Roof replacement, repair and storm damage in all 10 jurisdictions we cover in Sagadahoc County, each with its own page: the local permit rule, the code edition it enforces and the building department's number. Of the county's 19,239 homes, 79% were built before 2000 — past the usual 25-year life of a roof — and the median year built is 1977.
We list a building official's name only where the jurisdiction publishes one — 10 of 10 here do. We list a permit answer only where the jurisdiction states one — 5 of 10 here do, and 2 of those clearly require a permit. Everything else is left blank on purpose.
Sagadahoc County, town by town
Each line is a summary of that town's own page.
Arrowsic — 304 homes, median built 1985, 20% before 1940; code: enforcement optional; re-roof permit: not published; building official named (Mike Field).
Bath — 4,796 homes, median built 1939 or earlier, 57% before 1940; code: 2021 IRC; re-roof permit: not published; building official named (Adam Jones).
Bowdoin — 1,429 homes, median built 1992, 7% before 1940; code: enforcement optional; re-roof permit: not published; building official named (Dennis Douglass).
Bowdoinham — 1,370 homes, median built 1985, 15% before 1940; code: enforcement optional; re-roof permit: no; building official named (Jason Lorrain).
Georgetown — 1,013 homes, median built 1980, 22% before 1940; code: enforcement optional; re-roof permit: conditional; building official named (Mike Field).
Phippsburg — 1,763 homes, median built 1984, 19% before 1940; code: 2021 IRC; re-roof permit: yes; building official named (Jonathan Beane).
Richmond — 1,782 homes, median built 1975, 32% before 1940; code: enforcement optional; re-roof permit: yes; building official named (James Valley).
Topsham — 4,313 homes, median built 1980, 12% before 1940; code: 2021 IRC; re-roof permit: conditional; building official named (Tom Lister).
West Bath — 1,039 homes, median built 1983, 12% before 1940; code: enforcement optional; re-roof permit: not published; building official named (Jonathan Beane).
Woolwich — 1,430 homes, median built 1982, 22% before 1940; code: enforcement optional; re-roof permit: not published; building official named (Mike Field).
Homes across Sagadahoc County: the Census numbers
Built before 2000
79%
15,222 homes
Median year built
1977
27% built before 1940
Built 2000 or later
21%
4,017 homes
Owner-occupied
78%
75% detached houses
Sagadahoc County has 19,239 homes in the Census count, with a median year built of 1977. 27% were built before 1940, 54% before 1980 and 21% in 2000 or later; the single biggest decade was the years before 1940, with 5,216 homes (27%). 75% of homes are single-family detached houses and 78% of occupied homes are owner-occupied; the count includes 1,474 mobile homes.
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. On that yardstick, 15,222 homes across Sagadahoc County (79%) were built before 2000 and have outlived at least one roof, and 8,132 (42%) predate 1970. The 2,297 homes from the 2000s are where first replacements are coming up now.
Across the 10 places we cover here with their own Census figures, Bath has the oldest housing (57% before 1940) and Woolwich the newest (32% built in 2000 or later). Bath is the largest, at 4,796 homes, and Bath has the highest share of renters (36%), where the roof is more often a landlord's decision.
Figures: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates (tables B25001, B25003, B25024, B25034, B25035). Survey estimates carry margins of error, widest in the smallest places. Census table.
Counted within 5 miles of each town’s center, Bowdoin has the most reports (1) and Arrowsic the fewest (0). Each town’s own page lists its latest dates. Reports come from spotters and the public, so busier places log more of them.
Why the town matters more than the county
Maine has one building code for the whole state, the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code: every town of more than 4,000 people has to enforce it, a smaller town may choose to, and no town may use any other building code. What changes from one town to the next is whether the town enforces it, who issues the permit and what that office asks for. Of the 10 jurisdictions we cover in Sagadahoc County, these publish the edition they enforce:
2021 IRC: Bath, Phippsburg, Topsham
Arrowsic, Bowdoin, Bowdoinham, Georgetown, Richmond, West Bath and Woolwich are not required to enforce a building code: Maine law leaves code enforcement optional for a town of 4,000 or fewer people (10 M.R.S. 9724(1-A)).
Design wind is set by location here: across greater Portland and southern Maine the published ultimate design wind speeds run 115–120 mph, depending on where a house stands. Ground snow load is set for each address, not one figure for the whole area: the published figures here run 50–70 psf. What each figure does to a roof is in our Portland roofing code guide.
Common questions about roofing across Sagadahoc County
Do I need a permit to replace a roof in Sagadahoc County?
It depends on the town, not the county. Of the 10 jurisdictions we cover across Sagadahoc County, 2 require one (Phippsburg, Richmond); 1 exempts a like-for-like re-roof (Bowdoinham); 2 exempt it only under conditions (Georgetown, Topsham); the other 5 publish no answer either way. Each town page says which applies and links the building department.
Which building codes are in force across Sagadahoc County?
Of the jurisdictions we cover across Sagadahoc County, these publish the edition they enforce: the 2021 IRC in Bath, Phippsburg, Topsham. Arrowsic, Bowdoin, Bowdoinham, Georgetown, Richmond, West Bath and Woolwich are not required to enforce one: Maine law leaves code enforcement optional for a town of 4,000 or fewer people (10 M.R.S. 9724(1-A)). The edition in force is the one your roof is inspected against.
How old are the houses across Sagadahoc County?
The Census Bureau's 2020–2024 estimates put the median year built across Sagadahoc County at 1977, with 27% of its 19,239 homes built before 1940 and 21% in 2000 or later. 79% were built before 2000, so most have had at least one new roof already.
Does a roofer need a license in Sagadahoc County?
No. Maine does not license roofers or home contractors: the Attorney General's office says general contractors and trades such as roofing are not licensed or regulated in the state. What Maine law requires instead is a written contract, signed by both sides with no more than one-third down, for any home repair job over $3,000 (10 M.R.S. 1487). Each town's code office issues its own permits, so ask it what it needs before work starts.
Which Sagadahoc County jurisdictions name their building official?
10 of the 10 we cover publish a name: Arrowsic, Bath, Bowdoin, Bowdoinham, Georgetown, Phippsburg, Richmond, Topsham, West Bath, Woolwich. Where a name is published, it is on that town's page with the department's own number.
