Roof replacement, leak repair and storm damage for homes in Kennebunkport. In Kennebunkport, the 2021 IRC is in force and 75% of the 2,907 homes were built before 2000. It starts with a free inspection that photographs every slope.
Kennebunkport runs to about 20.6 square miles and roughly 3,684 people. It sits about 22 miles southwest of downtown Portland. The community dates back to 1653. We cover ZIP codes 04046 and 04014.
No completed roof in Kennebunkport is logged in our job records yet.
The Ocean Avenue summer colony is known for well-preserved early-20th-century shingle-style cottages.
We work across Kennebunkport rather than one corner of it — Dock Square, Cape Porpoise, Goose Rocks Beach, Cape Arundel, Walker's Point, Turbats Creek, Wildes District, Burbank Hill, Town House Corners and Goat Island included. Age and construction change between them, which is why we look before we quote.
Kennebunkport began as a shipbuilding and fishing town on the Kennebunk River and has been a summer colony since the 1870s; the Cape Arundel Summer Colony Historic District along Ocean Avenue holds many well-preserved shingle-style cottages from the early 1900s. Its shore from Cape Arundel to Cape Porpoise and Goose Rocks Beach faces the open Atlantic, and much of the housing near Goose Rocks Beach was rebuilt after the Great Fires of 1947.
Housing from this stretch in Kennebunkport 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.
The Census Bureau counts 2,907 homes in Kennebunkport, with a median year built of 1982. 380 of them (13%) went up before 1940 — 46th of 64 places on this site for pre-1940 share — and 737 (25%) in 2000 or later. The 1980s were the busiest decade, adding 422 of today's homes (15%). Across York County the pre-1940 share is 20%, so Kennebunkport sits below it.
The Maine Bureau of Insurance's claims guide puts the useful life of a roof at usually about 25 years. On that yardstick the 2,170 homes in Kennebunkport built before 2000 (75%) have outlived at least one roof, and 34% (982 homes) go back before 1970, two roof lives and more. The 322 homes from the 2000s are where first replacements come up now, while the 415 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.
90% of homes in Kennebunkport are single-family detached houses (2,608) and 3% attached ones such as townhouses (82). 156 homes (5%) sit in two- to nine-unit buildings and 48 (2%) in buildings of ten units or more, where the roof is usually a landlord's or an association's decision. 1,504 of 1,847 occupied homes (81%) are lived in by their owners. With houses like these, the jobs we expect most are replacements on roofs from the 1970s to the 1990s.
| Built | Homes | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before 1940 | 380 | 13% | |
| 1940s | 108 | 4% | |
| 1950s | 359 | 12% | |
| 1960s | 135 | 5% | |
| 1970s | 398 | 14% | |
| 1980s | 422 | 15% | |
| 1990s | 368 | 13% | |
| 2000s | 322 | 11% | |
| 2010s | 335 | 12% | |
| 2020 or later | 80 | 3% |
Census ACS 2020–2024, tables B25034, B25035, B25024 and B25003: 2,907 homes, 1,847 occupied. Survey estimates.
NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center logged no reports of hail 1 inch or larger within 5 miles of Kennebunkport’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.
Kennebunkport's Land Use Ordinance (Section 240-11.3) says normal maintenance, repairs, re-roofing, re-siding and decorative changes do not require a permit. The town's FAQ answers 'Do I need a permit to replace my roof or siding?' with 'No', but adds that if structural repairs are needed to finish the roof or siding, a building permit is required. Residential renovation permits cost $14 per $1,000 of estimated project cost, with a $40 minimum, and fees are doubled when work starts before a permit is issued.
Kennebunkport enforces the 2021 IRC. Kennebunkport's Land Use Ordinance (Section 240-6.18) says the town adopts and enforces the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code, with the Code Enforcement Officer as the building official who issues building permits and certificates of occupancy. Since April 7, 2025 that code is based on the 2021 International Residential Code. With 3,629 residents in the 2020 Census, Kennebunkport is not required to enforce the code under state law, and has chosen to.
The published number is 207-967-1605. The building official on record is Mike Demers, Code Enforcement Officer. The department page is here.
Wind design changes with location across greater Portland and southern Maine: the published ultimate design wind speeds run 115–120 mph, and the building department can say which figure applies to a given address. Ground snow load is set for each address, not one figure for the whole area: the published figures here run 50–70 psf. See the roofing code guide for what it governs.
Kennebunkport borders Biddeford, Arundel, Kennebunk, Kennebunk River and Atlantic Ocean. Our pages for them:
Also in York County:
| Town | Re-roof permit | Code | Median built |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kennebunkport | No | 2021 IRC | 1982 |
| Biddeford | Not published | 2021 IRC | 1952 |
| Arundel | Not published | 2021 IRC | 1992 |
| Kennebunk | Not published | 2021 IRC | 1983 |
| Acton | Not published | 2021 IRC | 1974 |
| Alfred | Conditional | 2021 IRC | 1983 |
| Berwick | Not published | 2021 IRC | 1989 |
All 29 York County towns side by side →
Kennebunkport's Land Use Ordinance (Section 240-11.3) says normal maintenance, repairs, re-roofing, re-siding and decorative changes do not require a permit. The town's FAQ answers 'Do I need a permit to replace my roof or siding?' with 'No', but adds that if structural repairs are needed to finish the roof or siding, a building permit is required. Residential renovation permits cost $14 per $1,000 of estimated project cost, with a $40 minimum, and fees are doubled when work starts before a permit is issued.
Kennebunkport enforces the 2021 IRC. Kennebunkport's Land Use Ordinance (Section 240-6.18) says the town adopts and enforces the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code, with the Code Enforcement Officer as the building official who issues building permits and certificates of occupancy. Since April 7, 2025 that code is based on the 2021 International Residential Code. With 3,629 residents in the 2020 Census, Kennebunkport is not required to enforce the code under state law, and has chosen to.
Median year built 1982, by the Census Bureau's 2020–2024 estimates. Of 2,907 homes, 2,170 were built before 2000 and 380 before 1940, so most roofs in Kennebunkport are not the first one the house has had.
The building official on record is Mike Demers, Code Enforcement Officer. The department's own number is on this page, beside its name.
It can. Kennebunkport has Kennebunkport Historic District and Cape Arundel Summer Colony 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 Kennebunkport 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.kennebunkportme.gov · www.kennebunkportme.gov · www.kennebunkportme.gov · www.kennebunkportme.gov · www.kennebunkportme.gov · ecode360.com · ecode360.com · ecode360.com · ecode360.com · www.kennebunkportme.gov · legislature.maine.gov · www2.census.gov · en.wikipedia.org · 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.
