Our work in Tolland County
Our own job history shows 15 completed roofs across 6 Tolland County towns.
Every town we cover in Tolland County
Click a town for its full permit and code detail.
| Town | Design wind | Ground snow | Building official | Building dept. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andover | 120 mph | 30 psf | Rich McKinnon | 860-649-8066 |
| Bolton | 120 mph | 30 psf | Rich McKinnon | 860-649-8066 |
| Columbia | 125 mph | 30 psf | — | 860-228-0440 |
| Coventry | 120 mph | 30 psf | Randy Heckman | 860-742-4064 |
| Ellington | 120 mph | 35 psf | — | 860-870-3124 |
| Hebron | 125 mph | 30 psf | — | 860-228-5971 |
| Mansfield | 120 mph | 35 psf | Michael Ninteau | 860-429-3324 |
| Somers | 120 mph | 35 psf | Michael Anthony | 860-763-8215 |
| Stafford | 120 mph | 35 psf | — | 860-684-1775 |
| Tolland | 120 mph | 35 psf | James Paquin | 860-871-3601 |
| Union | 120 mph | 40 psf | Joseph Pajak | 860-684-3812 |
| Vernon | 120 mph | 30 psf | Steve Prattson | 860-870-3651 |
| Willington | 120 mph | 35 psf | Rich McKinnon | 860-487-3123 |
Tolland County's younger housing and what it means for re-roofing
Tolland County's housing is younger than Connecticut's by every age measure in the tables below. The Census Bureau's 2019-2023 estimates, summed over the county's 13 towns, show 17.9 percent of 58,579 units built in 2000 or later, against 11.8 percent statewide, and 24.8 percent from 1980 to 1999, against 20.5 percent. Only 13.7 percent predate 1940, compared with 20.4 percent for the state, and 57.2 percent predate 1980, compared with 67.7 percent. No town here has a median year built before 1960. Four have one of 1980 or later: Tolland at 1980, Columbia and Ellington at 1982, and Hebron at 1984, where the typical home is about 42 years old.
The 1980-to-1999 group is where layer counts matter. Those houses are 27 to 46 years old, and InterNACHI puts 3-tab asphalt shingles at about 20 years and architectural shingles at about 30, so many have likely been re-roofed once already. If that job went on top of the original shingles, the house now has two layers, and IRC R908.3.1.1 bars a new covering over a roof that already has two or more applications. The default under R908.3 is a replacement that strips the existing layers down to the roof deck. Before anyone prices a layover on one of these houses, it pays to count what is already up there.
Younger still is a sizable group likely still on its first roof. Mansfield has the county's highest since-2000 share at 28.5 percent, then Ellington at 27.1 percent and Somers at 25.4 percent. The oldest of those houses have passed the 3-tab figure; architectural roofs of the same vintage have more time left, subject to weather and upkeep. Ownership runs high: owners occupy 73.1 percent of the county's occupied homes, against 66.2 percent statewide, and 70.4 percent of units are single-family detached, against 58.7 percent. Vernon, the largest town at 14,335 units, and Mansfield have the lowest owner shares, 54.5 and 54.6 percent.
The oldest housing is in Stafford. Its 1966 median makes the typical home about 60 years old, and its prewar share of 25.1 percent is the only one in Tolland County above the state's 20.4. The tables below give the county totals beside Connecticut's and every town in order of median year built.
