Roofing for Newfield homes: replacement, leaks and storm damage. In Newfield, the 2021 IRC is in force and 10% of the 1,170 homes went up before 1940. Any permit the job needs is ours to pull.
Newfield runs to about 32.3 square miles and roughly 1,580 people. It sits about 31 miles west of downtown Portland. The community dates back to 1794. We cover ZIP codes 04095 and 04056.
No completed roof in Newfield is logged in our job records yet.
We work across Newfield rather than one corner of it — Newfield Village, West Newfield, Willowbrook, Shady Nook, Mee Corners, Stevens Corner and Sprague City included. Age and construction change between them, which is why we look before we quote.
Newfield is a small town of hills and ponds on the Little Ossipee River, incorporated in 1794, whose village once ran gristmills, sawmills and a carding mill on the river. It was heavily damaged by the Great Fires of 1947, and Province Mountain, at 1,176 feet, is its highest point.
Housing from this stretch in Newfield 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 1,170 homes in Newfield, with a median year built of 1977. 120 of them (10%) went up before 1940 — 54th of 64 places on this site for pre-1940 share — and 256 (22%) in 2000 or later. The 1970s were the busiest decade, adding 233 of today's homes (20%). (York County as a whole: 20% before 1940.)
The Maine Bureau of Insurance's claims guide puts the useful life of a roof at usually about 25 years. By that measure, 78% of Newfield's homes — the 914 built before 2000 — are past their first roof; 424 of them (36%) predate 1970, old enough for two replacements already. Homes from the 2000s (159 in Newfield) are reaching their first replacement, while the 97 built since 2010 are mostly still on the roof they were built with. Older houses are where a second layer laid over the first turns up, and that layer is what hides soft decking.
92% of homes in Newfield are single-family detached houses (1,081) and 4% attached ones such as townhouses (47). 12 homes (1%) sit in two- to nine-unit buildings. 97% of occupied homes are owner-occupied, 3% rented. With houses like these, the jobs we expect most are first replacements on 2000s builder-grade shingles.
| Built | Homes | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before 1940 | 120 | 10% | |
| 1940s | 74 | 6% | |
| 1950s | 101 | 9% | |
| 1960s | 129 | 11% | |
| 1970s | 233 | 20% | |
| 1980s | 172 | 15% | |
| 1990s | 85 | 7% | |
| 2000s | 159 | 14% | |
| 2010s | 93 | 8% | |
| 2020 or later | 4 | 0% |
Census ACS 2020–2024, tables B25034, B25035, B25024 and B25003: 1,170 homes, 707 occupied. Survey estimates.
NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center logged one report of hail 1 inch or larger within 5 miles of Newfield’s center from 2016 through 2025. The stone was 1 inch, on June 28, 2020, about 1.7 miles west 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 that is worth having.
Newfield's building permit fee worksheet (April 1, 2025) says that outside the shoreland area no permit is required for roofing, general maintenance, repairs, siding, painting or same-opening window replacement. Projects in the shoreland area need a site visit and pre-approved bench marks, so check with the Code Enforcement Officer before roofing work on shoreland property.
Newfield enforces the 2021 IRC. Newfield voters adopted the Maine Uniform Building Code (MUBC), the building code part of MUBEC, on March 9, 2013, retroactive to September 28, 2011. The town did not adopt the energy code part. The 2013 ordinance listed the 2009 International Residential, Building and Existing Building Codes; since April 7, 2025 the state code is based on the 2021 editions. With 1,648 residents in the 2020 Census, Newfield is not required to enforce the code under state law, and has chosen to.
The published number is 207-608-2544. The building official on record is Norman Hutchins, Code Enforcement Officer. The department page is here.
The design wind speed a roof in Newfield 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.
Newfield borders Parsonsfield, Limerick, Waterboro, Shapleigh, Acton and Wakefield, New Hampshire. Our pages for them:
Also in York County:
| Town | Re-roof permit | Code | Median built |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newfield | No | 2021 IRC | 1977 |
| Parsonsfield | Not published | Enforcement optional | 1977 |
| Limerick | No | 2021 IRC | 1994 |
| Waterboro | Not published | 2021 IRC | 1983 |
| Shapleigh | Not published | 2021 IRC | 1980 |
| Acton | Not published | 2021 IRC | 1974 |
| Alfred | Conditional | 2021 IRC | 1983 |
All 29 York County towns side by side →
Newfield's building permit fee worksheet (April 1, 2025) says that outside the shoreland area no permit is required for roofing, general maintenance, repairs, siding, painting or same-opening window replacement. Projects in the shoreland area need a site visit and pre-approved bench marks, so check with the Code Enforcement Officer before roofing work on shoreland property.
Newfield enforces the 2021 IRC. Newfield voters adopted the Maine Uniform Building Code (MUBC), the building code part of MUBEC, on March 9, 2013, retroactive to September 28, 2011. The town did not adopt the energy code part. The 2013 ordinance listed the 2009 International Residential, Building and Existing Building Codes; since April 7, 2025 the state code is based on the 2021 editions. With 1,648 residents in the 2020 Census, Newfield is not required to enforce the code under state law, and has chosen to.
The Census Bureau's 2020–2024 estimates put the median year built at 1977: 10% of Newfield's 1,170 homes predate 1940 and 22% were built in 2000 or later. At the usual 25-year roof life, 78% have needed at least one new roof already.
The only report near Newfield of hail 1 inch or bigger since 2016 came on June 28, 2020, in NOAA's records within 5 miles.
The building official on record is Norman Hutchins, Code Enforcement Officer. The department's own number is on this page, beside its name.
It can. Newfield has Newfield (Willowbrook) 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 Newfield 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.newfieldme.org · www.newfieldme.org · www.newfieldme.org · www.newfieldme.org · www.newfieldme.org · www.newfieldme.org · www.maine.gov · legislature.maine.gov · www2.census.gov · 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.
