Our work in Sharon
We have completed one roof in Sharon. One job, not a portfolio — we would rather say so than dress it up. The town is 33 miles from our base in Bethel.
The town runs to 58.8 square miles, in Litchfield County.
Neighborhoods and villages here include Amenia Union, Ellsworth, Mitcheltown, Mudgetown, Sharon Valley, South Ellsworth and West Woods. What is on the roofs differs across them, and so does what should go back on.
Design criteria for a Sharon roof
Appendix AY of the 2022 Connecticut State Building Code puts Sharon at an ultimate design wind speed of 115 mph, a nominal design wind speed of 89 mph. 168 municipalities are rated at or above it, so Sharon sits at the sheltered end of the state's wind map. The figure still sets the fastener schedule — it does not remove it. Connecticut's amendment to R905.1.1 applies statewide, so the sealed deck requirement still applies on a full tear-off here.
Ground snow load in Sharon is 40 psf. That is the top of the state's range. It is the reason we are reluctant to lay new shingles over old in this part of Connecticut — the structure is already carrying more than most of the state.
Connecticut amendments that apply here
The state changes the model code in two places worth knowing about. R905.1.2 requires ice barrier everywhere in Connecticut, extending at least 24 inches inside the exterior wall line as measured up the slope. And R905.1.1, the sealed roof deck amendment, does not apply over narrow lumber sheathing — under 3 feet nominal — which is exactly what many pre-1950 houses in this state have.
It matters here because 64.9% of Sharon homes predate 1980 - the median was built around 1963 - so plank decking and older fastening turn up regularly on tear-offs in this town.
Four is code, six is warranty. Connecticut's minimum is four nails per shingle; the shingle manufacturers want six before they will stand behind a wind claim. We use six. What we will not do is tell you the state requires it, because it does not.
What the weather does to roofs in Sharon
Roofs are worn out by weather, not by time. The measured picture for Sharon comes from the long-record station about 14 miles from the center of town at Norfolk 2 Sw, over the thirty years behind NOAA's 1991-2020 normals.
Snow: that station averages 75 inches a year, which is heavy by Connecticut standards for this part of the state. It falls across roughly 20 days that leave an inch or more, and 9 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 152 nights a year below freezing, and 55 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: 53 inches a year there, including about 13 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 Norfolk 2 Sw (14 miles from Sharon).
Sharon's storm record, from the National Weather Service
NOAA keeps a confirmed record of severe weather by location. Within ten miles of Sharon, 2015-2026 looks like this.
61 damaging-wind reports, the strongest put at 69 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.
3 hail reports, the largest 2 inches across - about the size of a hen egg. That is destructive hail. Stones that size break shingles outright - punctured mats, split tabs, dented vents and gutters - and a roof hit by them usually needs replacing rather than patching.
Also on the record: 2 confirmed tornadoes touched down inside the same circle and the National Weather Service logged 22 winter-storm, heavy-snow or ice-storm events for Litchfield County over the same years.
After a storm like those, the sensible move is a look at the roof before anything leaks - we do that for free in Sharon, and you get the photographs either way. If there is damage, our storm damage report puts the photos, measurements and a written estimate in one place for your insurer.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, reports within 10 miles of the center of Sharon, 2015-2026.
Permits and inspections in Sharon
Sharon issues roofing permits through its building department. Stanley MacMillan, Jr. is listed as the building official on the State of Connecticut list. It is a full-time department, which usually makes inspection scheduling simple. The published number is 860-364-0909. Written questions go to landuse@sharonct.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.
Sharon's houses come from two eras
Sharon's housing splits between the very old and the fairly new, with thinner decades in between. Census Bureau estimates for 2019-2023 put 41.6 percent of the town's 1,833 housing units before 1940, against 20.4 percent statewide and 27.8 percent in the Northwest Hills Planning Region. At the other end, 20.9 percent date from 2000 or later, where the state figure is 11.8 percent and the region's 11.5. The years from 1940 to 1959 account for only 6.8 percent. Sharon is small, so these estimates carry wide error, but a pattern this pronounced is worth reading.
For the prewar houses, the roofing material decides a lot. If the roof is slate, R908.3.1.1 does not allow a new covering to be laid over it; the same applies to clay or cement tile, to a roof already two layers deep, and to one too deteriorated to carry another. The InterNACHI life expectancy chart gives slate 60 to 150 years, so an intact slate roof on an old Sharon house may be better served by repair than by replacement. Chimneys on older houses deserve a look too: R1003.20 calls for a cricket wherever a chimney is wider than 30 inches parallel to the ridgeline and does not intersect the ridge.
The newer houses are on another schedule entirely. The same chart gives architectural asphalt shingles about 30 years and 3-tab about 20, and many homes built since 2000 are probably still on their original roof, now inside or approaching that range. When one of those first roofs is replaced, R908.3 calls for removing it down to the deck.
Two other figures stand out. Only 1,439 of Sharon's 1,833 units were occupied, and attached houses make up 9.8 percent of units, above the state's 6.2 percent. Among occupied homes, 72.8 percent are owner-occupied, a little below the region's 75.9 percent, and single-family detached houses are 79.3 percent of the stock. The median year built, 1963, sits between the two eras rather than describing either of them. The table below shows the full spread.
| Housing (ACS 2019–2023) | Sharon | Connecticut |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 1,833 | 1,536,049 |
| Owner-occupied homes | 1,048 | 939,912 |
| Share owner-occupied | 72.8% | 66.2% |
| Single-family detached | 79.3% | 58.7% |
| Median year built | 1963 | 1967 |
| Built before 1940 | 41.6% | 20.4% |
| Built 1940–1979 | 23.3% | 47.4% |
| Built 1980–1999 | 14.2% | 20.5% |
| Built 2000 or later | 20.9% | 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 Sharon compares with the towns around it
Sharon shares its design wind figure with all 4 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. Sharon | Ground snow | County |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canaan | 115 mph | same | 40 psf | Litchfield |
| Cornwall | 115 mph | same | 40 psf | Litchfield |
| Kent | 115 mph | same | 40 psf | Litchfield |
| Salisbury | 115 mph | same | 40 psf | Litchfield |
Get a straight answer on your roof
Free inspection, a written scope, and a 25-year workmanship warranty.
Common questions about roofing in Sharon
Do I need a permit to replace a roof in Sharon?
Yes. A roof replacement in Sharon requires a building permit, and we pull it as part of the job. The building department's published number is 860-364-0909 if you want to confirm anything independently.
How many nails per shingle should be used in Sharon?
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.
Have you worked in Sharon before?
Yes. Our records show 1 completed roof in Sharon. That count comes from our own job history.
Is ice barrier required on a Sharon 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 40 psf ground snow load in Sharon, that detail is doing real work.
What wind speed does a roof in Sharon have to be designed for?
The 2022 Connecticut State Building Code assigns Sharon an ultimate design wind speed of 115 mph. That figure sets the fastener schedule and the manufacturer wind rating we specify.
Does Sharon get hail?
Yes, and it is worth taking seriously. NOAA has 3 confirmed hail reports within ten miles of Sharon since 2015, the largest 2 inches across. That is destructive hail - it splits shingles and punctures the mat, and a roof caught by it usually needs replacing rather than patching.
Are ice dams a problem in Sharon?
They are the winter problem worth planning for. The nearest long-record station averages 75 inches of snow a year across about 20 days that leave an inch or more, and roughly 152 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 Sharon?
Stanley MacMillan, Jr. is the building official on record for Sharon, 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.