In York, the 2021 IRC is in force and 22% of the 8,795 homes went up before 1940. We replace and repair roofs here and inspect after storms, starting with a free, photographed inspection.
York runs to about 54.7 square miles and roughly 13,986 people. It sits about 38 miles southwest of downtown Portland. The community dates back to 1652. We cover ZIP codes 03909, 03902, 03910 and 03911.
York's Historic District Commission reviews exterior changes in the Village Center, Lindsay Road and York Harbor historic districts and on listed landmarks. A different roofing material, type, color or texture needs a certificate, and changing a roof line is a major change; repair in kind does not. The commission's guidelines encourage wood shingle roofs, say rough wood shakes and synthetic slate or tile should not be used, and ask for slate to be repaired or replicated in kind and skylights to be low, flat and dark.
No completed roof in York is logged in our job records yet.
York retains many Gilded Age summer houses in the Shingle style.
We work across York rather than one corner of it — York Village, York Harbor, York Beach, Cape Neddick, Bald Head, York Corner, York Cliffs, Short Sands, Long Beach and Nubble Point included. Age and construction change between them, which is why we look before we quote.
York, incorporated in 1652, is a summer resort town on the open Atlantic made up of the villages of York Village, York Harbor, York Beach, Cape Neddick and Bald Head. It keeps colonial-era buildings such as the Old York Gaol of 1719 and many Gilded Age summer houses in the Shingle style, and the 1,700-acre York Historic District covers York Corner, York Village and York Harbor.
From this stretch of building, houses in York 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.
The Census Bureau counts 8,795 homes in York, with a median year built of 1977. 1,915 of them (22%) went up before 1940 — 17th of 64 places on this site for pre-1940 share — and 1,740 (20%) in 2000 or later. More of today's homes date from before 1940 than from any decade since. Across York County the pre-1940 share is 20%, so York sits above it.
The Maine Bureau of Insurance's claims guide puts the useful life of a roof at usually about 25 years. On that yardstick the 7,055 homes in York built before 2000 (80%) have outlived at least one roof, and the 3,309 built before 1970 (38%) are usually on a third covering or later. Homes from the 2000s (630 in York) are reaching their first replacement, while the 1,110 built since 2010 are mostly still on the roof they were built with. Older houses are where a second layer laid over the first turns up, and that layer is what hides soft decking.
83% of homes in York are single-family detached houses (7,325) and 1% attached ones such as townhouses (110). 929 homes (11%) sit in two- to nine-unit buildings and 258 (3%) in buildings of ten units or more, where the roof is usually a landlord's or an association's decision. The count also takes in 173 mobile homes, which are a different kind of roof job. Owners live in 81% of the 5,501 occupied homes. On a housing mix like this, the likely work is deck and flashing checks on pre-war board sheathing.
| Built | Homes | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before 1940 | 1,915 | 22% | |
| 1940s | 365 | 4% | |
| 1950s | 497 | 6% | |
| 1960s | 532 | 6% | |
| 1970s | 1,595 | 18% | |
| 1980s | 1,342 | 15% | |
| 1990s | 809 | 9% | |
| 2000s | 630 | 7% | |
| 2010s | 1,019 | 12% | |
| 2020 or later | 91 | 1% |
Census ACS 2020–2024, tables B25034, B25035, B25024 and B25003: 8,795 homes, 5,501 occupied. Survey estimates.
NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center logged no reports of hail 1 inch or larger within 5 miles of York’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.
York's Supplemental Building Ordinance says building permits are required as stated in Section R105 of the International Residential Code. The town's weekly permit lists show residential building permits issued for roof work, such as installing new roof shingles and re-roofing a garage. The residential building permit fee is $10 per $1,000 of project cost, with a $50 minimum. Permits are applied for online through the town's OpenGov portal and take about 7 to 10 business days.
York enforces the 2021 IRC. York administers the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code (MUBEC). The town's Code Enforcement FAQ says York enforces the 2021 edition of the ICC codes. A letter from the Director of Code Enforcement says York adopted the 2021 I-codes on April 7, 2025, as directed by the state, under the town's Supplemental Building Ordinance.
The published number is 207-363-1002. The building official on record is Harry Norton Jr., Director of Code Enforcement. The department page is here.
The design wind speed a roof in York 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.
York borders Kittery, Eliot, South Berwick, Wells, Ogunquit and Atlantic Ocean. Our pages for them:
Also in York County:
| Town | Re-roof permit | Code | Median built |
|---|---|---|---|
| York | Yes | 2021 IRC | 1977 |
| Kittery | Yes | 2021 IRC | 1965 |
| Eliot | No | 2021 IRC | 1979 |
| South Berwick | No | 2021 IRC | 1982 |
| Wells | Not published | 2021 IRC | 1989 |
| Ogunquit | Not published | 2021 IRC | 1978 |
| Acton | Not published | 2021 IRC | 1974 |
All 29 York County towns side by side →
York's Supplemental Building Ordinance says building permits are required as stated in Section R105 of the International Residential Code. The town's weekly permit lists show residential building permits issued for roof work, such as installing new roof shingles and re-roofing a garage. The residential building permit fee is $10 per $1,000 of project cost, with a $50 minimum. Permits are applied for online through the town's OpenGov portal and take about 7 to 10 business days.
York enforces the 2021 IRC. York administers the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code (MUBEC). The town's Code Enforcement FAQ says York enforces the 2021 edition of the ICC codes. A letter from the Director of Code Enforcement says York adopted the 2021 I-codes on April 7, 2025, as directed by the state, under the town's Supplemental Building Ordinance.
The Census Bureau's 2020–2024 estimates put the median year built at 1977: 22% of York's 8,795 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.
The building official on record is Harry Norton Jr., Director of Code Enforcement. The department's own number is on this page, beside its name.
It can. York has York Historic District, York Cliffs Historic District and Lindsay Road Historic District (local). Inside a designated district, changing a visible roof material or color can need preservation review before the permit is issued. Like-for-like replacement usually raises fewer questions, but we check before quoting.
Not yet: no completed roof in York 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.yorkmaine.org · www.yorkmaine.org · www.yorkmaine.org · www.yorkmaine.org · www.yorkmaine.org · www.yorkmaine.org · www.yorkmaine.org · www.yorkmaine.org · www.yorkmaine.org · www.yorkmaine.org · www.yorkmaine.org · www.yorkmaine.org · www.yorkmaine.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu · 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.
