Our work in Burlington
We have not completed a job in Burlington itself. We would rather say that plainly than imply otherwise. The town is 35 miles from our base in Bethel and well inside our normal working radius.
The town runs to 29.7 square miles, in Hartford County.
Neighborhoods and villages here include Lamson Corner and Whigville. What is on the roofs differs across them, and so does what should go back on.
Design criteria for a Burlington roof
Appendix AY of the 2022 Connecticut State Building Code puts Burlington at an ultimate design wind speed of 120 mph, a nominal design wind speed of 93 mph. Statewide, 147 municipalities carry an equal or higher rating. Connecticut's amended R905.1.1 applies statewide, so the sealed roof deck requirement is triggered on a full tear-off here.
Ground snow load in Burlington is 35 psf. Above the state baseline, which matters most where snow collects — valleys, dormer sides, and anywhere a roof steps down.
Connecticut amendments that apply here
Connecticut amends the international code on two points that touch nearly every roof we do. Ice barrier is required statewide under R905.1.2, running from the lowest roof edge to at least 24 inches inside the exterior wall line — measured along the slope, so a low-pitch roof needs more membrane than people expect. The sealed roof deck amendment, R905.1.1, carries an exception: it does not apply over lumber sheathing under 3 feet nominal width, which is what sits under the shingles on a great many pre-1950 Connecticut houses.
Burlington is newer than most of Connecticut: only 48% of its homes predate 1980 and the median was built around 1981, so plywood or OSB decking is what we usually find, and the plank exception rarely comes up.
On nailing, be careful who you believe. Connecticut's code minimum is four nails per shingle. Six is what the shingle manufacturers require to keep a wind warranty in force, and six is what we install — but that is a manufacturer requirement, not a code requirement. A contractor telling you the code demands six is either mistaken or selling.
The climate a roof in Burlington has to take
Thirty years of readings from the nearest long-record station, about 3 miles from the center of town, say more about what a Burlington roof faces than any brochure does. These are NOAA's 1991-2020 normals.
Snow: 39 inches in an average year, which is about average for Connecticut. It falls across roughly 10 days that leave an inch or more, and 5 that leave three inches or more. A sound roof carries the weight without complaint. The damage comes from melt-and-refreeze at the eaves, where backed-up water gets under the shingles. The eave detail is where a re-roof here is won or lost.
Freeze-thaw: about 142 nights a year drop below freezing, and 27 days never climb above it. Freezing water expands with enough force to widen any gap it is sitting in. Do that on most nights of the winter and the sealant around a chimney or a vent pipe gives up years before the shingles do.
Rain: 54 inches a year, including about 15 days when an inch or more falls in a single day and 3 that top two inches. Water at that rate does not soak in, it runs, and where it runs is the test of the valleys, the gutters and the flashing where the roof meets a wall.
Source: NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals, station Burlington (3 miles from Burlington).
What the storm record says about Burlington
Storm talk is cheap, so here is the record instead: every severe-weather report NOAA confirmed within ten miles of Burlington from 2015-2026.
79 damaging-wind reports, the strongest put at 90 mph. Wind damage is cumulative. Each gust that lifts a tab breaks a little more of the seal underneath, and the roof that survives five storms can fail in the sixth.
5 hail reports, the largest 1 inch across - about the size of a quarter. Hail that size bruises asphalt shingles rather than shattering them: the granules come off, the mat underneath ages fast, and the roof fails years early. A bruise is easy to miss and easy to prove once you know where to look.
Also on the record: 1 confirmed tornado touched down inside the same circle and the National Weather Service logged 27 winter-storm, heavy-snow or ice-storm events for Hartford County over the same years.
A storm record is not a damage report. The only way to know is to look, which costs nothing in Burlington - and you keep the photographs whether or not there is anything to find. If there is, the storm damage report puts the evidence in one place.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, reports within 10 miles of the center of Burlington, 2015-2026.
Permits and inspections in Burlington
Permits for roof work in Burlington go through the town building department. That office is headed by Lawrence Farrell. It is a full-time department, which usually makes inspection scheduling simple. The published number is 860-673-6789 x6. Written questions go to buildingofficial@burlingtonct.us. Permitting is on us, not on you. A contractor asking a homeowner to pull the roofing permit is shifting liability, and you should treat it that way.
A roof replacement permit in Connecticut is generally issued over the counter or online once the scope is submitted, with an inspection at completion. Where a house sits in a local historic district, or where zoning or health review applies, that approval comes first and can add real time. If your property is affected, we will tell you before the contract is signed rather than after the dumpster arrives.
Burlington's younger housing and what its roofs need next
Burlington's housing is younger than its region's. The Census Bureau's 2019-2023 estimates give the town a median year built of 1981, where the Northwest Hills Planning Region's is 1966 and Connecticut's 1967. Just 48 percent of Burlington housing predates 1980, compared with 66.7 percent across the region and 67.7 percent statewide. The largest single bracket is 1980 to 1999, at 33.8 percent of the town's 3,457 units, and 18.3 percent has been built since 2000. Only 7.8 percent goes back before 1940.
