In New Gloucester, the 2021 IRC is in force and 69% of the 2,256 homes were built before 2000. We replace and repair roofs here and inspect after storms, starting with a free, photographed inspection.
New Gloucester runs to about 47.1 square miles and roughly 5,766 people. It sits about 21 miles north of downtown Portland. The community dates back to 1774. We cover ZIP code 04260.
No completed roof in New Gloucester is logged in our job records yet.
That includes Upper Gloucester and Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village. Housing age and construction shift across New Gloucester, sometimes by decades within a few streets, which is why we look at the roof before we quote rather than after.
A farming town settled by families from Gloucester, Massachusetts, and home to Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, founded in 1783 and the last Shaker community still run by the Shakers themselves. The old town center is the New Gloucester Historic District.
Housing from this stretch in New Gloucester 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 2,256 homes in New Gloucester, with a median year built of 1991. 257 of them (11%) went up before 1940 — 51st of 64 places on this site for pre-1940 share — and 710 (31%) in 2000 or later. The 2000s were the busiest decade, adding 547 of today's homes (24%). That is below Cumberland County's 23%.
About 25 years is the usual useful life of a roof, by the figure in the Maine Bureau of Insurance's claims guide. On that yardstick the 1,546 homes in New Gloucester built before 2000 (69%) have outlived at least one roof, and the 494 built before 1970 (22%) are usually on a third covering or later. Homes from the 2000s (547 in New Gloucester) are reaching their first replacement, while the 163 built since 2010 are mostly still on the roof they were built with.
By building type: 1,568 detached houses (70%), 39 attached (2%). 439 homes (19%) sit in two- to nine-unit buildings. The count also takes in 182 mobile homes, which are a different kind of roof job. 83% of occupied homes are owner-occupied, 17% rented. With houses like these, the jobs we expect most are first replacements on 2000s builder-grade shingles, flat and low-slope sections, which turn up more on attached and multi-unit buildings and storm checks on newer roofs that look fine from the driveway.
| Built | Homes | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before 1940 | 257 | 11% | |
| 1940s | 133 | 6% | |
| 1950s | 72 | 3% | |
| 1960s | 32 | 1% | |
| 1970s | 301 | 13% | |
| 1980s | 283 | 13% | |
| 1990s | 468 | 21% | |
| 2000s | 547 | 24% | |
| 2010s | 76 | 3% | |
| 2020 or later | 87 | 4% |
Census ACS 2020–2024, tables B25034, B25035, B25024 and B25003: 2,256 homes, 2,087 occupied. Survey estimates.
NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center logged no reports of hail 1 inch or larger within 5 miles of New Gloucester’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.
New Gloucester's 'When do I need a permit?' handout says any new structure or change in structure needs a permit. It lists roofing, siding, window and door replacement and insulation as regular maintenance with no permit fee, and says maintenance that does not alter the structure needs no permit. The 2026 Zoning Ordinance, in its Historic Resource Overlay District section, states that all maintenance and repair work in New Gloucester requires a permit from the Code Enforcement Officer.
New Gloucester enforces the 2021 IRC. New Gloucester's Zoning Ordinance requires the Code Enforcement Officer to certify, before issuing a certificate of occupancy, that a building meets the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code (MUBEC). Since April 7, 2025, MUBEC is based on the 2021 International Residential Code.
The published number is 207-926-4126. The building official on record is Eric Cobb, 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 New Gloucester 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.
New Gloucester borders Gray, Raymond, Pownal, North Yarmouth, Poland and Auburn. Our pages for them:
Also in Cumberland County:
| Town | Re-roof permit | Code | Median built |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Gloucester | Not published | 2021 IRC | 1991 |
| Gray | Not published | 2021 IRC | 1983 |
| Raymond | No | 2021 IRC | 1976 |
| Pownal | Not published | 2021 IRC | 1971 |
| North Yarmouth | No | 2021 IRC | 1983 |
| Baldwin | Not published | Enforcement optional | 1979 |
| Bridgton | No | 2021 IRC | 1985 |
All 25 Cumberland County towns side by side →
New Gloucester's 'When do I need a permit?' handout says any new structure or change in structure needs a permit. It lists roofing, siding, window and door replacement and insulation as regular maintenance with no permit fee, and says maintenance that does not alter the structure needs no permit. The 2026 Zoning Ordinance, in its Historic Resource Overlay District section, states that all maintenance and repair work in New Gloucester requires a permit from the Code Enforcement Officer.
New Gloucester enforces the 2021 IRC. New Gloucester's Zoning Ordinance requires the Code Enforcement Officer to certify, before issuing a certificate of occupancy, that a building meets the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code (MUBEC). Since April 7, 2025, MUBEC is based on the 2021 International Residential Code.
Older than most people guess: the Census puts 69% of New Gloucester's homes before 2000 and 22% before 1970, with a median year built of 1991 (2020–2024 estimates). A roof usually lasts about 25 years, so the deck and the layers get checked before any quote.
The building official on record is Eric Cobb, Code Enforcement Officer. The department's own number is on this page, beside its name.
It can. New Gloucester has New Gloucester Historic District and Shaker Village. 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 New Gloucester 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.newgloucester.com · www.newgloucester.com · www.newgloucester.com · newgloucester.govoffice.com · www.newgloucester.com · www.newgloucester.com · newgloucestermecode.portal.iworq.net · www.maine.gov · en.wikipedia.org · 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.
