Our work in Lebanon
No completed jobs in Lebanon yet — said plainly, because the alternative is implying something that is not true. It is 62 miles from Bethel, comfortably within where we work.
Lebanon is a 54.1-square-mile municipality in New London County.
Within Lebanon we work in Avery Corner, Exeter, Liberty Hill, Village Hill and Williams Crossing. Housing stock varies enough inside one Connecticut town that the right roof in one neighborhood is not automatically right three miles away.
Design criteria for a Lebanon roof
The state assigns Lebanon an ultimate design wind speed of 125 mph — 97 mph nominal — in Appendix AY of the 2022 Connecticut building code. That places Lebanon mid-range for the state, with 51 municipalities at or above it. As in every Connecticut town, a tear-off here triggers the sealed roof deck rule.
Snow loading here is 30 psf at grade. That is Connecticut's baseline. Here the practical enemy is usually ice damming at the eaves rather than structural load.
Connecticut amendments that apply here
Two Connecticut amendments matter on almost every job. The first is statewide ice barrier, R905.1.2: from the lowest edge of the roof to a point 24 inches or more inside the exterior wall line, measured on the slope. On a shallow pitch that is a surprising amount of membrane. The second is R905.1.1, the sealed roof deck rule, which has an exception for lumber sheathing of less than 3 feet nominal width — common on older housing stock here.
It matters here because 56.4% of Lebanon homes predate 1980 - the median was built around 1976 - so plank decking and older fastening turn up regularly on tear-offs in this town.
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 weather a Lebanon roof lives with
The nearest weather station with a thirty-year record sits about 11 miles from the center of town at Storrs. Its readings - NOAA's 1991-2020 normals - say what a roof in Lebanon actually has to put up with.
Snow: that station averages 39 inches a year, which is about average for this part of the state. It falls across roughly 11 days that leave an inch or more, and 5 that leave three inches or more. The weight is not usually the problem. The problem is melt that refreezes at the cold edge of the roof and forces water back up under the courses, which is exactly what the ice barrier at the eaves is for.
Freeze-thaw: the station records about 123 nights a year below freezing, and 36 days never climb above it. Water that gets into a split seam or a tired flashing joint expands when it freezes and widens the gap a little each time. Repeat that a hundred-odd times a winter and a small defect becomes a leak.
Rain: 49 inches a year there, including about 13 days when an inch or more falls in a single day and 2 that top two inches. Volume like that finds a tired valley, an undersized gutter or a kick-out flashing that was never installed. Those are the three places we look first on an older roof here.
Source: NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals, station Storrs (11 miles from Lebanon).
What has actually hit Lebanon since 2015
Rather than talk about storms in general, here is the count of confirmed severe-weather reports within ten miles of Lebanon across 2015-2026, straight from NOAA's Storm Events Database.
54 damaging-wind reports, the strongest put at 81 mph. Wind, not hail, is what takes roofs apart here. It works on the edges - rake, ridge, eave - and the damage is usually invisible from the ground.
3 hail reports, the largest 1 inch across - about the size of a quarter. At that size hail dents and bruises rather than punctures, which is why hail damage gets missed until the roof starts leaking two or three winters later.
Also on the record: 3 confirmed tornadoes touched down inside the same circle and the National Weather Service logged 30 winter-storm, heavy-snow or ice-storm events for New London County over the same years.
None of that means a roof is damaged. It means it is worth looking. An inspection in Lebanon costs nothing, you get the photographs whatever we find, and the storm damage report collects the evidence in one document if you need it.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, reports within 10 miles of the center of Lebanon, 2015-2026.
Permits and inspections in Lebanon
Lebanon issues roofing permits through its building department. That office is headed by Jason Nowosad. Staffing is part-time, so inspection slots are limited. We book around them rather than hoping. The published number is 860-642-6028. Written questions go to buildingdept@lebanonct.gov. 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.