It is also a town of owners in detached houses. Of 3,252 occupied homes, 3,017 are owner-occupied, or 92.8 percent, and single-family detached houses make up 88.7 percent of the stock. The region's figures are 75.9 and 75 percent, the state's 66.2 and 58.7. In practice that means most roof decisions here are made by the people who live under the roof.
Young is relative. The typical Burlington home is about 45 years old in 2026, which is past the 30 years InterNACHI gives architectural asphalt and well past the 20 it gives 3-tab. Many houses built between 1980 and 1999 are therefore likely on a second roof, and the earliest houses from after 2000 are into the years when an original 3-tab roof would be expected to give out. InterNACHI also notes that weather, design, material quality and maintenance shift those figures, so age alone does not settle whether a given roof is finished.
The second roof is where the code starts to matter. A re-roof done by laying new shingles over the originals leaves two layers, and under R908.3.1.1 a roof with two or more applications of covering cannot take another. From there R908.3 applies in full: everything comes off to the deck, apart from any ice barrier membrane already bonded to it, which may stay under the new work. A single-layer roof is not automatically fit for a layover either. The same section rules one out where the existing roof is water soaked or too deteriorated to serve as a base, so a roof that has been patched and left well past its expected life may end up as a tear-off even with one layer on it.
| Housing (ACS 2019–2023) | Burlington | Connecticut |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 3,457 | 1,536,049 |
| Owner-occupied homes | 3,017 | 939,912 |
| Share owner-occupied | 92.8% | 66.2% |
| Single-family detached | 88.7% | 58.7% |
| Median year built | 1981 | 1967 |
| Built before 1940 | 7.8% | 20.4% |
| Built 1940–1979 | 40.2% | 47.4% |
| Built 1980–1999 | 33.8% | 20.5% |
| Built 2000 or later | 18.3% | 11.8% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates, tables B25001, B25003, B25024, B25034, B25035. Estimates carry a margin of error, which is wider in smaller towns.
How Burlington compares with the towns around it
Burlington carries a higher design wind figure than every town it borders. A roof spec that was correct one town over is not automatically correct here.
| Bordering town | Design wind | vs. Burlington | Ground snow | County |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avon | 120 mph | same | 35 psf | Hartford |
| Bristol | 120 mph | same | 35 psf | Hartford |
| Canton | 120 mph | same | 35 psf | Hartford |
| Farmington | 120 mph | same | 35 psf | Hartford |
| Harwinton | 120 mph | same | 35 psf | Litchfield |
| New Hartford | 115 mph | -5 | 35 psf | Litchfield |
| Plymouth | 120 mph | same | 35 psf | Litchfield |
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Common questions about roofing in Burlington
What wind speed does a roof in Burlington have to be designed for?
The 2022 Connecticut State Building Code assigns Burlington an ultimate design wind speed of 120 mph. That figure sets the fastener schedule and the manufacturer wind rating we specify.
How many nails per shingle should be used in Burlington?
Connecticut's code minimum is four. Shingle manufacturers require six to keep their wind warranty in force, and six is what we install. Six nails is a manufacturer requirement, not a code requirement.
Do I need a permit to replace a roof in Burlington?
Yes. A roof replacement in Burlington requires a building permit, and we pull it as part of the job. The building department's published number is 860-673-6789 x6 if you want to confirm anything independently.
Who is the building official in Burlington?
Lawrence Farrell is the building official on record for Burlington, per the State of Connecticut list of municipal building officials. Staffing changes — confirm with the town before relying on it.
Is ice barrier required on a Burlington roof?
Yes — Connecticut requires it statewide under code section R905.1.2, running from the lowest roof edge to at least 24 inches inside the exterior wall line. With a 35 psf ground snow load in Burlington, that detail is doing real work.
Does Burlington get hail?
Yes, though it is not the main risk here. NOAA has 5 confirmed hail reports within ten miles of Burlington since 2015, the largest 1 inch across. Hail that size bruises shingles and knocks granules loose rather than punching holes, so the damage is easy to miss from the ground and worth a proper look after a summer storm.
Are ice dams a problem in Burlington?
They are the winter problem worth planning for. The nearest long-record station averages 39 inches of snow a year across about 10 days that leave an inch or more, and roughly 142 nights below freezing. That is the exact recipe for melt at the warm middle of a roof refreezing at the cold eave. Connecticut's code answer is an ice barrier at the eaves; the practical answer is that plus attic insulation and ventilation that keep the roof deck cold.
Design criteria are taken from Appendix AY of the 2022 Connecticut State Building Code. Building department details come from the State of Connecticut list of municipal building officials, updated 04-06-2026. Municipal staffing and personnel change — confirm current details with the town. Stallion Ridge Exteriors is a service-area business based in Bethel, Connecticut.