Roofing company in Annapolis, MD

In Annapolis the first question is not what the roof is made of. It is whether the city, its Historic Preservation Commission or Anne Arundel County has a say in what goes back on.

Annapolis is the only incorporated city in Anne Arundel County, but the Annapolis mailing address runs well past the city line. By census counts only about one in five people in ZIP 21401 lives inside the city itself, with around half in Parole, and most of 21403 is the Annapolis Neck area rather than the city. That matters, because the City of Annapolis handles its own permitting. We work out which side of the line your house is on before we quote.

Inside the Annapolis Historic District, the roof is not only your decision. The city’s Historic Preservation Commission reviews all exterior alterations there, and its design manual names replacing a roof as one of them, including work that cannot be seen from the street or the water. The city also states that exterior projects in the district need a certificate of approval whether or not they need a building permit. We will tell you plainly if your address is inside it, because finding out after the old roof is off is the expensive way.

The Commission’s design manual is specific about roofs. Surviving historic slate and metal are meant to be retained and repaired, and only severely deteriorated metal replaced, with metal. Replacing asphalt shingle with asphalt shingle is not prohibited, but the manual strongly encourages going back to the building’s original material, and where asphalt is used it calls for a heavyweight square-tab shingle in a color close to the historic roof. It also says unpainted mill-finish aluminum is not allowed for flashing, gutters or downspouts, so the gutter line is part of the conversation too.

The housing spans a long stretch of history. About 2,800 homes in 21401 were built before 1940, and roughly one in four is attached rather than detached. Across Spa Creek, 21403 is younger: about 45% of its housing went up between 1970 and 1989, which puts those roofs on their second or third replacement. A great deal of Annapolis also sits on the water, from Eastport between Spa Creek and Back Creek to West Annapolis on Weems Creek and the Severn River. Exposed roofs take more wind, so edge metal and flashing are where we start.

Permit requirements come from the City of Annapolis inside the city limits and from Anne Arundel County outside them, and depend on whether the work is like-for-like or structural. We confirm what your address needs, including any historic review, before work starts.

Housing figures are from published census data for ZIPs 21401 and 21403. Historic District guidance per the City of Annapolis Historic Preservation Commission.