Attic insulation, air sealing and crawl space work across Cumberland County. We cover 25 jurisdictions here, each with its own page: the energy code that applies, the attic R-value it requires, the permit position and the building department's number. Of the county's 153,286 homes, 23% were built before 1940, and 15% of occupied homes heat with electricity.
Click a city for its full code, permit and rebate detail.
| City | Energy code | Attic R required | Permit to insulate | Building dept. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baldwin | Not published | — | Not for an attic top-up | 207-625-3581 |
| Bridgton | Maine code, 2021 IECC | R-60 | Not for an attic top-up | 207-803-9963 |
| Brunswick | Maine code, 2021 IECC | R-60 | Not published | 207-725-6660 |
| Cape Elizabeth | Maine code, 2021 IECC | R-60 | Not published | 207-799-1619 |
| Casco | Maine code, 2021 IECC | R-60 | Not published | 207-627-4515 |
| Cumberland | Maine code, 2021 IECC | R-60 | Not published | 207-829-2207 |
| Falmouth | Maine code, 2021 IECC | R-60 | Not published | 207-699-5310 |
| Freeport | Maine code, 2021 IECC | R-60 | Not published | 207-865-4743 |
| Gorham | Maine code, 2021 IECC | R-60 | Not published | 207-222-1605 |
| Gray | Maine code, 2021 IECC | R-60 | Not published | 207-657-3112 |
| Harpswell | Maine code, 2021 IECC | R-60 | Not published | 207-833-5771 |
| Harrison | Maine code, 2021 IECC | R-60 | Not published | 207-583-0923 |
| Naples | Not published | — | Not published | 207-693-6364 |
| New Gloucester | Maine code, 2021 IECC | R-60 | Not for an attic top-up | 207-926-4126 |
| North Yarmouth | Maine code, 2021 IECC | R-60 | Not published | 207-829-3705 |
| Portland | Maine code, 2021 IECC | R-60 | Not published | 207-874-8703 |
| Pownal | Maine code, 2021 IECC | R-60 | Not published | 207-688-4431 |
| Raymond | Maine code, 2021 IECC | R-60 | Not published | 207-655-4742 |
| Scarborough | Maine code, 2021 IECC | R-60 | Not published | 207-730-4040 |
| Sebago | Not published | — | Not published | 207-787-2457 |
| South Portland | Maine code, 2021 IECC | R-60 | Not published | 207-767-7603 |
| Standish | Maine code, 2021 IECC | R-60 | Not published | 207-642-4571 |
| Westbrook | Maine code, 2021 IECC | R-60 | Not published | 207-854-0638 |
| Windham | Maine code, 2021 IECC | R-60 | Not published | 207-894-5960 |
| Yarmouth | Maine code, 2021 IECC | R-60 | Not published | 207-846-2401 |
22 of the 25 publish an energy code edition we could name and 22 of the 25 a required R-value we could read; a blank in this table means the jurisdiction publishes nothing, not that we guessed.
Maine writes one residential energy code for the whole state, and no town may adopt a different building code (10 M.R.S. 9724), so the attic figure for new work is R-60 in every one of the 25 places we cover in Cumberland County. What changes from town to town is the permit desk.
The 25 places here with their own Census row hold 151,734 of Cumberland County's 153,286 homes (99%); the rest are in other municipalities or unincorporated areas.
Cumberland County has 153,286 homes in the Census count, with a median year built of 1976. 55% were built before 1980 and 22% in 2000 or later; the single biggest decade was the years before 1940, with 35,795 homes (23%). Of 132,168 occupied homes, 20% heat with utility gas and 15% with electricity.
Across the 25 places we cover here, Portland has the oldest housing (46% before 1940) and Gorham the newest (33% built in 2000 or later). Portland is the largest, at 36,559 homes, and Portland has the most electric heat (21%).
