Our work in Madison
We have completed 2 roofs in Madison. That figure comes from our own job records rather than an estimate, and it moves as we work. The town is 40 miles from Bethel.
Madison covers 36.1 square miles in New Haven County. Shoreline exposure changes the metal. On the 24 coastal towns, including this one, we upgrade fasteners and flashing rather than use the inland default.
Neighborhoods and villages here include East River, Madison Center, Middle Beach, North Madison, Rockland and Seaview Beach. What is on the roofs differs across them, and so does what should go back on.
Design criteria for a Madison roof
Appendix AY of the 2022 Connecticut State Building Code puts Madison at an ultimate design wind speed of 125 mph, a nominal design wind speed of 97 mph. That places Madison mid-range for the state, with 51 municipalities at or above it. Connecticut's amended R905.1.1 applies statewide, so the sealed roof deck requirement is triggered on a full tear-off here.
The code assigns Madison a ground snow load of 30 psf. 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
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.
It matters here because 60.2% of Madison homes predate 1980 - the median was built around 1975 - 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 climate a roof in Madison has to take
Roofs are worn out by weather, not by time. The measured picture for Madison comes from the long-record station about 29 miles from the center of town at Igor I Sikorsky Mem Ap, over the thirty years behind NOAA's 1991-2020 normals.
Snow: that station averages 34 inches a year, which is on the lighter side for this part of the state. It falls across roughly 9 days that leave an inch or more, and 4 that leave three inches or more. None of it matters on a roof that is vented with its eaves protected. On one that is not, the thaw is what gets inside - water backing up under the courses from a dam of ice at the gutter line.
Freeze-thaw: the station records about 92 nights a year below freezing, and 18 days never climb above it. That is a hundred-odd chances a year for trapped water to freeze, expand and open a joint a little wider. It is why flashing and sealant age faster here than the shingles above them do.
Rain: 44 inches a year there, including about 10 days when an inch or more falls in a single day and 2 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 Igor I Sikorsky Mem Ap (29 miles from Madison).
What the storm record says about Madison
Rather than talk about storms in general, here is the count of confirmed severe-weather reports within ten miles of Madison across 2015-2026, straight from NOAA's Storm Events Database.
32 damaging-wind reports, the strongest put at 81 mph. Wind is the everyday roof risk in this part of Connecticut. It lifts shingle tabs along the rakes and ridge, strips the oldest courses first, and leaves a roof that looks fine from the street.
3 hail reports, the largest 1.25 inches across - about the size of a half dollar. At that size stones start to split the mat rather than just bruise it. Cracked tabs, exposed asphalt and bare spots where the granules have been knocked clean off are what to look for.
Also on the record: 1 confirmed tornado touched down inside the same circle and the National Weather Service logged 30 winter-storm, heavy-snow or ice-storm events for New Haven County over the same years.
If your roof went through any of those, get eyes on it before the next one. The inspection is free in Madison, the photographs are yours, and the storm damage report gathers what an insurer will ask for.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, reports within 10 miles of the center of Madison, 2015-2026.
Permits and inspections in Madison
Roofing work in Madison is permitted through the town's building department. Tim Lunn is listed as the building official on the State of Connecticut list. The office is staffed full-time, so inspections here are generally easy to schedule. Written questions go to lunnt@madisonct.org. 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. The building department's published number is 203-245-5618, and written questions go to lunnt@madisonct.org.
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.
Madison homes by age and ownership
Madison stands apart from the South Central Connecticut Planning Region in who owns its housing and what shape that housing takes. Owners occupy 90.6 percent of Madison's occupied homes, according to the Census Bureau's 2019-2023 estimates, against 60.6 percent in the region and 66.2 percent statewide. Single-family detached houses make up 92.1 percent of the town's 8,020 units; regionally the figure is 53.3 percent. Buildings of two to four units and of five or more account for 2.5 percent each. In practice, most roofs in town cover a single household that makes its own decisions about them.
The heaviest building period was 1960 to 1979, which holds 36.9 percent of Madison's housing, above Connecticut's 26.7 percent. The town median, 1975, puts the typical house at about 51 years old in 2026. At that age, an asphalt roof put on when the house was new would be well past InterNACHI's figures of about 20 years for 3-tab and 30 for architectural shingles; many Madison houses are likely on their second roof, and some on a third.
Those mid-century houses are part of the 60.2 percent of Madison housing built before 1980, a bracket that includes the pre-1978 homes covered by EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting rule. The rule applies to paid renovation work that disturbs painted surfaces in that housing. On a roof job, the painted surfaces most likely to be disturbed are fascia, rake boards and trim. An exterior job that disturbs 20 square feet of paint or less falls under a minor-repair exclusion, unless it involves window replacement or demolition of painted surfaces. Regionally, 71 percent of housing predates 1980, so Madison is somewhat newer than its surroundings.
Where a Madison house has a wide chimney, one more code point applies. Under R1003.20, a chimney whose dimension parallel to the ridgeline is greater than 30 inches, and which does not intersect the ridgeline, needs a cricket; a full replacement is the natural time to add one where it is missing. The table below lays out the Madison estimates beside the state's.
| Housing (ACS 2019–2023) | Madison | Connecticut |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 8,020 | 1,536,049 |
| Owner-occupied homes | 6,230 | 939,912 |
| Share owner-occupied | 90.6% | 66.2% |
| Single-family detached | 92.1% | 58.7% |
| Median year built | 1975 | 1967 |
| Built before 1940 | 11.5% | 20.4% |
| Built 1940–1979 | 48.8% | 47.4% |
| Built 1980–1999 | 27.5% | 20.5% |
| Built 2000 or later | 12.3% | 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 Madison compares with the towns around it
Madison 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. Madison | Ground snow | County |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clinton | 125 mph | same | 30 psf | Middlesex |
| Durham | 120 mph | -5 | 30 psf | Middlesex |
| Guilford | 125 mph | same | 30 psf | New Haven |
| Killingworth | 125 mph | same | 30 psf | Middlesex |
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Common questions about roofing in Madison
Have you worked in Madison before?
Yes. Our records show 2 completed roofs in Madison. That count comes from our own job history.
Do I need a permit to replace a roof in Madison?
Yes. A roof replacement in Madison requires a building permit, and we pull it as part of the job. Confirm current requirements with the town building department if you want to check independently.
What wind speed does a roof in Madison have to be designed for?
The 2022 Connecticut State Building Code assigns Madison an ultimate design wind speed of 125 mph. That figure sets the fastener schedule and the manufacturer wind rating we specify.
Is ice barrier required on a Madison 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 Madison, that detail is doing real work.
How many nails per shingle should be used in Madison?
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.
Does Madison get hail?
Yes, though it is not the main risk here. NOAA has 3 confirmed hail reports within ten miles of Madison since 2015, the largest 1.25 inches across. Stones that size crack the mat under the granules rather than just bruising it, so the damage is real even when the roof looks sound from the driveway.
Are ice dams a problem in Madison?
They are the winter problem worth planning for. The nearest long-record station averages 34 inches of snow a year across about 9 days that leave an inch or more, and roughly 92 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.
Who is the building official in Madison?
Tim Lunn is the building official on record for Madison, per the State of Connecticut list of municipal building officials. Staffing changes — confirm with the town before relying on it.
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.