Roofing for Cape Elizabeth homes: replacement, leaks and storm damage. In Cape Elizabeth, the 2021 IRC is in force and 93% of the 3,981 homes were built before 2000. Any permit the job needs is ours to pull.
Cape Elizabeth runs to about 14.9 square miles and roughly 9,606 people. It sits about 7 miles southeast of downtown Portland. The community dates back to 1765. We cover ZIP code 04107.
No completed roof in Cape Elizabeth is logged in our job records yet.
We work across Cape Elizabeth rather than one corner of it — Cape Cottage, Two Lights, Kettle Cove, Pond Cove, Shore Acres, Bowery Beach, Spurwink Shores, Oakhurst, Delano Park and Elizabeth Park included. Age and construction change between them, which is why we look before we quote.
An oceanfront town south of Portland Harbor, home to Portland Head Light, the oldest lighthouse in Maine, and three coastal parks: Fort Williams, Two Lights and Crescent Beach. South Portland split off in 1895 as the commercial and industrial north and the rural south grew apart, leaving Cape Elizabeth with the rural southern part.
The postwar housing in Cape Elizabeth is mostly simple to roof, which is why it gets done badly so often. Decking is usually 1x6 boards or early plywood, still sound but worth walking rather than assuming. The recurring problems are the low-slope sections — porch roofs, carport tie-ins, the flat bit over an addition — where a shingle was installed below its rated pitch and has been failing quietly ever since. Attic ventilation on houses of this era is also routinely short of what current shingle warranties require, and under-venting cooks a roof from underneath. We measure intake against exhaust before we quote rather than just nailing on a ridge vent and calling it solved.
The Census Bureau counts 3,981 homes in Cape Elizabeth, with a median year built of 1967. 769 of them (19%) went up before 1940 — 25th of 64 places on this site for pre-1940 share — and 294 (7%) in 2000 or later. More of today's homes date from before 1940 than from any decade since. Across Cumberland County the pre-1940 share is 23%, so Cape Elizabeth sits below it.
About 25 years is the usual useful life of a roof, by the figure in the Maine Bureau of Insurance's claims guide. By that measure, 93% of Cape Elizabeth's homes — the 3,687 built before 2000 — are past their first roof; 2,213 of them (56%) predate 1970, old enough for two replacements already. Homes from the 2000s (136 in Cape Elizabeth) are reaching their first replacement, while the 158 built since 2010 are mostly still on the roof they were built with. On houses that old, the question worth asking is how many layers are up there: a roof laid over an old one hides the deck.
By building type: 3,601 detached houses (90%), 234 attached (6%). 146 homes (4%) sit in two- to nine-unit buildings. 3,286 of 3,732 occupied homes (88%) are lived in by their owners. On a housing mix like this, the likely work is full tear-offs on houses past two roof lives and deck and flashing checks on pre-war board sheathing.
| Built | Homes | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before 1940 | 769 | 19% | |
| 1940s | 446 | 11% | |
| 1950s | 354 | 9% | |
| 1960s | 644 | 16% | |
| 1970s | 413 | 10% | |
| 1980s | 518 | 13% | |
| 1990s | 543 | 14% | |
| 2000s | 136 | 3% | |
| 2010s | 114 | 3% | |
| 2020 or later | 44 | 1% |
Census ACS 2020–2024, tables B25034, B25035, B25024 and B25003: 3,981 homes, 3,732 occupied. Survey estimates.
NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center logged no reports of hail 1 inch or larger within 5 miles of Cape Elizabeth’s center from 2016 through 2025. That is a gap in the reports rather than proof that no hail fell: reports come from spotters and the public.
The Town's Code Enforcement FAQ says a building permit is required for construction, structural alteration, enlargement or relocation of a building, but permits are not required for ordinary repairs that do not cut away walls, remove or cut structural beams or bearing supports, or change required exits, "nor is a permit required for the replacement of siding and/or roofing.".
Cape Elizabeth enforces the 2021 IRC. The Town's Code Enforcement FAQ lists the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code (MUBEC) effective April 7, 2025: the 2021 International Building Code, 2021 International Existing Building Code, 2021 International Residential Code and 2021 International Energy Conservation Code. Chapter 6 of the Town Code (Construction Code) also carries local amendments, including the Town's own climatic and geographic design criteria table.
The published number is 207-799-1619. The building official on record is Benjamin McDougal, Code Enforcement Officer. The department page is here.
Design wind here is set by location, not one figure for the whole area: across greater Portland and southern Maine the published ultimate design wind speeds run 115–120 mph, depending on where a house stands. The building department for Cape Elizabeth can tell you which figure applies. Ground snow load is set for each address, not one figure for the whole area: the published figures here run 50–70 psf. What it does to a roof is in the roofing code guide.
Cape Elizabeth borders South Portland, Scarborough, Portland, Atlantic Ocean and Casco Bay. Our pages for them:
Also in Cumberland County:
| Town | Re-roof permit | Code | Median built |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Elizabeth | No | 2021 IRC | 1967 |
| South Portland | Not published | 2021 IRC | 1968 |
| Scarborough | Not published | 2021 IRC | 1988 |
| Portland | No | 2021 IRC | 1946 |
| Baldwin | Not published | Enforcement optional | 1979 |
| Bridgton | No | 2021 IRC | 1985 |
| Brunswick | No | 2021 IRC | 1982 |
All 25 Cumberland County towns side by side →
The Town's Code Enforcement FAQ says a building permit is required for construction, structural alteration, enlargement or relocation of a building, but permits are not required for ordinary repairs that do not cut away walls, remove or cut structural beams or bearing supports, or change required exits, "nor is a permit required for the replacement of siding and/or roofing.".
Cape Elizabeth enforces the 2021 IRC. The Town's Code Enforcement FAQ lists the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code (MUBEC) effective April 7, 2025: the 2021 International Building Code, 2021 International Existing Building Code, 2021 International Residential Code and 2021 International Energy Conservation Code. Chapter 6 of the Town Code (Construction Code) also carries local amendments, including the Town's own climatic and geographic design criteria table.
The Census Bureau's 2020–2024 estimates put the median year built at 1967: 19% of Cape Elizabeth's 3,981 homes predate 1940 and 7% were built in 2000 or later. At the usual 25-year roof life, 93% have needed at least one new roof already.
The building official on record is Benjamin McDougal, Code Enforcement Officer. The department's own number is on this page, beside its name.
Not yet: no completed roof in Cape Elizabeth 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.capeelizabeth.gov · www.capeelizabeth.gov · www.capeelizabeth.gov · www.capeelizabeth.gov · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · www.zip-codes.com · tigerweb.geo.census.gov · data.census.gov · www.spc.noaa.gov. Rules and staff change; check with the jurisdiction.
