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Pre-1980 paint, a city permit, and a lead ordinance that got stricter in 2026. We work inside all three.
Rochester runs from the Genesee gorge out to the city line, and most of what we work on here went up before 1940. Houses sit close together, the ladder has to land somewhere, and the paperwork is real. We pull the permit, we work lead-safe, and we close the job out.
The Genesee splits the city north to south. The Inner Loop and 490 ring downtown, with the 19th Ward, Maplewood, Beechwood and the South Wedge out around them.
City doubles, four-squares and bungalows, most of them pre-1940. Steep pitches, old framing, and nearly all of them painted before 1980.
Wind off the open lake plain, a long freeze-thaw shoulder either side of winter, and ice backing up at the eaves over every porch roof in town.
About an hour from Attica, out 490 or up the 390.
Two seasons of storm data put this region’s one significant hail event in Erie and Cattaraugus County, not Monroe. What takes a Rochester roof apart is wind on an exposed ridge, ice backing up behind a packed gutter, and twenty-five years of sun on a shingle rated for twenty. We photograph the slopes and tell you which of the three you have.
Straight talk on insurance claims. We inspect, photograph, and document the damage, and we give you a written, itemized estimate you can hand to your insurer — and we can meet your adjuster on the roof. Your insurance company decides what’s covered. We don’t negotiate settlements — by New York law only a licensed public adjuster or attorney can represent you in a claim. We never pay, waive, or absorb deductibles (New York GBL §771-b makes that insurance fraud), and no contractor can promise your claim will be approved.
Repair or full replacement — we photograph what we find and recommend the cheaper fix when it will hold.
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Seamless runs sized to the roof that feeds them — fewer seams, fewer failure points.
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Wind off the lake plain and ice at the eaves. We photograph every slope and put the findings in writing.
Explore storm damage →Representative photography — our first Rochester-area projects will be documented here.
A re-roof in the city needs a permit, an insurance certificate on file, and a final inspection. We handle all three and hand you the closed permit with the photos. That file is what a buyer’s attorney asks for later.
Nearby: roofing in Irondequoit · roof reports in Brighton · roof repair in Gates · roofing in Greece
The city’s lead ordinance keys on 1980, not the federal 1978 line, and it treats the paint on a building that old as lead-based unless someone has tested it and shown otherwise. Soffit, fascia and rake boards are painted exterior components. Cut, pry or sand them on a pre-1980 house and the work is lead work, whatever the invoice calls it.
True North is an EPA Lead-Safe Certified Firm, NAT-F347405-1. On a pre-1980 house that means containment under the eave, no power sanding and no open-flame work, a cleaning verification before we leave, and the records kept on file. On a rental it also means the roof job does not put your Certificate of Occupancy at risk.
The April 2026 amendment redrew the city’s Lead Paint High-Risk Area using Monroe County data and added roughly 5,800 properties to it. Inside that area a pre-1980 building with at least one rental unit now gets a Certificate of Occupancy inspection every three years instead of every six, dust wipes included, and the exterior is inspected even where the owner lives in one half of a two-unit.
If we disturb painted exterior components — soffit, fascia, rake boards — then yes, because the city presumes paint on a pre-1980 building is lead-based. We're an EPA Lead-Safe Certified Firm (NAT-F347405-1), so the containment, work practices and cleaning verification are part of the job, not an extra.
Yes, and it is cheaper than not having one. The fee is scaled to the cost of the work. Doing it without a permit gets you a penalty equal to the fee, at least $235 on a house, and you still pay the fee. We pull it in our name and close it out.
Yes. We stage from one side at a time, keep the drive and the walks clear, and keep debris contained under the eave rather than dropped on the lawn. On a pre-1980 rental that containment is required anyway.
Your insurance company does. We inspect, photograph and write an itemized estimate you can hand them, and we can meet your adjuster on the roof. We do not negotiate settlements and we cannot promise an outcome.
Every slope photographed, findings explained, and a written, itemized price — repair, replace, or “you’re good for now.”
The Walk-Away Promise: if the report says your roof is fine, we hand you the file and leave. No follow-up calls unless you ask for one. See all 27 points →
Tell us what’s going on up top. We come out, photograph everything, and put the answer in writing — no pressure.
