Skylight Repair & Replacement in Los AngelesTile Flashing, Sun, Permits & Cost
In Los Angeles a skylight problem is usually flashing, sun-worn plastic, or a tile roof that has to be opened up to fix it.
What's happening with the skylight?
- Free estimates
- Written line-item quotes
- Photos of the roof before any work
- Permits pulled where required
Why Skylights Leak in Los Angeles
Griffith Roofing calls flashing failure the most common cause of skylight leaks and says it usually comes down to installation error rather than a defective unit. Flashing is the metal that ties the skylight into the roofing around it: step flashing up the sides, head flashing above, a sill or apron piece below, layered in as the roofing goes on. In Los Angeles the second cause is the sun. Plastic domes and glazing yellow under ultraviolet light, and a skylight manufacturer's technical note notes that the yellowing signals a loss of mechanical strength as well as clarity. A dome that has gone brown or hazy on a south-facing roof is brittle, and cracks when a branch, a hailstone or a foot lands on it.
Condensation is the leak that isn't. Here it is rarely a cold-weather problem. Steam from showers and cooking condenses on the coolest surface in the room, and a skylight over a bathroom or kitchen is often that surface. Near the coast, damp marine-layer mornings can do the same. The test is timing: water that appears after a shower or on a damp morning and never during a storm is moisture from inside the house, and a roofer's water test will show it.
- A stain that shows up only in wind-driven rain points to the flashing line, not the glass.
- Fog between the panes of a sealed unit means the seal has failed. The unit is near the end of its life even if it isn't dripping yet.
- A yellowed or crazed plastic dome should be replaced rather than patched, because sealant can't restore the plastic.
Skylights on Tile Roofs
Clay and concrete tile cover a large share of Los Angeles roofs, and a skylight on one is a curb or frame that the tile courses have to be cut and lapped around. Flashing for it has to follow the tile profile so there is no flat spot where water sits and no gap where wind-driven rain gets under a course. That is also why a skylight replacement on tile is rarely just a skylight replacement: the tile around the opening has to be lifted and reset to get the old flashing out and the new flashing in. A lift-and-relay runs about $3 to $6 per square foot installed, plus an allowance for tile that breaks when it is lifted.
Lifting tile also exposes the underlayment, which typically wears out long before the tile does. If the roof is due for a lift-and-relay anyway, the skylight is the natural place to start it. See tile roofing in Los Angeles for how relaying works and tile roof underlayment for what sits under the courses.
Sun, Heat and the 2025 Energy Code
A skylight is the largest hole a house has in its roof insulation, and in the sun it behaves like one. California's 2025 Energy Code sets limits on the swap. For a single-family home, a replacement skylight must have a U-factor no greater than 0.40 and a solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) no greater than 0.30 (Section 150.2(b)1B, shown in the California Energy Commission's restructured 2025 Energy Code, a reference copy with renumbered sections). U-factor is heat loss through the unit; SHGC is how much of the sun's heat it lets in. Ask the supplier for both ratings before you order.
The same section treats glass replaced in an existing sash and frame as a repair, as long as the new glass performs at least as well as the original. That matters when the frame is sound and only the glazing has clouded or cracked. A new plastic dome on an old curb is a different case, because the whole skylight is being replaced.
Skylights in a Fire Hazard Severity Zone
Hillside neighborhoods from the Santa Monica Mountains to the Verdugos sit in mapped fire zones, and CAL FIRE released updated maps covering the City of Los Angeles on March 24, 2025. In those zones the skylight, not just the roof covering, has to resist embers. California Building Code Chapter 7A (Section 708A.2.1 in the 2022 text) requires exterior windows and skylights to be one of four things: multipane glazing with at least one tempered pane, glass block, a unit with a 20-minute fire-resistance rating, or a unit tested to the State Fire Marshal's standard 12-7A-2. Section 708A.2.2 adds that an operable skylight needs a noncombustible mesh screen with openings no larger than 1/8 inch.
Before ordering a replacement in a mapped zone, ask the supplier which of those four paths the unit is listed under, and whether the screen is included if it opens. The reroof itself must also be Class A; the permits guide for Los Angeles roofs covers that side.
