 more
Trees
In the unincorporated county outside the Coastal Zone, Permit Sonoma says “A zoning permit is required to remove native tree species (as listed above) when they are 6 inches in diameter or greater, unless the removal meets an explicit exemption specified in County Code.” In the Coastal Zone, tree removal “typically requires a Coastal Permit.” The County’s code exempts protected tree removal “no more than necessary to comply with fire safety laws and regulations,” including defensible space requirements.
The building code the County uses
The County adopts the 2025 California Building Code, Residential Code and Wildland Urban Interface Code by reference, with its own changes. Where the codes conflict, “the most restrictive shall govern,” and a building under Chapter 7 must also meet the fire safe standards of Chapter 13.
Need a hand with this? Roof installation
Storms, flood and drainage
How much rain
NOAA’s 1991-2020 normals put the yearly rain at the ten county stations that have one between 25.56 inches at Petaluma Airport and 53.83 inches at Occidental.
When it falls
At five of those stations, 89 to 91 percent of the yearly rain falls from November to April, and June to September together bring 0.43 to 0.94 inch. The County’s hazard plan adds that major storms often come as an atmospheric river, which “can produce 30 to 50 percent of the region’s annual precipitation in a matter of a few days.”
See 3 more
Rivers and creeks
The County’s hazard plan says riverine floods in the county occur in winter, develop within 24 to 48 hours after a storm and recede within three days after it ends, and that damaging floods come most often along the Russian River, Petaluma River, Sonoma Creek, Laguna de Santa Rosa and their tributaries. On the Russian River, the flood-prone areas include the unincorporated communities of Monte Rio, Guerneville, Rio Nido and Forestville.
Check your flood zone
Permit Sonoma says FEMA’s Flood Insurance Rate Maps “are used to determine if properties are located within Special Flood Hazard Areas” and that it “provides Flood Zone Map Determination services upon request.” On January 14, 2025 the Board of Supervisors adopted Ordinance 6502, which updates the boundaries of the County’s Floodway (F1) and Floodplain (F2) zoning districts to match FEMA’s new flood hazard maps.
Board hearing Jan 14, 2025
Who runs flood protection
Sonoma Water, a special district created by the Legislature in 1949 to provide flood protection and water supply services, says it is responsible for maintaining over 75 miles of streams throughout Sonoma County. Its Flood Forecast Hotline, (707) 526-4768, is updated when the Hacienda Bridge water level is over 20 feet.
Need a hand with this? Gutter cleaning
Programs, loans and insurance
Free chipping
Permit Sonoma’s Fire Prevention Division “provides free chipping to residents who are engaged in making their properties more wildfire safe,” for properties in the unincorporated areas, and its page says it is accepting reservations for 2026. Limbs must be “at least 1-inch thick and no more than 4-inches in diameter” and no more than 10 feet long, and piles no more than 3 feet tall: “No rakings or piles of needles, leaves, grass, etc.” The program does not pick up and remove chips.
Checked Oct 25, 2026
SoCo Adapts
SoCo Adapts, Permit Sonoma’s Wildfire Adapted project, offered no-cost home assessments, which its FAQ says were completed in 2025; its page now labels Phase 2, the implementation phase, “Discontinued,” so check back. Older pages that still promise rebates of about $10,000 a parcel are out of date.
Checked Oct 25, 2026
See 4 more
Housing Rehabilitation Loan Program
The County’s Community Development Commission offers low-interest loans to owner-occupants of single-family homes and mobile homes in the unincorporated areas and in Cloverdale, Cotati, Healdsburg, Rohnert Park, Sebastopol, Sonoma and Windsor, for households below 80% of area median income; a leaking roof is the first example its page gives. Its packet gives a rate of 3% over 20 or 30 years and a limit of $100,000 for a single-family house. Projects in Santa Rosa and Petaluma “must contact their city’s Housing Department.” No page says whether the program is open now: the packet says “Application approval is subject to funding availability.”
Checked Oct 25, 2026
Free weatherization
North Coast Energy Services, a nonprofit “not part of PG&E,” serves Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Solano, Sonoma and Yolo counties and “provides free weatherization and heating repair for renters and homeowners.” Its page says the service is available to HEAP applicants and shows “Apply online.”
Checked Oct 25, 2026
Rainwater rebate in Santa Rosa
For City of Santa Rosa water customers, the City’s rebate pays “$0.25 per gallon of approved rainwater storage.” It covers materials only, needs at least 100 gallons of storage, and requires pre-qualification before any work starts. The City’s page gives no deadline.
Checked Oct 25, 2026
Earthquake Brace + Bolt
The California Residential Mitigation Program, a joint body, runs Earthquake Brace + Bolt: “your answers will determine if your home qualifies for an EBB retrofit grant of up to $3,000.” It is “available only for qualified homes in select ZIP Codes,” and only for wood-framed, pre-1980 homes with a raised foundation. Registration is not open: the page says “Sign Up to be Notified When Registration Opens,” so check back.
