Half of the 4,598 homes in Old Lyme were built before 1965. What the code requires when that roof is replaced, and who signs off, is below.
New Roofing Costs connects homeowners with independent local roofing contractors. We do not perform roofing work.
This number connects homeowners who are planning a new roof or a full roof replacement with independent local roofing contractors. It is not for leak repairs or patch jobs. The call must come from the homeowner who decides on the roof. Calls may be recorded.
Permit
Without a permit, Connecticut allows only:
Repairs that are limited to 25 percent of roof covering and building siding within one calendar year.
2022 CSBC, (Amd) R105.2, item 11
A whole new roof is more than that, so it goes to Old Lyme’s building official.
Layers
A new roof may go over one existing layer; with two or more, or over slate, clay or cement tile, everything comes off to the deck (IRC R908.3.1.1). With 71% of Old Lyme’s homes were built before 1980, ask what is under the newest layer.
Source: IRC 2021, Chapter 9 (Pennsylvania edition, UpCodes); 2022 Connecticut State Building Code
Ice barrier
There is no local exception: the state table says “yes.” That is a self-adhering membrane, or two cemented layers of underlayment, from the eave to at least 24 inches inside the wall line (IRC R905.1.2).
Source: 2022 Connecticut State Building Code; IRC 2021, Chapter 9 (Pennsylvania edition, UpCodes)
Deck joints
Connecticut adds a 4-inch self-adhering strip over all joints of a plywood or OSB deck ((Amd) R905.1.1). It is not needed under a fully adhered membrane, or on board decks under 3 feet wide.
Wind and snow
Old Lyme’s code design values are a 126 mph ultimate design wind speed and a 30 psf ground snow load; it is in Connecticut’s hurricane-prone region. At that wind speed the code calls for asphalt shingles labeled ASTM D7158 Class G or H (Table R905.2.4.1).
Source: 2022 Connecticut State Building Code; IRC 2021, Chapter 9 (Pennsylvania edition, UpCodes) (2022 CSBC, Appendix AY)
Rules as read on October 24, 2026. Everything else the state requires: roof replacement in Connecticut.
Owners live in 2,828 of Old Lyme’s occupied homes, or 89%. By year built, 18% before 1940, 43% before 1960, 71% before 1980; 9% went up in 2000 or later. (ACS 2020–2024.)
By building type: 93% detached houses.
27% of the homes in Old Lyme are seasonal or occasional-use homes (ACS 2020–2024). If yours is one of them and you live elsewhere, the call still has to come from you as the owner.
Of the 21 New London County municipalities on this site, Old Lyme has the 5th largest share of homes built before 1980: 71%, against a county range of 31% to 83%.
ZIP codes: 06371 · 06376
| Place | Median built | Before 1980 | Owners | Row, twin | Hail days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old Lyme | 1965 | 71% | 89% | 1% | 3 |
| Old Saybrook | 1967 | 71% | 85% | 4% | 3 |
| East Lyme | 1975 | 57% | 76% | 5% | 6 |
| Lyme | 1967 | 62% | 91% | 0% | 4 |
| Essex | 1971 | 65% | 78% | 3% | 4 |
| Waterford | 1968 | 63% | 80% | 7% | 4 |
Median built: median year the homes were built. Before 1980: share of homes built then. Owners: share of homes that are owner-occupied. Row, twin: share of homes that are rowhouses, twins or townhouses. Census ACS 2020–2024. Hail days: days with hail of 1 inch or larger within 10 miles, 2006–2025, NOAA Storm Prediction Center.
NOAA’s storm reports show 3 days since 2006 with hail of at least 1 inch inside a 10-mile circle around Old Lyme, topping out at 1.75 in on June 29, 2020.
That is fewer than most places in the state on this site (median 9 days).
Federal major-disaster declarations for storms in New London County since 2006: 10, most recently DR-4629, Remnants of Hurricane Ida, declared October 2021. (OpenFEMA.)
A report says hail fell near Old Lyme, not that it damaged a roof. When wind or hail damage means a new roof.
Useful life is HUD’s planning figure, not a warranty. More in the guides to shingles, metal, slate and flat roofs.
| Material | HUD useful life | Fits a house like | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asphalt shingles | 20 years | Most pitched roofs; 93% of homes here are detached | Class G or H at 126 mph design wind (IRC Table R905.2.4.1) |
| Metal (standing seam, panels) | 50 years | Roofs that will carry solar later | Standing seam that carries its own loads can skip the tear-off (R908.3.1) |
| Slate | 75 years | Older houses; 18% here predate 1940 | Sound slate can be reused (R908.5); broken slate cannot |
| Flat roof: EPDM or TPO | 15 years | Porches, additions, low-slope rears | Where the roof meets a wall or parapet |
Look up the home improvement registration (C.G.S. § 20-420) of anyone pricing a roof in Old Lyme; the law forbids presenting it as an endorsement of workmanship (§ 20-427(b)(6)).
The price side is in what a new roof costs in Connecticut; the paperwork side in checking a roofing contractor.
The 25 percent line. A whole new roof is more than that, so it goes to Old Lyme’s building official.
A new roof may go over one existing layer; with two or more, or over slate, clay or cement tile, everything comes off to the deck (IRC R908.3.1.1). With 71% of Old Lyme’s homes were built before 1980, ask what is under the newest layer.
By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in Old Lyme was built in 1965, 71% of homes were built before 1980, 89% are owner-occupied.
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 3 days within 10 miles of Old Lyme from 2006 through 2025 (NOAA Storm Prediction Center). A report means hail fell nearby, not that a roof was damaged.
Look up the home improvement registration (C.G.S. § 20-420) of anyone pricing a roof in Old Lyme; the law forbids presenting it as an endorsement of workmanship (§ 20-427(b)(6)).
The full list: before you call.
Checked October 24, 2026. Laws and code editions change; the date says when these were last read at the source.