Stafford has 5,022 homes, and half of them were standing by 1970. The rules below decide how much of the old roof has to come off and what goes under the new one.
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
Replacing the whole roof crosses that line; Stafford’s building department issues the permit.
Layers
On a roof that already carries two layers, or slate or tile, the code allows no recover: it is a tear-off (IRC R908.3.1.1). 61% of Stafford’s homes were built before 1980, so count the layers before comparing quotes.
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
Stafford’s code design values are a 120 mph ultimate design wind speed and a 35 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.
80% of the occupied homes in Stafford are lived in by their owners: 3,662 households, the people this line is for. By year built, 21% before 1940, 39% before 1960, 61% before 1980; 10% went up in 2000 or later. (ACS 2020–2024.)
By building type: 71% detached houses, 6% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses), 11% buildings of two to four units.
Of the 12 Tolland County municipalities on this site, Stafford has the 3rd largest share of homes built before 1980: 61%, against a county range of 39% to 66%.
ZIP codes: 06076
| Place | Median built | Before 1980 | Owners | Row, twin | Hail days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stafford | 1970 | 61% | 80% | 6% | 12 |
| Willington | 1976 | 58% | 64% | 0% | 12 |
| Tolland | 1981 | 48% | 91% | 2% | 13 |
| Somers | 1979 | 52% | 88% | 3% | 18 |
| Ellington | 1982 | 48% | 72% | 5% | 11 |
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 12 days since 2006 with hail of at least 1 inch inside a 10-mile circle around Stafford, topping out at 1.75 in on June 8, 2011. The most recent was August 26, 2024.
That is more hail days than 77% of the places in the state on this site.
Federal major-disaster declarations for storms in Tolland County since 2006: 7, most recently DR-4580, Tropical Storm Isaias, declared January 2021. (OpenFEMA.)
A report says hail fell near Stafford, 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; 71% of homes here are detached | Class G or H at 120 mph design wind (IRC Table R905.2.4.1) |
| Metal (standing seam, panels) | 50 years | Low pitches and long runs | Standing seam that carries its own loads can skip the tear-off (R908.3.1) |
| Slate | 75 years | Older houses; 21% 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 Stafford; 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. Replacing the whole roof crosses that line; Stafford’s building department issues the permit.
On a roof that already carries two layers, or slate or tile, the code allows no recover: it is a tear-off (IRC R908.3.1.1). 61% of Stafford’s homes were built before 1980, so count the layers before comparing quotes.
By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in Stafford was built in 1970, 61% of homes were built before 1980, 80% are owner-occupied.
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 12 days within 10 miles of Stafford 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 Stafford; 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.