Checked Oct 25, 2026
Where we work
Towns in Sonoma County
Cities and towns
Cloverdale
Fire: Cloverdale Fire Protection District
Page on its way
Cotati
Fire: Rancho Adobe Fire Protection District
Page on its way
Rohnert Park
Fire: Department of Public Safety (police and fire services)
Page on its way
Sonoma
Fire: Sonoma Valley Fire District
Page on its way
Windsor
Fire: Sonoma County Fire District
Page on its way
Where we work
Sonoma County and the 9 towns we serve
The story of Sonoma County
The County’s General Plan describes Sonoma County as “just over 1500 square miles, making it the largest of the nine Bay Area counties,” and as a “diverse mosaic of landforms, environments, and human settlements.” The Census Bureau counts 1,575.3 square miles of land and 192.0 of water.
California State Parks’ timeline lists Sonoma among the state’s first 27 counties, formed by an act of the Legislature in 1850. State law names Santa Rosa as the county seat.
The County’s historic overview says the Russians established the short-lived Fort Ross along the coast north of the Russian River in 1812, and that the Sonoma Mission was established further east, during the Mexican period, in 1823. Sonoma then became the county’s first town, a pueblo, under General Mariano Vallejo, and sections of the county became vast ranchos, such as Vallejo’s holdings that extended from today’s Petaluma to the town of Sonoma.
The County’s Department of Agriculture says winegrapes first came to the area in the early 1800s, from the Russian settlement at Fort Ross and the Spanish mission in Sonoma. In the 1830s Vallejo was directed to set up a military outpost north of San Francisco Bay, and after arriving in Sonoma he restored the mission winery. In the late 1850s he invited Agoston Haraszthy, a Hungarian immigrant, to visit, and Haraszthy bought the property that would become Buena Vista Winery.
After statehood, the County’s overview says, logging along the coast hills, cattle ranching, wheat and potato farming, and the early development of the wine industry supported the sparsely settled county. The railroad was built in 1870, and the Redwood Highway, which parallels its tracks, was the county’s main route from 1915 until 1957.
On the Russian River, logging formed the economic base of the region from 1865 to the early 1900s, and a rail line built in 1877 to support the logging prompted the beginning of the tourist industry. Around the turn of the century the river developed as a vacation resort.
The County’s crop report says only 140 of the state’s roughly 700 wineries remained after Prohibition was repealed in 1933, and that Sonoma County’s grape acreage increased during Prohibition. The County’s overview says that until World War II the poultry industry, the processing of local fruit and the production of hops sustained the economy throughout the county, and that in 1935 Sonoma County ranked tenth in the nation in overall agricultural production.
Today the county has 19 American Viticultural Areas: Alexander Valley, Bennett Valley, Carneros, Chalk Hill, Dry Creek Valley, Fort Ross-Seaview, Fountaingrove District, Green Valley of Russian River Valley, Knights Valley, Moon Mountain District, Northern Sonoma, Petaluma Gap, Pine Mountain-Cloverdale Peak, Rockpile, Russian River Valley, Sonoma Coast, Sonoma Mountain, Sonoma Valley and the West Sonoma Coast. The report puts the county’s total crop value for 2025 at $758,528,900, of which winegrapes were $517,981,400, in its own words gross production values, not the net income or costs of production.
Why homeowners call us
- Family-owned since 2002.
- Licensed, bonded and insured: CSLB #1053780.
- Gutters and roofs, from cleaning and repairs to new installations.
- We cover all nine Bay Area counties.
Our services: gutter services (cleaning · installation · gutter guards) · roofing (roof installation)
What Sonoma County homeowners ask us
Who can pull a re-roofing permit in unincorporated Sonoma County?
The County’s re-roofing permit page answers: “Property owners or a contractor with a C39 license.” For a tenant the answer is: “You are not authorized to get this permit.”
How do I find which fire district answers at my address?
The County says: “If you’re looking for information about your local fire district, who will respond when you dial 911, and provide other services in your area please visit our zoning tool and look up your address.” The tool is the County’s Permit and Parcel Search; for an address in the unincorporated area its report lists the fire district, the fire protection response area and the fire hazard severity zone, and for an address inside a city it shows the jurisdiction and no fire fields.
Do I need to show defensible space compliance when I sell my home?
The County’s page says: “When selling a property in the State Responsibility Area (SRA) that is located in designated High or Very High Fire Severity Zones, the seller must provide buyers with documentation that the property complies with defensible space requirements.” It adds: “If an assessment has been conducted by Sonoma County Fire Prevention within the prior 6 months of the time of the sale, the assessment is considered valid.”
How long do I have to fix something after a defensible space inspection?
The County’s inspections FAQ answers: “If you fail the first inspection, you have 30 calendar days to bring property into compliance.”
What our customers say
Get a free estimate
We reply the same business day. Quotes in Spanish on request. Other counties: Service Areas.