| Place | Homes | Before 1940 | Median built | Electric heat | Owner-occupied |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portland | 36,559 | 46% | 1946 | 21% | 47% |
| South Portland | 12,782 | 25% | 1968 | 18% | 58% |
| Scarborough | 11,097 | 8% | 1988 | 15% | 77% |
| Westbrook | 9,575 | 25% | 1975 | 17% | 61% |
| Brunswick | 9,523 | 20% | 1982 | 13% | 71% |
| Windham | 8,709 | 12% | 1985 | 10% | 85% |
| Gorham | 6,834 | 14% | 1988 | 8% | 81% |
| Falmouth | 5,283 | 14% | 1986 | 11% | 84% |
| Standish | 4,925 | 17% | 1980 | 3% | 91% |
| Bridgton | 4,620 | 11% | 1985 | 11% | 83% |
| Gray | 4,442 | 12% | 1983 | 10% | 82% |
| Harpswell | 4,286 | 20% | 1979 | 7% | 83% |
| Freeport | 4,249 | 17% | 1984 | 13% | 78% |
| Cape Elizabeth | 3,981 | 19% | 1967 | 12% | 88% |
| Yarmouth | 3,639 | 17% | 1973 | 12% | 80% |
| Naples | 3,360 | 4% | 1988 | 7% | 88% |
| Cumberland | 3,282 | 15% | 1984 | 8% | 91% |
| Raymond | 3,053 | 15% | 1976 | 15% | 90% |
| Casco | 2,973 | 5% | 1988 | 7% | 90% |
| New Gloucester | 2,256 | 11% | 1991 | 8% | 83% |
| Harrison | 1,798 | 20% | 1980 | 9% | 90% |
| North Yarmouth | 1,612 | 13% | 1983 | 11% | 87% |
| Sebago | 1,521 | 17% | 1975 | 15% | 89% |
| Pownal | 741 | 32% | 1971 | 9% | 89% |
| Baldwin | 634 | 15% | 1979 | 5% | 89% |
Against the three-county metro on this site (287,616 homes), Cumberland County's pre-1940 share of 23% compares with 22%, and its electric-heat share of 15% with 13%. 17,814 occupied homes (13%) burn propane or other tank gas and 4,457 (3%) heat with wood, which matters because neither fuel comes with a gas utility's program attached. 70% of occupied homes are owner-occupied and 63% of all homes are single-family detached houses.
In Cumberland County that adds up to 35,795 pre-1940 homes, where walls were usually built empty (wall insulation) and a vermiculite check comes first; 40,574 homes from the 1950s to the 1970s, the usual candidates for an attic top-up; 33,408 built since 2000, where air sealing tends to matter more than extra depth.
| Built | Homes | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before 1940 | 35,795 | 23% | |
| 1940s | 7,739 | 5% | |
| 1950s | 10,632 | 7% | |
| 1960s | 11,554 | 8% | |
| 1970s | 18,388 | 12% | |
| 1980s | 20,276 | 13% | |
| 1990s | 15,494 | 10% | |
| 2000s | 17,885 | 12% | |
| 2010s | 12,367 | 8% | |
| 2020 or later | 3,156 | 2% |
Figures: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates (tables B25001, B25003, B25024, B25034, B25035, B25040). Survey estimates carry margins of error, widest in the smallest places. Census table.
Heating fuel in Cumberland County, by the Census Bureau's count: fuel oil or kerosene in 46% of occupied homes, electricity in 15%, propane or tank gas in 13%, and 20% utility gas (Census ACS 2020–2024). For Cumberland County homeowners the rebate is Efficiency Maine's: $2,000 for each attic, wall or basement zone of 500 square feet or more at any income ($3,000 moderate, $4,000 low income), with $150 to $300 for attic air sealing on top. Only a Residential Registered Vendor can do rebated work, the claim goes in within six months, and a lifetime limit of $8,600 per home applies. Income-qualified households in Cumberland County can apply to Community Concepts Inc (207-795-4065) for free weatherization through MaineHousing instead. See the rebate guide for the tiers and the checklist.
It depends on the city, not the county. Across Cumberland County, 3 publish that an attic top-up needs none (Baldwin, Bridgton, New Gloucester); the other 22 publish no rule either way. Each town page says which applies and gives the building department's number.
For new work, the published attic figures across Cumberland County are R-60 in Bridgton, Brunswick, Cape Elizabeth, Casco, Cumberland, Falmouth, Freeport, Gorham. 3 of the 25 jurisdictions publish no figure we could read. The Department of Energy recommends R60 for an uninsulated attic in this climate zone.
The Census Bureau's 2020–2024 estimates put 23% of Cumberland County's 153,286 homes before 1940 and 55% before 1980, with a median year built of 1976.
The same ones in every town across Cumberland County: Efficiency Maine pays $2,000 per attic, wall or basement zone of 500 square feet or more at any income, $3,000 at moderate income and $4,000 at low income, plus $150 to $300 for attic air sealing, for work completed on or after October 1, 2026 by one of its Residential Registered Vendors. The electric utility does not change it.
Yes, through the Weatherization Assistance Program that MaineHousing funds, which Community Concepts Inc runs for Cumberland County (207-795-4065). If the household income qualifies, the work can be free rather than discounted.
Free assessment, a measured R-value, and photos you keep either way.
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