In Parsonsfield, 75% of the 1,081 homes were built before 2000. We replace and repair roofs here and inspect after storms, starting with a free, photographed inspection.
Parsonsfield runs to about 58.9 square miles and roughly 1,715 people. It sits about 32 miles west of downtown Portland. The community dates back to 1785. We cover ZIP codes 04047 and 04028.
No completed roof in Parsonsfield is logged in our job records yet.
We work across Parsonsfield rather than one corner of it — Kezar Falls, Parsonsfield, North Parsonsfield, East Parsonsfield, South Parsonsfield and Maplewood included. Age and construction change between them, which is why we look before we quote.
Parsonsfield, in the far northwest corner of York County, is a hilly town whose average elevation is about 1,000 feet, with the villages of Kezar Falls and North, East and South Parsonsfield. Kezar Falls grew around a woolen mill on the Ossipee River and straddles the line with Porter, and the Federal-style Blazo-Leavitt House dates from 1812.
Housing from this stretch in Parsonsfield 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 1,081 homes in Parsonsfield, with a median year built of 1977. 273 of them (25%) went up before 1940 — 9th of 64 places on this site for pre-1940 share — and 270 (25%) 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.)
About 25 years is the usual useful life of a roof, by the figure in the Maine Bureau of Insurance's claims guide. By that measure, 75% of Parsonsfield's homes — the 811 built before 2000 — are past their first roof, and 37% (405 homes) go back before 1970, two roof lives and more. First replacements are arriving on the 159 homes built in the 2000s, while the 111 built since 2010 are mostly still on the roof they were built with. On houses that old, the question worth asking is how many layers are up there: a roof laid over an old one hides the deck.
Detached single-family houses make up 83% (895); attached houses and townhouses 0% (0). 35 homes (3%) sit in two- to nine-unit buildings. The count also takes in 144 mobile homes, which are a different kind of roof job. 86% of occupied homes are owner-occupied, 14% rented. With houses like these, the jobs we expect most are deck and flashing checks on pre-war board sheathing and first replacements on 2000s builder-grade shingles.
| Built | Homes | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before 1940 | 273 | 25% | |
| 1940s | 39 | 4% | |
| 1950s | 10 | 1% | |
| 1960s | 83 | 8% | |
| 1970s | 192 | 18% | |
| 1980s | 151 | 14% | |
| 1990s | 63 | 6% | |
| 2000s | 159 | 15% | |
| 2010s | 88 | 8% | |
| 2020 or later | 23 | 2% |
Census ACS 2020–2024, tables B25034, B25035, B25024 and B25003: 1,081 homes, 718 occupied. Survey estimates.
NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center logged no reports of hail 1 inch or larger within 5 miles of Parsonsfield’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.
Parsonsfield's Land Use and Development Ordinance says no one may expand, change or replace an existing structure without first getting any permit the ordinance requires. Its Building Code section applies to alterations and replacement of buildings, and to existing buildings that are enlarged, repaired, moved or converted. The fee schedule charges building permit fees for buildings being constructed, replaced or restored. A re-roof is not named either way, so ask the Code Enforcement Office before starting.
Parsonsfield is not required to enforce a building code. Maine law leaves enforcement of its statewide code optional for a town of 4,000 or fewer people (10 M.R.S. 9724(1-A)), and Parsonsfield had 1,791 residents in the 2020 Census. A town that does enforce one may use only Maine's code, and the state says meeting the code is the building owner's responsibility either way. Parsonsfield's Land Use and Development Ordinance (revised June 27, 2024) contains its own Building Code section covering good-practice construction, framing, exterior finish, roof covering, chimneys and fireplaces. Maine's statewide code (MUBEC, based on the 2021 International Residential Code since April 7, 2025) applies to new construction and renovations across Maine, but towns of 4,000 or fewer people are not required to enforce it.
We could not find a published number for the building department, so this page does not print one. The building official on record is Norman Hutchins, 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 Parsonsfield 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.
Parsonsfield borders Newfield, Limerick, Cornish, Porter, Hiram and Effingham, New Hampshire. Our pages for them:
Also in York County:
| Town | Re-roof permit | Code | Median built |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parsonsfield | Not published | Enforcement optional | 1977 |
| Newfield | No | 2021 IRC | 1977 |
| Limerick | No | 2021 IRC | 1994 |
| Cornish | Not published | Enforcement optional | 1976 |
| Acton | Not published | 2021 IRC | 1974 |
| Alfred | Conditional | 2021 IRC | 1983 |
| Arundel | Not published | 2021 IRC | 1992 |
All 29 York County towns side by side →
Parsonsfield's Land Use and Development Ordinance says no one may expand, change or replace an existing structure without first getting any permit the ordinance requires. Its Building Code section applies to alterations and replacement of buildings, and to existing buildings that are enlarged, repaired, moved or converted. The fee schedule charges building permit fees for buildings being constructed, replaced or restored. A re-roof is not named either way, so ask the Code Enforcement Office before starting.
Parsonsfield is not required to enforce a building code. Maine law leaves enforcement of its statewide code optional for a town of 4,000 or fewer people (10 M.R.S. 9724(1-A)), and Parsonsfield had 1,791 residents in the 2020 Census. A town that does enforce one may use only Maine's code, and the state says meeting the code is the building owner's responsibility either way. Parsonsfield's Land Use and Development Ordinance (revised June 27, 2024) contains its own Building Code section covering good-practice construction, framing, exterior finish, roof covering, chimneys and fireplaces. Maine's statewide code (MUBEC, based on the 2021 International Residential Code since April 7, 2025) applies to new construction and renovations across Maine, but towns of 4,000 or fewer people are not required to enforce it.
Older than most people guess: the Census puts 75% of Parsonsfield's homes before 2000 and 37% before 1970, with a median year built of 1977 (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 Norman Hutchins, Code Enforcement Officer. The department's own number is on this page, beside its name.
Not yet: no completed roof in Parsonsfield 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.parsonsfield.org · www.parsonsfield.org · www.parsonsfield.org · www.parsonsfield.org · www.parsonsfield.org · legislature.maine.gov · legislature.maine.gov · www.maine.gov · www2.census.gov · www.maine.gov · 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.