Repair or Replace, and What It Costs
Repair fits when the unit is sound and the leak traces to one fixable point, such as lifted flashing. Replace when the unit is original and aging, the glazing has yellowed or fogged, or repairs haven't held. VELUX says its own skylights can last 20 to 30 years; a plastic dome on a sunny roof usually gives out sooner.
| Work | Typical cost (national) |
|---|---|
| Replace like-for-like (same opening) | ~$800–$2,400 |
| New installation (cutting a new opening) | ~$1,600–$4,200 |
| Unit only, new installation | ~$150–$2,000 |
| Labor only, new installation | ~$1,200–$3,200 |
National averages from HomeGuide and HomeGuide's installation guide (2026); no Los Angeles-specific skylight range is published. Tile lifting, a fire-zone rated unit or a difficult roof will push a Los Angeles job toward the top. A swap into an existing opening runs roughly half the cost of a new one, per Sunsquare.
Curb-mounted or deck-mounted
A curb-mounted unit sits on a raised frame and costs $50 to $200 less for the unit, but the curb needs its own flashing. A deck-mounted unit sits flush and is the usual choice above a 3:12 pitch (Sunsquare). On a tile roof the choice is mostly settled by what is already there: matching the existing curb or frame keeps the flashing and tile work to a swap.
Cheapest way to fix a leaking skylight
Fix the flashing properly the first time. A sealant patch over failed flashing tends to fail within a season or two while the underlayment and decking underneath keep getting wet. The same logic applies to roof repair in Los Angeles generally. If the leak turns out to be the roof rather than the skylight, Roofing Los Angeles lists the wider repair and replacement options.
Permits: Same Opening or New Opening
The City of Los Angeles publishes a clear rule for windows and no separate one for skylights. LADBS's window-replacement page says its e-Permit system covers replacing windows with the same size, opening type and location, and that any change in size, type or location goes to plan check at a Construction Services Center. The LADBS Express Permit list names same-size window and door swaps and Class A or B reroofing but doesn't name skylights. Treat a like-for-like skylight swap as the simple case and a new opening, which changes size and location and means cutting into the roof, as a plan-check case, and confirm with LADBS before the work is scheduled.
LADBS covers only the City of Los Angeles. Pasadena, Glendale, Burbank, Santa Monica, Long Beach and the other separate building departments have their own counters. Reroofing more than 100 sq ft in the City needs a permit regardless; see the guide to roofing permits in Los Angeles.
Replace Skylights With the Roof
Trade guidance is to replace an original or aging skylight when the roof around it is replaced. It is guidance, not a code requirement. VELUX recommends syncing the two so the work and the warranties are coordinated. The practical reason is that a new roof is watertight everywhere except where it meets an old skylight, and that joint is where the next leak tends to start. Doing both at once also means the roofing around the opening is disturbed once, not twice, and the skylight has to meet the current energy and fire-zone rules anyway. If a reroof is coming, mention the skylight on the form so it is priced with the roof. For the roof side, see roof replacement cost in Los Angeles.
Skylight FAQs
Can you replace a skylight without replacing the roof?
Yes, but on a tile roof the tile around the opening still has to be lifted and reset, so it is more than a bolt-on swap. If only the glass has failed and the frame is sound, the 2025 Energy Code treats glass replaced in an existing sash and frame as a repair, provided the new glass performs at least as well as the original.
How long do skylights typically last?
VELUX says its skylights can last 20 to 30 years. Plastic domes tend to go sooner on a sunny roof: yellowing, brittleness and hairline cracks are the signs, and foggy glass in a sealed unit means the seal has failed.
Does homeowners insurance cover a leaking skylight?
Insurance generally covers sudden damage, such as a branch cracking the glazing, but not gradual wear like a sun-yellowed dome or a seal that has degraded over years. Photograph the damage before anything is moved and check your policy's roof provisions. The roof insurance guide covers how California claims usually go.
What should I do if my skylight is leaking right now?
Put a bucket under it, move furniture and valuables out of the way, and turn off power to any wet ceiling light. If the ceiling is bulging with water, puncture the lowest point with a screwdriver over a bucket so it drains instead of collapsing. Photograph everything for insurance. Don't caulk over it from the inside. Send the form and a roofer will reach out ASAP; the roofer tarps it first, then quotes the permanent repair.
Who do you call to fix a skylight?
For a leak, a roofing contractor, because the fix is usually flashing and the roofing around it. Look for an active C-39 roofing license and check the number at cslb.ca.gov before you sign.
Skylight leaking, aging, or due for a reroof?
Tell us the roof type, whether the skylight is curb or deck-mounted if you know, and what's going on. A good roofer shows you photos of the problem and writes up a scope, repair or replace, before any work starts.