Roofer in Dartmouth, MA

Most Dartmouth homes are lived in by their owners. In the 2020-2024 data, 9,267 of the town's 12,200 occupied homes are owner occupied, and 2,933 are rented. That is about 76 percent owner occupied.

Whether you own or rent out the house, get a written estimate you understand before you sign anything. If you manage a rental in town, we will talk with whoever is dealing with the leak.

Dartmouth's Building Department publishes a Frequently Asked Questions page. It says a building permit is needed by anyone who wants to construct, reconstruct, alter, repair, remove or demolish a building or structure, under the state building code (780 CMR). The page does not name re-roofing in particular, so ask the Building Department how it treats your job.

• Who Can Be Issued A Permit. The FAQ says a permit can be issued to someone who holds a valid construction supervisor license and is also registered as a Home Improvement Contractor under M.G.L. Chapter 142A. It also says homeowners may be issued a permit for work on a one or two family dwelling where they reside or intend to reside.
• What To Submit. At a minimum, the FAQ lists a completed online application, a copy of the required licenses, the permit fee, an insurance certificate and plans.
• Timing. The FAQ says permit applications generally take 7 to 10 days to review and approve, and that a permit becomes invalid unless the authorized work starts within 180 days after it is issued.
• Starting Without One. The town's 2022 building fee schedule says the fee is doubled for work started without proper permits.
• Fees. The town pages we read do not publish a re-roofing fee, so ask the Building Department before you plan around one. Its main page is the Building Department.

Rules differ from town to town, and from address to address. We check the rules for your address first, so you know what applies before the work is quoted.

Dartmouth has a Russells Mills Historic District Commission, which carries out the town's historic district bylaw for Russells Mills. The town also posts General By-Laws Article 64, Demolition of Historic Structures, on its Building Department pages.

The pages we read do not set out a rule about roofing materials in the Russells Mills district, so we cannot tell you from here that one exists, or where the district line runs. If your house is in that part of town, or is an old one, ask the Commission what it would want to see. Or give us your address and we will find out before we quote.

Dartmouth's Master Plan, adopted in 2023, says the town has 61.53 square miles of land and runs from 252 feet of elevation at Yellow Hill down to sea level along about 47 miles of tidal shoreline on Buzzards Bay. It says residents are deeply affected by hurricanes, intense storms and drought, and it cites anticipated sea level rise and intense storms as reasons to preserve natural, resilient land.

The Building Department's page also links a guide to wood construction in high wind areas, written for a 110 mile per hour wind zone, and a Massachusetts compliance checklist.

Sea level rise is about water on the ground, not shingles. Wind, rain and winter weather are what act on a roof. For storm and winter questions, see our storm damage and insurance claims page and our ice dam guide.

We take roofing calls across the town. Town Hall is at 400 Slocum Road, ZIP code 02747. The Master Plan names Russells Mills and Hixville as rural villages and Padanaram as a maritime village.

Dartmouth is bordered by Westport on the west, Fall River and Freetown on the north, New Bedford on the east, and Buzzards Bay on the south. If your street is near a town line, one call covers it and we will tell you which town's rules apply.

Not sure whether the rules above apply to your address? Call (401) 593-1512 and we will check before we quote.

We go up on the roof, and into the attic when it matters, before we tell you anything. You get a plain read on what we found, whether it is a repair, maintenance or a replacement, and what the town will want to see. Request an estimate or call (401) 593-1512.

Thinking about solar for your Dartmouth home? See solar in Dartmouth from Rooftop Power. RTP Roofing is a Rooftop Power company.