Roof Replacement in Andover, MA

Andover has 13,899 homes, and half of them were standing by 1973. Below: what the code asks of a replacement here, the permit, and the town’s own records.

New Roofing Costs connects homeowners with independent local roofing contractors. We do not perform roofing work.

Call (833) 781-1806 Replacement and new roofs only · homeowners

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.

A Massachusetts Cape Cod house with a new shingle roof after light snow

The rules for a reroof in Andover

Permit

Expect a building permit

Massachusetts exempts sheds, fences and finish work from permits (R105.2), not roofing. In Andover the building department takes the application, with the contractor’s home improvement registration on it.

Source: 780 CMR 51.00, Chapter 1 amendments (R105)

Layers

One old layer can stay; two cannot

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). 60% of Andover’s homes were built before 1980; many have been reroofed before.

Source: IRC 2021, Chapter 9 (Pennsylvania edition, UpCodes); 780 CMR 51.00, Chapter 9 amendments

Ice barrier

Required statewide

There is no local exception: the state table says “yes.” Membrane or doubled underlayment, eave to 24 inches inside the wall line (IRC R905.1.2), is a line on every quote here.

Source: 780 CMR 51.00, Chapter 3 amendments (Tables R301.2(1) and R301.2(2)); IRC 2021, Chapter 9 (Pennsylvania edition, UpCodes)

Wind and snow

117 mph design wind, 50 psf ground snow

Andover’s code design values are a 117 mph ultimate design wind speed and a 50 psf ground snow load (30 psf minimum flat-roof snow load). At that wind speed the code calls for asphalt shingles labeled ASTM D7158 Class G or H (Table R905.2.4.1).

Source: 780 CMR 51.00, Chapter 3 amendments (Tables R301.2(1) and R301.2(2)); IRC 2021, Chapter 9 (Pennsylvania edition, UpCodes) (780 CMR 51.00, Table R301.2(2))

Checked against the code text on October 24, 2026. The state’s code edition and the rest of its rules: roof replacement in Massachusetts.

Homes and roofs in Andover

80% of the occupied homes in Andover are lived in by their owners: 10,622 households, the people this line is for. Counting by decade, 23% before 1940, 36% before 1960, 60% before 1980 of the housing was in place, and 16% dates from 2000 on. (ACS 2020–2024.)

The housing is 68% detached houses, 5% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses), 7% buildings of two to four units.

Of the 34 Essex County municipalities on this site, Andover has the 24th largest share of homes built before 1980: 60%, against a county range of 41% to 89%.

ZIP codes: 01810

Andover and the towns around it

Place	Median built	Before 1980	Owners	Row, twin	Hail days
Andover	1973	60%	80%	5%	15
Lawrence	1950	78%	28%	8%	14
North Andover	1979	51%	70%	11%	12
Tewksbury	1981	48%	85%	13%	12
Wilmington	1979	51%	88%	3%	11
North Reading	1975	57%	84%	6%	13

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.

Hail and storms near Andover

Since 2006 the National Weather Service has logged hail of 1 inch or larger on 15 separate days within 10 miles of Andover; the largest was 1.5 in on September 13, 2010. The most recent was September 8, 2023.

That is more hail days than 84% of the places in the state on this site.

At the county level, Andover shares Essex County’s record of 9 storm disaster declarations since 2006, the newest DR-4379 (Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm, July 2018). (OpenFEMA.)

Storm reports are what observers logged, not a measure of damage to any roof. When wind or hail damage means a new roof.

What goes on the roof next

HUD’s useful-life figures are for planning; a warranty is a separate promise. For Andover’s houses: 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; 68% of homes here are detached	Class G or H at 117 mph design wind (IRC Table R905.2.4.1)
Metal (standing seam, panels)	50 years	Low pitches and long runs	A complete standing-seam system may go over the old roof (R908.3.1)
Slate	75 years	Older houses; 23% here predate 1940	Sound slate can be reused (R908.5); broken slate cannot
Flat roof: EPDM or TPO	15 years	Additions and porch roofs	Seams at walls and drainage

Checking a contractor in Massachusetts

In Andover the contractor’s HIC registration (M.G.L. c. 142A) and the CSL of the supervisor licensed for roof covering are the two numbers to look up before signing.

Contracts, deposits and the right to cancel: checking a roofing contractor. What moves the price: new roof cost in Massachusetts.

Questions about a new roof in Andover

Does a roof replacement in Andover need a permit?

Expect a building permit. Massachusetts exempts sheds, fences and finish work from permits (R105.2), not roofing. In Andover the building department takes the application, with the contractor’s home improvement registration on it.

Is a roof-over allowed in Andover, or is it a tear-off?

When were most homes in Andover built?

By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in Andover was built in 1973, 60% of homes were built before 1980, 80% are owner-occupied.

Does Andover get hail that damages roofs?

Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 15 days within 10 miles of Andover from 2006 through 2025 (NOAA Storm Prediction Center). A report means hail fell nearby, not that a roof was damaged.

What license or registration should a roofer in Andover have?