Roof Replacement in Adamstown Borough, Lancaster County, PA

The median home in Adamstown Borough was built in 1996; there are 760 of them. What the code requires when that roof is replaced, and who signs off, is below.

New Roofing Costs connects homeowners with independent local roofing contractors. We do not perform roofing work.

Call (833) 781-1806 Replacement and new roofs only · homeowners

This number connects homeowners who are planning a new roof or a full roof replacement with independent local roofing contractors. It is not for leak repairs or patch jobs. The call must come from the homeowner who decides on the roof. Calls may be recorded.

A Pennsylvania stone-and-brick house with a new shingle roof

The rules for a reroof in Adamstown Borough

Permit

Local ordinance, not the state

The state code does not cover a reroof that changes no structure (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). So the borough code office in Adamstown Borough is the one to ask before work starts.

Source: 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)

Layers

Two layers means a tear-off

IRC R908.3.1.1 forbids roofing over two existing layers, over slate or tile, or over a water-soaked roof. With 36% of Adamstown Borough’s homes were built before 1980, ask what is under the newest layer.

Source: IRC 2021, Chapter 9 (Pennsylvania edition, UpCodes)

Ice barrier

Adamstown Borough’s climate table decides

IRC R905.1.2 calls for an ice barrier where Table R301.2 says so; in Pennsylvania the municipality completes that table. Adamstown Borough’s answer is with the borough code office.

Source: IRC 2021, Chapter 9 (Pennsylvania edition, UpCodes)

Rules as read on October 24, 2026. Code edition, permit and contract rules for the whole state: roof replacement in Pennsylvania.

Homes and roofs in Adamstown Borough

Owners live in 597 of Adamstown Borough’s occupied homes, or 82%. By year built, 20% before 1940, 27% before 1960, 36% before 1980; 44% went up in 2000 or later. (ACS 2020–2024.)

By building type: 66% detached houses, 23% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses), 6% buildings of two to four units.

44% of homes here were built in 2000 or later. HUD’s useful-life table gives an asphalt-shingle roof 20 years, so roofs on houses from the early 2000s are reaching that age.

Of the 59 Lancaster County municipalities on this site, Adamstown Borough has the 52nd largest share of homes built before 1980: 36%, against a county range of 27% to 87%.

ZIP codes: 19501

Adamstown Borough and the towns around it

Place	Median built	Before 1980	Owners	Row, twin	Hail days
Adamstown Borough, Lancaster County	1996	36%	82%	23%	18
Adamstown Borough, Berks County	1996	36%	82%	23%	18
East Cocalico	1983	46%	83%	9%	17
Brecknock Township, Lancaster County	1983	43%	86%	8%	16
Denver	1975	59%	74%	27%	18
Spring Township, Berks County	1975	57%	75%	18%	18

Median built: median year the homes were built. Before 1980: share of homes built then. Owners: share of homes that are owner-occupied. Row, twin: share of homes that are rowhouses, twins or townhouses. Census ACS 2020–2024. Hail days: days with hail of 1 inch or larger within 10 miles, 2006–2025, NOAA Storm Prediction Center.

Storm record around Adamstown Borough

Since 2006 the National Weather Service has logged hail of 1 inch or larger on 18 separate days within 10 miles of Adamstown Borough; the largest was 2.5 in on May 22, 2014. The most recent was July 17, 2024.

That is more hail days than 85% of the places in the state on this site.

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm (DR-4267, March 2016) is the latest of 3 federal storm declarations covering Lancaster County since 2006. (OpenFEMA.)

A report says hail fell near Adamstown Borough, not that it damaged a roof. When wind or hail damage means a new roof.

What goes on the roof next

Lifespans come from HUD’s capital-needs table, not from a brochure. More in the guides to shingles, metal, slate and flat roofs.

Material	HUD useful life	Fits a house like	Watch for
Asphalt shingles	20 years	Most pitched roofs; 66% of homes here are detached	Wind class set by the design wind speed (IRC Table R905.2.4.1)
Metal (standing seam, panels)	50 years	Low pitches and long runs	Standing seam that carries its own loads can skip the tear-off (R908.3.1)
Slate	75 years	Older houses; 20% here predate 1940	Never a base for a new layer (R908.3.1.1); heavy
Flat roof: EPDM or TPO	15 years	Low-slope roofs and rear sections (23% of homes here are attached)	Where the roof meets a wall or parapet

Checking a contractor in Pennsylvania

Before signing for a roof in Adamstown Borough, get the contractor’s PA registration number: the home improvement law requires registration with the Attorney General above $5,000 a year of such work, and the number on contracts and estimates (HICPA § 3, § 6).

The price side is in what a new roof costs in Pennsylvania; the paperwork side in checking a roofing contractor.

Questions about a new roof in Adamstown Borough

Is a permit required for a new roof in Adamstown Borough, PA?

Local ordinance, not the state. The state code does not cover a reroof that changes no structure (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). So the borough code office in Adamstown Borough is the one to ask before work starts.

Is a roof-over allowed in Adamstown Borough, or is it a tear-off?

How old are the houses in Adamstown Borough?

By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in Adamstown Borough was built in 1996, 36% of homes were built before 1980, 82% are owner-occupied.

How many hail days has Adamstown Borough had?

Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 18 days within 10 miles of Adamstown Borough from 2006 through 2025 (NOAA Storm Prediction Center). A report means hail fell nearby, not that a roof was damaged.

How do I check a roofing contractor in Adamstown Borough?

What they will ask on the phone

Your address or ZIP code in Adamstown Borough
How many stories the house has, and whether it is detached or attached
The roof you have today, shingle, metal, slate, tile or flat, and its rough age
How many layers are on it, if you know
That the job is a full replacement or a new roof, and your timing
Any historic-district or HOA rules on the house in Adamstown Borough
That the house is yours and the decision is yours

The full list: before you call.