Roof Snow Removal in Lincoln

Lincoln's own. Section 20.12.140 of the Lincoln Municipal Code amends Table R301.2, the climatic and geographic design criteria in the residential code, so Lincoln sets its own design values rather than taking Omaha's. A full roof replacement in Lincoln also needs a permit from the City of Lincoln's Building and Safety department, which publishes its own re-roof policy.

For the city's current numbers, read the section itself (linked below) or ask Building and Safety.

NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals at Lincoln Municipal Airport: 26.0 inches a year, with 1.5 in November, 5.3 in December, 6.5 in January, 7.1 in February and 3.4 in March. February is the snowiest month.

The Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety puts 3 to 5 inches of old snow at about 5 pounds per square foot, the same as 10 to 12 inches of new, so a February roof can be heavier than its depth suggests. How much snow a roof can hold explains the weights.

The Census Bureau's American Community Survey (2019 to 2023 five-year estimates) puts the median year Lincoln's housing was built at 1981. About 49 percent of the city's homes were built before 1980, about 12 percent before 1940, and about 27 percent in 2000 or later, so the neighborhoods around downtown and the university and the newer edges of the city face winter differently.

On the older half, the attic is the usual suspect. The University of Minnesota Extension says an ice dam forms when heat from the house warms the upper roof, names air leaking into the attic as a major cause, and says to seal those leaks first and then add insulation. On any house, a roof replaced before an ice barrier went into its jurisdiction's rules may not have one; an inspection tells you.

If a Lincoln ice dam is already leaking, catch the water, photograph it, keep off the roof and call. Our crews steam the dam open so the water drains off the roof, and the University of Minnesota Extension says not to repair the ceiling until it is dry. What to do when an ice dam leaks goes step by step, and ice dam removal explains the steaming.

By hand, and from the ground wherever we can. OSHA's hazard alert says falls cause most of the deaths and serious injuries in rooftop snow removal, through skylights hidden under the snow among them, which is why we would rather you raked from the ground than climbed. The roof snow removal page covers when and how.

Lincoln is served from our Omaha headquarters at 5634 S 85th Cir Ste 204. Office hours are 9 to 5, and during storms and emergencies we take night and weekend calls. Call us at (402) 291-8888. After the snow, the roof, gutters and siding are checked in one free visit, photographed, with a free estimate in writing. The Lincoln page covers our roofing, siding and gutter work in Lincoln and Lancaster County.