In North Berwick, the 2021 IRC is in force and the median home was built in 1983. We replace and repair roofs here and inspect after storms, starting with a free, photographed inspection.
North Berwick runs to about 38.0 square miles and roughly 5,129 people. It sits about 34 miles southwest of downtown Portland. The community dates back to 1831. We cover ZIP code 03906.
No completed roof in North Berwick is logged in our job records yet.
We work across North Berwick rather than one corner of it — North Berwick Village, Doughty Falls, Five Corners, Varney Crossing, Estes Hill and Bauneg Beg included. Age and construction change between them, which is why we look before we quote.
North Berwick, set off from Berwick in 1831, grew as a mill and railroad town on the Great Works River, where a woolen blanket mill was rebuilt in brick in 1862 after a fire. Bauneg Beg Mountain, 866 feet high, is the town's highest point.
Housing from this stretch in North Berwick 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 2,238 homes in North Berwick, with a median year built of 1983. 530 of them (24%) went up before 1940 — 11th of 64 places on this site for pre-1940 share — and 666 (30%) in 2000 or later. More of today's homes date from before 1940 than from any decade since. (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, 70% of North Berwick's homes — the 1,572 built before 2000 — are past their first roof; 770 of them (34%) predate 1970, old enough for two replacements already. The 326 homes from the 2000s are where first replacements come up now, while the 340 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.
By building type: 1,904 detached houses (85%), 0 attached (0%). 192 homes (9%) sit in two- to nine-unit buildings and 77 (3%) in buildings of ten units or more, where the roof is usually a landlord's or an association's decision. The count also takes in 65 mobile homes, which are a different kind of roof job. 1,797 of 2,026 occupied homes (89%) are lived in by their owners. Read together, those figures point toward deck and flashing checks on pre-war board sheathing, first replacements on 2000s builder-grade shingles and storm checks on newer roofs that look fine from the driveway.
| Built | Homes | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before 1940 | 530 | 24% | |
| 1940s | 66 | 3% | |
| 1950s | 76 | 3% | |
| 1960s | 98 | 4% | |
| 1970s | 239 | 11% | |
| 1980s | 411 | 18% | |
| 1990s | 152 | 7% | |
| 2000s | 326 | 15% | |
| 2010s | 319 | 14% | |
| 2020 or later | 21 | 1% |
Census ACS 2020–2024, tables B25034, B25035, B25024 and B25003: 2,238 homes, 2,026 occupied. Survey estimates.
NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center logged no reports of hail 1 inch or larger within 5 miles of North Berwick’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.
North Berwick has not published an answer on re-roof permits. The building department (207-676-3353) gets the question from us before work starts, and any permit it wants is part of our job.
North Berwick enforces the 2021 IRC. North Berwick's Code Enforcement page says the town's building code is the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code (MUBEC) and that all construction in town must meet it. That page still lists the 2015 IRC, IBC and IEBC with the 2015 energy code. The state moved MUBEC to the 2021 International Residential Code and other 2021 I-codes on April 7, 2025, for every town that enforces it. The town's 2026 building permit application says work must meet the most current zoning and MUBEC requirements.
The published number is 207-676-3353. The building official on record is Matt LeConte, Code Enforcement. The department page is here.
The design wind speed a roof in North Berwick 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.
North Berwick borders Berwick, South Berwick, Wells, Sanford and Lebanon. Our pages for them:
Also in York County:
| Town | Re-roof permit | Code | Median built |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Berwick | Not published | 2021 IRC | 1983 |
| Berwick | Not published | 2021 IRC | 1989 |
| South Berwick | No | 2021 IRC | 1982 |
| Wells | Not published | 2021 IRC | 1989 |
| Sanford | Not published | 2021 IRC | 1975 |
| Lebanon | Not published | 2021 IRC | 1989 |
| Acton | Not published | 2021 IRC | 1974 |
All 29 York County towns side by side →
North Berwick does not publish a clear answer either way. We confirm it with the building department before starting and pull whatever is required.
North Berwick enforces the 2021 IRC. North Berwick's Code Enforcement page says the town's building code is the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code (MUBEC) and that all construction in town must meet it. That page still lists the 2015 IRC, IBC and IEBC with the 2015 energy code. The state moved MUBEC to the 2021 International Residential Code and other 2021 I-codes on April 7, 2025, for every town that enforces it. The town's 2026 building permit application says work must meet the most current zoning and MUBEC requirements.
The Census Bureau's 2020–2024 estimates put the median year built at 1983: 24% of North Berwick's 2,238 homes predate 1940 and 30% were built in 2000 or later. At the usual 25-year roof life, 70% have needed at least one new roof already.
The building official on record is Matt LeConte, Code Enforcement. The department's own number is on this page, beside its name.
Not yet: no completed roof in North Berwick 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.townofnorthberwick.org · www.townofnorthberwick.org · www.townofnorthberwick.org · www.townofnorthberwick.org · www.townofnorthberwick.org · www.townofnorthberwick.org · www.townofnorthberwick.org · www.maine.gov · 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.
