Apply CSSB grading rules and fire-code restrictions when specifying a wood shake or shingle roof

Steps

1. Confirm the wood shakes/shingles carry a current Cedar Shake & Shingle Bureau (CSSB) Certi-label grade stamp (Certi-Split/Certi-Sawn for shakes, Certigrade for shingles) rather than assuming ungraded or unlabeled wood roofing meets code.
2. Identify the grade (premium, #1, #2, or #3 for shakes; similarly graded for shingles) required by the project specification or local code amendment, since lower grades may be restricted to non-visible or secondary applications.
3. Check whether the jurisdiction is in a wildfire-prone area (WUI) requiring a Class A fire-rated roof assembly — if so, confirm the specific wood shake/shingle assembly (which typically achieves Class A only through an approved fire-retardant treatment or a listed underlayment/fire-barrier assembly, not the raw wood product alone) has a current listing for that rating.
4. Confirm the local jurisdiction actually permits wood shake/shingle roofing at all in the applicable wildfire or fire-zone overlay, since some high-fire-hazard jurisdictions prohibit wood roofing outright regardless of fire-rated assemblies.
5. Verify spacing/battens, interlayment felt, and ventilation details match the CSSB installation specification for the specific product and slope, since wood roofing performance (and often the fire-rated assembly's listing) depends on the full assembly, not the shakes alone.