Roofing for Alfred homes: replacement, leaks and storm damage. In Alfred, the 2021 IRC is in force and 71% of the 1,400 homes were built before 2000. Any permit the job needs is ours to pull.
Alfred runs to about 27.3 square miles and roughly 3,125 people. It sits about 27 miles southwest of downtown Portland. The community dates back to 1808. We cover ZIP code 04002.
No completed roof in Alfred is logged in our job records yet.
We work across Alfred rather than one corner of it — Alfred Village, Alfred Mills, North Alfred and Shaker Hill included. Age and construction change between them, which is why we look before we quote.
Alfred has been the county seat of York County since 1806, and its village center is the Alfred Historic District, with 48 houses along the Kennebunk and Saco roads. The Alfred Shaker Historic District on Shaker Hill and part of the Massabesic Experimental Forest are also in town, and the Great Fires of 1947 burned 4,500 acres of its woodland and two homes.
Housing from this stretch in Alfred sits on plywood or OSB decking and was largely first roofed with three-tab shingles. Most are on their second covering by now. The things worth checking are the penetrations rather than the field: pipe boots from this era are the single most common leak we trace, because the rubber collar splits long before the shingles wear out. Ridge venting was inconsistent through these years, and OSB that has been damp for a season goes soft in a way plywood does not — you find it with your feet, not from the ground.
By the Census Bureau's estimate there are 1,400 homes in Alfred, with a median year built of 1983. 262 of them (19%) went up before 1940 — 28th of 64 places on this site for pre-1940 share — and 404 (29%) in 2000 or later. More of today's homes date from before 1940 than from any decade since. (York County as a whole: 20% before 1940.)
The rule of thumb in the Maine Bureau of Insurance's claims guide is a useful life of usually about 25 years for a roof. That puts 996 homes in Alfred, the 71% built before 2000, past at least one full roof life; 404 of them (29%) predate 1970, old enough for two replacements already. Homes from the 2000s (232 in Alfred) are reaching their first replacement, while the 172 built since 2010 are mostly still on the roof they were built with. At that age it pays to know whether the last roof was torn off or laid over the one before it, because a second layer hides the deck.
By building type: 1,029 detached houses (74%), 0 attached (0%). 208 homes (15%) sit in two- to nine-unit buildings. The count also takes in 163 mobile homes, which are a different kind of roof job. 82% of occupied homes are owner-occupied, 18% rented. On a housing mix like this, the likely work is deck and flashing checks on pre-war board sheathing, first replacements on 2000s builder-grade shingles and flat and low-slope sections, which turn up more on attached and multi-unit buildings.
| Built | Homes | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before 1940 | 262 | 19% | |
| 1940s | 19 | 1% | |
| 1950s | 15 | 1% | |
| 1960s | 108 | 8% | |
| 1970s | 242 | 17% | |
| 1980s | 165 | 12% | |
| 1990s | 185 | 13% | |
| 2000s | 232 | 17% | |
| 2010s | 127 | 9% | |
| 2020 or later | 45 | 3% |
Census ACS 2020–2024, tables B25034, B25035, B25024 and B25003: 1,400 homes, 1,215 occupied. Survey estimates.
NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center logged 2 reports of hail 1 inch or larger within 5 miles of Alfred’s center from 2016 through 2025, on 2 different days. None was 1.75 inches or larger. The largest, 1.5 inches, came on July 14, 2020, about 4 miles southwest of the center. Counts follow people as much as storms, since every report is a spotter’s or a resident’s.
A bruised shingle can look fine for a season or two, which is why a storm inspection after a date like these is worth having.
Alfred's code enforcement page lists replacement roofing as an exception to the building permit rule, as long as no structural changes to the building are needed. The same page says the Code Enforcement Officer must be consulted before starting this type of work. Work that alters or repairs the structure itself falls under the general rule and needs a building permit first.
Alfred enforces the 2021 IRC. Alfred adopted the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code (MUBEC) at its March 31, 2012 town meeting, together with any later changes to it (Chapter 88 of the Code of the Town of Alfred). The town's building permit application still names the 2015 edition of MUBEC. Since April 7, 2025, MUBEC is based on the 2021 International Residential Code and the other 2021 I-codes. With 3,073 residents in the 2020 Census, Alfred is not required to enforce the code under state law, and has chosen to.
The published number is 207-324-5872. The building official on record is Steve Fortier, Code Enforcement Officer. The department page is here.
The design wind speed a roof in Alfred is built to depends on where the house stands: across greater Portland and southern Maine the published ultimate design wind speeds run 115–120 mph. Ground snow load is set for each address, not one figure for the whole area: the published figures here run 50–70 psf. The building department can confirm the figure, and the code guide explains what it governs.
Alfred borders Sanford, Kennebunk, Lyman, Waterboro and Shapleigh. Our pages for them:
Also in York County:
| Town | Re-roof permit | Code | Median built |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alfred | Conditional | 2021 IRC | 1983 |
| Sanford | Not published | 2021 IRC | 1975 |
| Kennebunk | Not published | 2021 IRC | 1983 |
| Lyman | No | 2021 IRC | 1979 |
| Waterboro | Not published | 2021 IRC | 1983 |
| Shapleigh | Not published | 2021 IRC | 1980 |
| Acton | Not published | 2021 IRC | 1974 |
All 29 York County towns side by side →
Alfred's code enforcement page lists replacement roofing as an exception to the building permit rule, as long as no structural changes to the building are needed. The same page says the Code Enforcement Officer must be consulted before starting this type of work. Work that alters or repairs the structure itself falls under the general rule and needs a building permit first.
Alfred enforces the 2021 IRC. Alfred adopted the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code (MUBEC) at its March 31, 2012 town meeting, together with any later changes to it (Chapter 88 of the Code of the Town of Alfred). The town's building permit application still names the 2015 edition of MUBEC. Since April 7, 2025, MUBEC is based on the 2021 International Residential Code and the other 2021 I-codes. With 3,073 residents in the 2020 Census, Alfred is not required to enforce the code under state law, and has chosen to.
Older than most people guess: the Census puts 71% of Alfred's homes before 2000 and 29% before 1970, with a median year built of 1983 (2020–2024 estimates). A roof usually lasts about 25 years, so the deck and the layers get checked before any quote.
Yes. The most recent report of hail 1 inch or larger within 5 miles of Alfred's center was 1.5 inches on July 14, 2020, one of 2 such reports from 2016 through 2025.
The building official on record is Steve Fortier, Code Enforcement Officer. The department's own number is on this page, beside its name.
It can. Alfred has Alfred Historic District and Alfred Shaker Historic District. Inside a designated district, changing a visible roof material or color can need preservation review before the permit is issued. Like-for-like replacement usually raises fewer questions, but we check before quoting.
Not yet: no completed roof in Alfred is in our job records, so this page shows no job count.
Researched 2026-10-24; housing, Census ACS 2020–2024; hail, NOAA SPC. Sources: www.alfredme.gov · www.alfredme.gov · www.alfredme.gov · ecode360.com · ecode360.com · ecode360.com · ecode360.com · www.maine.gov · legislature.maine.gov · www2.census.gov · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · www2.census.gov · www2.census.gov · prd-tnm.s3.amazonaws.com · data.census.gov · www.spc.noaa.gov. Rules and staff change; check with the jurisdiction.