| Housing (ACS 2019–2023) | Tolland County (13 towns) | Connecticut |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 58,579 | 1,536,049 |
| Owner-occupied homes | 40,300 | 939,912 |
| Share owner-occupied | 73.1% | 66.2% |
| Single-family detached | 70.4% | 58.7% |
| Built before 1940 | 13.7% | 20.4% |
| Built 1940–1979 | 43.6% | 47.4% |
| Built 1980–1999 | 24.8% | 20.5% |
| Built 2000 or later | 17.9% | 11.8% |
| Town | Median year built | Built before 1940 | Built 2000 or later | Owner-occupied |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stafford | 1966 | 25.1% | 9.7% | 78.2% |
| Bolton | 1967 | 10.8% | 5.9% | 88.3% |
| Coventry | 1967 | 14.4% | 13.4% | 90.1% |
| Vernon | 1968 | 17.9% | 14.0% | 54.5% |
| Willington | 1973 | 12.9% | 13.4% | 62.9% |
| Andover | 1975 | 19.2% | 23.4% | 93.9% |
| Mansfield | 1978 | 13.8% | 28.5% | 54.6% |
| Somers | 1978 | 7.7% | 25.4% | 89.5% |
| Union | 1978 | 9.3% | 20.7% | 92.5% |
| Tolland | 1980 | 4.8% | 17.2% | 91.2% |
| Columbia | 1982 | 7.4% | 13.7% | 83.6% |
| Ellington | 1982 | 13.5% | 27.1% | 70.8% |
| Hebron | 1984 | 4.2% | 20.5% | 88.9% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates (tables B25001, B25003, B25024, B25034, B25035) for each town, summed by county. Connecticut's counties are no longer Census reporting areas, so no county-wide median year is given. Town estimates carry a margin of error, which is wider in smaller towns.
What these numbers actually mean
The design wind speed sets the fastener schedule and the manufacturer wind rating we specify. The ground snow load drives the ice-barrier detail — Connecticut requires ice barrier statewide under code section R905.1.2, running from the lowest roof edge to at least 24 inches inside the exterior wall line.
Connecticut’s code minimum is four nails per shingle. Shingle manufacturers require six to keep their wind warranty in force, and six is what we install. That is a manufacturer requirement, not a code one. The full explanation is in our Connecticut roofing code guide.
Union's snow, Columbia's wind: the code map for a Tolland County roof
In Tolland County, the towns with the most wind and the town with the most snow are not the same place. Appendix AY of the 2022 Connecticut State Building Code gives every town its own design wind speed and ground snow load. Across these 13 towns, wind moves one step, from 120 to 125 mph. Snow moves two, from 30 to 40 psf.
- Highest wind: Columbia and Hebron, at 125 mph. Statewide, 43 towns share that figure. Both sit at the county's lowest snow load, 30 psf.
- Lowest wind: 120 mph in the other 11 towns. That is the most common figure in Connecticut, shared by 96 towns. No town in the county sits at the state's low of 115 mph.
- Highest snow: Union, at 40 psf. That is the highest figure in the state, and only 18 towns carry it. Union's wind figure is the county's lower one, 120 mph.
- Lowest snow: 30 psf in Andover, Bolton, Columbia, Coventry, Hebron and Vernon. The other six towns sit in the middle at 35 psf.
Columbia and Hebron, the county's 125 mph towns, are not among the ten southeastern towns where the code guide flags a split between the residential and commercial wind tables. No Tolland County town is on that list.
Some rules hold no matter which figure a town carries. Connecticut's minimum is four nails per shingle, in Columbia and Hebron at 125 mph and in the 120 mph towns alike. The shingle makers want six before they will stand behind a wind claim. The ice barrier is the same statewide rule in Union at 40 psf as in Vernon at 30 psf. Code section R905.1.2 runs it 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 other Connecticut amendment that matters on almost every job is R905.1.1, the sealed roof deck rule. It applies anywhere in Connecticut when a roof is replaced, because the amended rule has no regional limit. That puts all 13 towns here under it. The exception is lumber sheathing of less than 3 feet nominal width, which is common on pre-1950 Connecticut houses. Our Connecticut roofing code guide explains both amendments.
Permits in Tolland County go through each town's building department, but the towns do not all have their own phone line. Andover and Bolton, both 120 mph and 30 psf towns, list the same department number, 860-649-8066 x6103. That leaves 12 distinct lines for 13 towns. Each town page lists its building official and permit line.
One date is worth watching. Connecticut's next code cycle was expected to take effect on July 1, 2026. The Office of the State Building Inspector now says that date is delayed while the legislature's Regulation Review Committee reviews it, as of a check on September 17, 2026. When the new code lands, the appendix is renumbered and some wind and snow entries change. Every wind and snow figure in this section comes from the 2022 table, so confirm the current one with the town before relying on it.
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