Roofing in Great Barrington, MA
Great Barrington and Housatonic, from our Lee office.
Cedar, shingle, metal and flat roofs, repairs and seamless gutters, from Main Street to the mill village.
Some Main Street buildings need approval first
Great Barrington has local historic districts under state law, Chapter 40C, and town code Chapter 113, run by its Historic District Commission. Exterior changes visible from a public way need a certificate from the commission before the work starts, and the town code lists its own exemptions, so a roofing job on one of these properties begins with a call to the commission.
The districts are short lists of properties, not neighborhoods. District A is Town Hall, the Mahaiwe, Castle Street and 304 to 322 Main Street. District B is Searles Castle. District C is 222 to 271 Main Street.
Mill-village houses in Housatonic
Housatonic grew around the Monument Mills, which closed in 1956, and many of its mill workers lived in tenements near the river. About 60 percent of the village's 635 homes were built in 1939 or earlier, against 36 percent for Great Barrington as a whole, and the town's median build year is 1958.
Those older village houses are where tear-offs turn up board decking and old flashing. Housatonic is about 10 miles and 22 minutes from our Lee office, a little closer than downtown Great Barrington at about 13 miles and 30 minutes.
$60 permits and a 50 psf snow load
The town's permitting guide says any work that alters walls or roofs needs a building permit. The Building Department on the second floor of 334 Main Street (413-528-1619) is open weekdays 8:30 to 4:00, and applications go in online through PermitEyes. Since June 2024 the residential fee has been $60 for the first $5,000 of work plus $5 for each additional $1,000. A dumpster on a sidewalk or in the road needs sign-off from the police, the fire department and the Selectboard.
Great Barrington's design ground snow load is 50 pounds per square foot, like Lenox's, and lower than the 60 psf of Dalton and North Adams. Town Hall sits at about 710 feet in the Housatonic River valley, below East, Beartown and Monument mountains, and the state code flags the town as a special wind region, where local wind can run higher than the map shows.
Great Barrington roofing questions
Historic approval, permit fees and Housatonic.
Which properties need Historic District Commission approval for roof work?
Those in the town's local historic districts: Town Hall, the Mahaiwe, Castle Street and 304 to 322 Main Street; Searles Castle; and 222 to 271 Main Street. Exterior changes visible from a public way need the commission's certificate there. The Taconic and West Avenues neighborhood is a National Register district, which does not on its own require approval.
What does a roofing permit cost in Great Barrington?
$60 for up to $5,000 of work, plus $5 for each additional $1,000, under the schedule in effect since June 2024. A $15,000 roof would be a $110 permit.
Do you work in Housatonic?
Yes. Housatonic is part of Great Barrington and is booked from our Lee office, about 10 miles away.
Is the snow load lower here than in North County?
Yes. The state code sets Great Barrington's design ground snow load at 50 pounds per square foot, against 60 in towns like Dalton and North Adams, and the same as Lenox. Roofing in Lenox →
Roof work on Main Street or in Housatonic?
Tell us the address, and we'll check whether the commission has to see it first.