Lebanon's housing is younger than the state's
The median house in Lebanon was built in 1976, which makes it about 50 years old in 2026. Connecticut's median home is 59 and the Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region's is 57, so by the Census Bureau's 2019-2023 estimates Lebanon's stock is younger than both. The brackets behind that median lean recent: 25.7 percent of the town's 3,210 housing units went up from 1980 to 1999 and 17.9 percent in 2000 or later, where the statewide share for the newest bracket is 11.8 percent. Only 56.4 percent of units predate 1980, against 67.7 percent for the state.
Younger does not mean the roofs are new. On the InterNACHI chart, a 3-tab asphalt roof lasts about 20 years and an architectural one about 30, with the usual caveat that weather, design, material and maintenance move the number. The original shingles on most houses built between 1980 and 1999 are likely past that range, and many of the houses built since 2000 are entering it now. For a large part of Lebanon, then, the coming roof job is likely either a first replacement or a second.
That is also the point where a layover may be offered: new shingles nailed over the old ones to skip the tear-off. R908.3.1.1 limits it sharply. A recover is not allowed where the existing roof is water soaked or deteriorated past being a usable base, where it is slate or tile, or where there are already two or more layers. A soaked or worn-out roof, or one that was already overlaid once, has to come off first.
The rest of Lebanon's profile is detached and owner-occupied: 88.6 percent of units are single-family detached and 83.5 percent of occupied homes belong to the people living in them, compared with 61.5 and 65.4 percent across the region. Two- to four-unit buildings account for 8.8 percent. The 15.9 percent built before 1940 is a smaller share than the state's 20.4 percent, but it is still a real group of older houses, and on those the metal matters: R908.5 requires flashings, edgings and vents that are rusted, damaged or deteriorated to be replaced, not reused. The table below shows each bracket.
| Housing (ACS 2019–2023) | Lebanon | Connecticut |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 3,210 | 1,536,049 |
| Owner-occupied homes | 2,356 | 939,912 |
| Share owner-occupied | 83.5% | 66.2% |
| Single-family detached | 88.6% | 58.7% |
| Median year built | 1976 | 1967 |
| Built before 1940 | 15.9% | 20.4% |
| Built 1940–1979 | 40.5% | 47.4% |
| Built 1980–1999 | 25.7% | 20.5% |
| Built 2000 or later | 17.9% | 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 Lebanon compares with the towns around it
Lebanon shares its design wind figure with all 7 of its neighbors, so specifications carry across these town lines cleanly. The permit process does not — each town runs its own.
| Bordering town | Design wind | vs. Lebanon | Ground snow | County |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bozrah | 125 mph | same | 30 psf | New London |
| Colchester | 125 mph | same | 30 psf | New London |
| Columbia | 125 mph | same | 30 psf | Tolland |
| Franklin | 125 mph | same | 30 psf | New London |
| Hebron | 125 mph | same | 30 psf | Tolland |
| Salem | 125 mph | same | 30 psf | New London |
| Windham | 125 mph | same | 30 psf | Windham |
Get a straight answer on your roof
Free inspection, a written scope, and a 25-year workmanship warranty.
Common questions about roofing in Lebanon
Who is the building official in Lebanon?
Jason Nowosad is the building official on record for Lebanon, per the State of Connecticut list of municipal building officials. Staffing changes — confirm with the town before relying on it.
What wind speed does a roof in Lebanon have to be designed for?
The 2022 Connecticut State Building Code assigns Lebanon an ultimate design wind speed of 125 mph. That figure sets the fastener schedule and the manufacturer wind rating we specify.
How many nails per shingle should be used in Lebanon?
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.
Is ice barrier required on a Lebanon 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 30 psf ground snow load in Lebanon, that detail is doing real work.
Do I need a permit to replace a roof in Lebanon?
Yes. A roof replacement in Lebanon requires a building permit, and we pull it as part of the job. The building department's published number is 860-642-6028 if you want to confirm anything independently.
Does Lebanon get hail?
Yes, though it is not the main risk here. NOAA has 3 confirmed hail reports within ten miles of Lebanon 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 Lebanon?
They are the winter problem worth planning for. The nearest long-record station averages 39 inches of snow a year across about 11 days that leave an inch or more, and roughly 123 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.