In Pownal, the 2021 IRC is in force and 32% of the 741 homes went up before 1940. We replace and repair roofs here and inspect after storms, starting with a free, photographed inspection.
Pownal runs to about 22.9 square miles and roughly 1,696 people. It sits about 17 miles north of downtown Portland. The community dates back to 1808. We cover ZIP code 04069.
No completed roof in Pownal is logged in our job records yet.
We work across Pownal rather than one corner of it — North Pownal, Pownal Center and West Pownal included. Age and construction change between them, which is why we look before we quote.
A small farm town that was the northwest part of Freeport until it was set off in 1808, drained by the eastern branches of the Royal River. Farming was its main work through the 1800s, and it is home to Bradbury Mountain State Park.
Postwar houses in Pownal are plain to roof, which is exactly why so many get roofed carelessly. Expect 1x6 board decking or early plywood: usually sound, but it should be walked, not assumed. The weak spots are the shallow pitches — a porch roof, the join to a carport, the flat section over an addition — where shingles went on below their rated slope and have leaked slowly for years. Attics from this era rarely have the ventilation today's shingle warranties ask for, and a hot, under-vented attic ages a roof from below, so intake and exhaust get measured before the quote.
Pownal has 741 homes in the Census Bureau's count and a median year built of 1971. 234 of them (32%) went up before 1940 — the 4th-highest pre-1940 share of the 64 places on this site — and 145 (20%) in 2000 or later. More of today's homes date from before 1940 than from any decade since. Across Cumberland County the pre-1940 share is 23%, so Pownal sits above it.
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, 80% of Pownal's homes — the 596 built before 2000 — are past their first roof, and 48% (356 homes) go back before 1970, two roof lives and more. First replacements are arriving on the 73 homes built in the 2000s, while the 72 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.
By building type: 648 detached houses (87%), 24 attached (3%). 69 homes (9%) sit in two- to nine-unit buildings. Owners live in 89% of the 708 occupied homes. With houses like these, the jobs we expect most are full tear-offs on houses past two roof lives and deck and flashing checks on pre-war board sheathing.
| Built | Homes | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before 1940 | 234 | 32% | |
| 1940s | 18 | 2% | |
| 1950s | 48 | 6% | |
| 1960s | 56 | 8% | |
| 1970s | 101 | 14% | |
| 1980s | 86 | 12% | |
| 1990s | 53 | 7% | |
| 2000s | 73 | 10% | |
| 2010s | 58 | 8% | |
| 2020 or later | 14 | 2% |
Census ACS 2020–2024, tables B25034, B25035, B25024 and B25003: 741 homes, 708 occupied. Survey estimates.
NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center logged no reports of hail 1 inch or larger within 5 miles of Pownal’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.
Pownal's fee schedule charges $25 plus $0.20 per square foot for alterations, with a $25 minimum and double fees for late permits.
Pownal enforces the 2021 IRC. Pownal's Ordinance Enforcing the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code (adopted 2013, amended 6/17/2019) says the Town adopts and enforces MUBEC under 10 M.R.S. section 9724(1-A), with the Code Enforcement Officer serving as building official. The Town's MUBEC documents page lists the 2021 International Residential Code and other 2021 codes effective April 7, 2025. With 1,566 residents in the 2020 Census, Pownal is not required to enforce the code under state law, and has chosen to.
The published number is 207-688-4431. The Code Enforcement Officer serves as the building official; the Town's page lists a CEO and a Deputy CEO at ceo@pownalmaine.org without names. The department page is here.
The design wind speed a roof in Pownal 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.
Pownal borders North Yarmouth, Freeport, Durham and New Gloucester. Our pages for them:
Also in Cumberland County:
| Town | Re-roof permit | Code | Median built |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pownal | Not published | 2021 IRC | 1971 |
| North Yarmouth | No | 2021 IRC | 1983 |
| Freeport | Not published | 2021 IRC | 1984 |
| New Gloucester | Not published | 2021 IRC | 1991 |
| Baldwin | Not published | Enforcement optional | 1979 |
| Bridgton | No | 2021 IRC | 1985 |
| Brunswick | No | 2021 IRC | 1982 |
All 25 Cumberland County towns side by side →
Pownal's fee schedule charges $25 plus $0.20 per square foot for alterations, with a $25 minimum and double fees for late permits.
Pownal enforces the 2021 IRC. Pownal's Ordinance Enforcing the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code (adopted 2013, amended 6/17/2019) says the Town adopts and enforces MUBEC under 10 M.R.S. section 9724(1-A), with the Code Enforcement Officer serving as building official. The Town's MUBEC documents page lists the 2021 International Residential Code and other 2021 codes effective April 7, 2025. With 1,566 residents in the 2020 Census, Pownal 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 1971: 32% of Pownal's 741 homes predate 1940 and 20% were built in 2000 or later. At the usual 25-year roof life, 80% have needed at least one new roof already.
Not yet: no completed roof in Pownal 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.pownalmaine.org · www.pownalmaine.org · www.pownalmaine.org · www.pownalmaine.org · www.pownalmaine.org · legislature.maine.gov · www2.census.gov · en.wikipedia.org · 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.
