In North Yarmouth, 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 Yarmouth runs to about 21.2 square miles and roughly 4,240 people. It sits about 13 miles north of downtown Portland. The community dates back to 1680. We cover ZIP code 04097.
No completed roof in North Yarmouth is logged in our job records yet.
That includes Walnut Hill. Housing age and construction shift across North Yarmouth, sometimes by decades within a few streets, which is why we look at the roof before we quote rather than after.
An inland town north of Yarmouth whose one named village is Walnut Hill. Chartered in 1680, it once took in the land of today's Yarmouth, Cumberland, Freeport, Pownal and Harpswell, which split off between 1750 and 1849.
From this stretch of building, houses in North Yarmouth 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 1,612 homes in North Yarmouth, with a median year built of 1983. 205 of them (13%) went up before 1940 — 45th of 64 places on this site for pre-1940 share — and 365 (23%) in 2000 or later. The 1980s were the busiest decade, adding 285 of today's homes (18%). Across Cumberland County the pre-1940 share is 23%, so North Yarmouth 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. By that measure, 77% of North Yarmouth's homes — the 1,247 built before 2000 — are past their first roof, and the 464 built before 1970 (29%) are usually on a third covering or later. The 117 homes from the 2000s are where first replacements come up now, while the 248 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.
Detached single-family houses make up 94% (1,520); attached houses and townhouses 1% (17). 75 homes (5%) sit in two- to nine-unit buildings. 87% of occupied homes are owner-occupied, 13% rented. On a housing mix like this, the likely work is replacements on roofs from the 1970s to the 1990s.
| Built | Homes | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before 1940 | 205 | 13% | |
| 1940s | 39 | 2% | |
| 1950s | 91 | 6% | |
| 1960s | 129 | 8% | |
| 1970s | 259 | 16% | |
| 1980s | 285 | 18% | |
| 1990s | 239 | 15% | |
| 2000s | 117 | 7% | |
| 2010s | 126 | 8% | |
| 2020 or later | 122 | 8% |
Census ACS 2020–2024, tables B25034, B25035, B25024 and B25003: 1,612 homes, 1,549 occupied. Survey estimates.
NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center logged no reports of hail 1 inch or larger within 5 miles of North Yarmouth’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.
The town's Code Enforcement FAQ says: "If there are no structural changes, you do not need a building permit." Roof work that changes the structure needs one, and every permit carries a $25 administrative fee.
North Yarmouth enforces the 2021 IRC. State law requires every Maine town of more than 4,000 people to enforce the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code, and North Yarmouth had 4,072 residents in the 2020 Census. Since April 7, 2025 that code is based on the 2021 International Residential Code.
The published number is 207-829-3705. The building official on record is Mark Stambach, 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.
North Yarmouth borders Cumberland, Yarmouth, Pownal, Gray and New Gloucester. Our pages for them:
Also in Cumberland County:
| Town | Re-roof permit | Code | Median built |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Yarmouth | No | 2021 IRC | 1983 |
| Cumberland | Not published | 2021 IRC | 1984 |
| Yarmouth | Not published | 2021 IRC | 1973 |
| Pownal | Not published | 2021 IRC | 1971 |
| Gray | Not published | 2021 IRC | 1983 |
| New Gloucester | Not published | 2021 IRC | 1991 |
| Baldwin | Not published | Enforcement optional | 1979 |
All 25 Cumberland County towns side by side →
The town's Code Enforcement FAQ says: "If there are no structural changes, you do not need a building permit." Roof work that changes the structure needs one, and every permit carries a $25 administrative fee.
North Yarmouth enforces the 2021 IRC. State law requires every Maine town of more than 4,000 people to enforce the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code, and North Yarmouth had 4,072 residents in the 2020 Census. Since April 7, 2025 that code is based on the 2021 International Residential Code.
The Census Bureau's 2020–2024 estimates put the median year built at 1983: 13% of North Yarmouth's 1,612 homes predate 1940 and 23% were built in 2000 or later. At the usual 25-year roof life, 77% have needed at least one new roof already.
The building official on record is Mark Stambach, Code Enforcement Officer. The department's own number is on this page, beside its name.
Not yet: no completed roof in North Yarmouth 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.northyarmouth.org · www.northyarmouth.org · www.northyarmouth.org · www.northyarmouth.org · www.northyarmouth.org · www.northyarmouth.org · www.northyarmouth.org · legislature.maine.gov · www2.census.gov · 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.
