In Wells, the 2021 IRC is in force and 61% of the 9,644 homes were built before 2000. We replace and repair roofs here and inspect after storms, starting with a free, photographed inspection.
Wells runs to about 57.7 square miles and roughly 11,713 people. It sits about 31 miles southwest of downtown Portland. The community dates back to 1653. We cover ZIP codes 04090 and 04054.
No completed roof in Wells is logged in our job records yet.
We work across Wells rather than one corner of it — Wells Beach, Moody, Moody Beach, Drakes Island, Wells Branch, Moody Point, Laudholm Beach, Tatnic, Highpine and Upper Landing included. Age and construction change between them, which is why we look before we quote.
Wells, incorporated in 1653 as the third town in Maine, stretches along the ocean at Wells Beach, Drakes Island and Moody Beach, where inns and hotels went up after the railroad arrived in the 1800s. The Webhannet River salt marshes lie behind the beaches, and the town once also included Kennebunk and Ogunquit.
Housing from this stretch in Wells 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.
By the Census Bureau's estimate there are 9,644 homes in Wells, with a median year built of 1989. 782 of them (8%) went up before 1940 — 56th of 64 places on this site for pre-1940 share — and 3,773 (39%) in 2000 or later. The 2000s were the busiest decade, adding 2,132 of today's homes (22%). (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, 61% of Wells' homes — the 5,871 built before 2000 — are past their first roof; 2,243 of them (23%) predate 1970, old enough for two replacements already. Homes from the 2000s (2,132 in Wells) are reaching their first replacement, while the 1,641 built since 2010 are mostly still on the roof they were built with.
By building type: 6,420 detached houses (67%), 718 attached (7%). 650 homes (7%) sit in two- to nine-unit buildings and 458 (5%) in buildings of ten units or more, whose roofs are normally an owner's or a board's call rather than a resident's. The count also takes in 1,379 mobile homes, which are a different kind of roof job. 4,564 of 5,067 occupied homes (90%) are lived in by their owners. On a housing mix like this, the likely work is first replacements on 2000s builder-grade shingles and storm checks on newer roofs that look fine from the driveway.
| Built | Homes | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before 1940 | 782 | 8% | |
| 1940s | 221 | 2% | |
| 1950s | 743 | 8% | |
| 1960s | 497 | 5% | |
| 1970s | 1,225 | 13% | |
| 1980s | 1,533 | 16% | |
| 1990s | 870 | 9% | |
| 2000s | 2,132 | 22% | |
| 2010s | 1,341 | 14% | |
| 2020 or later | 300 | 3% |
Census ACS 2020–2024, tables B25034, B25035, B25024 and B25003: 9,644 homes, 5,067 occupied. Survey estimates.
NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center logged 2 reports of hail 1 inch or larger within 5 miles of Wells’ center from 2016 through 2025, on 2 different days. None was 1.75 inches or larger. The largest, 1 inch, came on August 22, 2020, about 1.3 miles north of the center. Counts follow people as much as storms, since every report is a spotter’s or a resident’s.
A bruised shingle can look fine for a season or two, which is why a storm inspection after a date like these is worth having.
Wells says permits are required to build or move a structure onto a property and to enlarge, alter, repair, renovate, remodel and update any existing structure. Its permit guide names sheds, decks, solar systems, window and door replacement (even exact replacement windows), kitchen remodels, and insulation or sheetrock work, but it does not mention roofing. The town asks owners to call the Code Office if they are not sure whether a permit is needed, to avoid a stop work order. Residential additions and alterations cost a $140 base fee plus $0.60 per square foot, and working without a permit costs from double the permit fee up to $1,000.
Wells enforces the 2021 IRC. The Code Enforcement page says, under 10 M.R.S. 9724(1), that the Town of Wells building code is the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code (MUBEC), and that the 2021 International Residential Code, 2021 International Building Code, 2021 International Existing Building Code and 2021 energy code are in effect (the 2021 code took effect April 7, 2025). The page also says Articles II and III of the town's own Chapter 91 (Building Construction) are based on the 2003 IRC and 2006 IBC and do not apply because they are out of date.
The published number is 207-646-5187. The building official on record is Jodine Adams, Code Enforcement Officer. The department page is here.
The design wind speed a roof in Wells 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.
Wells borders Kennebunk, Sanford, North Berwick, South Berwick, York and Ogunquit. Our pages for them:
Also in York County:
| Town | Re-roof permit | Code | Median built |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wells | Not published | 2021 IRC | 1989 |
| Kennebunk | Not published | 2021 IRC | 1983 |
| Sanford | Not published | 2021 IRC | 1975 |
| North Berwick | Not published | 2021 IRC | 1983 |
| South Berwick | No | 2021 IRC | 1982 |
| York | Yes | 2021 IRC | 1977 |
| Ogunquit | Not published | 2021 IRC | 1978 |
All 29 York County towns side by side →
Wells says permits are required to build or move a structure onto a property and to enlarge, alter, repair, renovate, remodel and update any existing structure. Its permit guide names sheds, decks, solar systems, window and door replacement (even exact replacement windows), kitchen remodels, and insulation or sheetrock work, but it does not mention roofing. The town asks owners to call the Code Office if they are not sure whether a permit is needed, to avoid a stop work order. Residential additions and alterations cost a $140 base fee plus $0.60 per square foot, and working without a permit costs from double the permit fee up to $1,000.
Wells enforces the 2021 IRC. The Code Enforcement page says, under 10 M.R.S. 9724(1), that the Town of Wells building code is the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code (MUBEC), and that the 2021 International Residential Code, 2021 International Building Code, 2021 International Existing Building Code and 2021 energy code are in effect (the 2021 code took effect April 7, 2025). The page also says Articles II and III of the town's own Chapter 91 (Building Construction) are based on the 2003 IRC and 2006 IBC and do not apply because they are out of date.
Median year built 1989, by the Census Bureau's 2020–2024 estimates. Of 9,644 homes, 5,871 were built before 2000 and 782 before 1940, so most roofs in Wells are not the first one the house has had.
The last report near Wells of hail 1 inch or bigger came on August 22, 2020; NOAA's records hold 2 of them within 5 miles since 2016.
The building official on record is Jodine Adams, Code Enforcement Officer. The department's own number is on this page, beside its name.
Not yet: no completed roof in Wells 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.wellstown.org · www.wellstown.org · www.wellstown.org · www.wellstown.org · www.wellstown.org · www.wellstown.org · en.wikipedia.org · 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.
