Tile Roofs in San Clemente

San Clemente is a coastal city at the southern edge of the county. This page gathers the numbers for tile roof owners and what the city says about permits. Prices are in the tile roof cost guide.

The housing here

The Census counts 27,058 housing units in San Clemente. The median year built is 1983. About 11.8 percent were built before 1960 and about 43.5 percent before 1980. So the town has a thin layer of older homes and a large share from the 1980s onward.

Roofs on 1980s houses may be reaching a point where the underlayment is worth checking, since forty years is a long time for that layer. Tile roofs are common in Southern California, and some roofs here may be clay or concrete. We cannot tell which roofs here are tile, and we do not claim to.

Owners occupy about 66.5 percent of the homes. The median home value is about $1.40 million.

Fire hazard share

CAL FIRE's current map shows about 41.4 percent of the city in the Very High zone, or 4,864 acres, and about 64.8 percent in any mapped zone. A large part of the city lies on the map. A house on a flat street near the coast may be in a different position than one on a ridge. Look up your address and ask the city what applies.

Climate zone

San Clemente is in climate zone 6. No rain station is on file for San Clemente, so no rainfall figure is given. The California Energy Commission's 2022 cool roof sheet says requirements for alterations, which include re-roofs, apply in additional climate zones beyond those listed for new homes. Ask the building department which cool roof values apply to your re-roof.

What the city says about permits

The city's Building Services permits page says re-roofing, among other work, requires a permit, and that re-roofing an area smaller than 100 square feet is exempt if all applicable requirements are met. Roofing permit applications can be submitted electronically. The tab lists four forms: a Roofing Permit Application, an HOA Confirmation Form, a Waste Management Plan Application, and a Carbon Monoxide and Smoke Alarm Self Certification.

The page lists no roofing-specific fee. It says fees are set for each project, mainly by size and complexity, and are shown in a Current Building Fees and Valuation document. You receive an invoice for plan review and a final invoice for other fees. For permit questions it gives the Community Development Liaison at 949-361-6100, and for City Hall 949-361-8200. Start at the city's permit page.

An HOA form is on the list, so if you live in an association, ask for its approval early. Most of the forms above are easy to fill, but the waste plan and the alarm certification are items a roofer may handle, so ask who does.

Cost context

We found no tile roof price specific to San Clemente. The published estimate we use for a 2,000 square foot tile roof is $14,000 to $28,000 from Fixr (updated February 4, 2026), and RoofingCalc lists $29,000 to $51,000 (October 2024). Both are national or unlabeled.

Planning around a 1980s roof

A roof from the early 1980s has been through four decades of sun. Check what is under the tile before you check anything else. Ask the roofer to lift a few tiles near the eave and the ridge and photograph the underlayment. That small step turns a guess about a lift and re-lay into a decision made on evidence, and it gives you something concrete to bring to a second bid.

Questions to bring to a roofer

• Which of the four forms will you file, and which do I?
• Is the tile reusable, and how many spares are priced in?
• Does my lot fall in a mapped fire zone?
• Is the permit and inspection fee in your price?

Check any roofer's license at cslb.ca.gov.

Barrel & Pan Roofing is an information site. It does not do roof work or hold a contractor license.