Roofing for Lebanon homes: replacement, leaks and storm damage. In Lebanon, the 2021 IRC is in force and 14% of the 2,693 homes went up before 1940. Any permit the job needs is ours to pull.
Lebanon runs to about 55.0 square miles and roughly 6,629 people. It sits about 37 miles southwest of downtown Portland. The community dates back to 1767. We cover ZIP code 04027.
No completed roof in Lebanon is logged in our job records yet.
We work across Lebanon rather than one corner of it — Center Lebanon, West Lebanon, North Lebanon, South Lebanon, East Lebanon, Blaisdell Corners and Fernald Shore included. Age and construction change between them, which is why we look before we quote.
Lebanon, incorporated in 1767, is the westernmost town in Maine and runs along the Salmon Falls River on the New Hampshire line. Its villages are Center, East, North, South and West Lebanon, and four sawmills, three gristmills and a tannery once ran on the Salmon Falls and Little rivers.
From this stretch of building, houses in Lebanon sit on plywood or OSB, were first roofed in three-tab shingles, and are mostly on their second roof now. Trouble tends to be at the penetrations rather than across the field: the rubber collar on a pipe boot splits years before the shingles give out, and it is the leak we trace most often. Ridge vents were hit and miss in these decades, and OSB that stays damp for a season softens in a way plywood does not, something you feel underfoot rather than see from the yard.
By the Census Bureau's estimate there are 2,693 homes in Lebanon, with a median year built of 1989. 372 of them (14%) went up before 1940 — 44th of 64 places on this site for pre-1940 share — and 752 (28%) in 2000 or later. The 2000s were the busiest decade, adding 585 of today's homes (22%). Across York County the pre-1940 share is 20%, so Lebanon sits below it.
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. On that yardstick the 1,941 homes in Lebanon built before 2000 (72%) have outlived at least one roof; 572 of them (21%) predate 1970, old enough for two replacements already. The 585 homes from the 2000s are where first replacements come up now, while the 167 built since 2010 are mostly still on the roof they were built with.
83% of homes in Lebanon are single-family detached houses (2,240) and 0% attached ones such as townhouses (0). 54 homes (2%) sit in two- to nine-unit buildings. The count also takes in 399 mobile homes, which are a different kind of roof job. Owners live in 97% of the 2,624 occupied homes. On a housing mix like this, the likely work is first replacements on 2000s builder-grade shingles.
| Built | Homes | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before 1940 | 372 | 14% | |
| 1940s | 40 | 1% | |
| 1950s | 78 | 3% | |
| 1960s | 82 | 3% | |
| 1970s | 367 | 14% | |
| 1980s | 464 | 17% | |
| 1990s | 538 | 20% | |
| 2000s | 585 | 22% | |
| 2010s | 150 | 6% | |
| 2020 or later | 17 | 1% |
Census ACS 2020–2024, tables B25034, B25035, B25024 and B25003: 2,693 homes, 2,624 occupied. Survey estimates.
NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center logged no reports of hail 1 inch or larger within 5 miles of Lebanon’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.
Nothing Lebanon publishes says whether a like-for-like re-roof needs a permit. We call the department (207-457-6082) before the job and pull whatever is required.
Lebanon enforces the 2021 IRC. Lebanon posts its own Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code Administrative Ordinance, and with 6,469 residents in the 2020 Census the town is required by state law to enforce that code, which has been based on the 2021 International Residential Code since April 7, 2025.
The published number is 207-457-6082. The building official on record is Rod Furbush, 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 Lebanon 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.
Lebanon borders Acton, Sanford, Berwick, North Berwick, Milton, New Hampshire and Rochester, New Hampshire. Our pages for them:
Also in York County:
| Town | Re-roof permit | Code | Median built |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lebanon | Not published | 2021 IRC | 1989 |
| Acton | Not published | 2021 IRC | 1974 |
| Sanford | Not published | 2021 IRC | 1975 |
| Berwick | Not published | 2021 IRC | 1989 |
| North Berwick | Not published | 2021 IRC | 1983 |
| Alfred | Conditional | 2021 IRC | 1983 |
| Arundel | Not published | 2021 IRC | 1992 |
All 29 York County towns side by side →
Lebanon does not publish a clear answer either way. We confirm it with the building department before starting and pull whatever is required.
Lebanon enforces the 2021 IRC. Lebanon posts its own Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code Administrative Ordinance, and with 6,469 residents in the 2020 Census the town is required by state law to enforce that code, which has been based on the 2021 International Residential Code since April 7, 2025.
The Census Bureau's 2020–2024 estimates put the median year built at 1989: 14% of Lebanon's 2,693 homes predate 1940 and 28% were built in 2000 or later. At the usual 25-year roof life, 72% have needed at least one new roof already.
The building official on record is Rod Furbush, Code Enforcement Officer. The department's own number is on this page, beside its name.
It can. Lebanon has West Lebanon 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 Lebanon 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.lebanon-me.org · web.archive.org · web.archive.org · web.archive.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · www2.census.gov · 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.
