Half of the 557 homes in Benton Township were built before 1976. Below: what the code asks of a replacement here, the permit, and the town’s own records.
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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.
Permit
Pennsylvania’s code leaves residential alterations without structural change to local ordinance (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). So the township code office in Benton Township is the one to ask before work starts.
Source: 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)
Layers
A new roof may go over one existing layer; with two or more, or over slate, clay or cement tile, everything comes off to the deck (IRC R908.3.1.1). 57% of Benton Township’s homes were built before 1980; many have been reroofed before.
Ice barrier
Whether an eave membrane is a code item depends on the climate table the municipality filled in when it adopted the code (IRC R905.1.2, Table R301.2). Ask the township code office or the contractor what Benton Township’s says.
Checked against the code text on October 24, 2026. Everything else the state requires: roof replacement in Pennsylvania.
Of 525 occupied homes in Benton Township, 437 (83%) are owner-occupied. Counting by decade, 26% before 1940, 37% before 1960, 57% before 1980 of the housing was in place, and 17% dates from 2000 on. (ACS 2020–2024.)
The housing is 87% detached houses, 5% buildings of two to four units, 8% manufactured homes.
Of the 22 Columbia County municipalities on this site, Benton Township has the 15th largest share of homes built before 1980: 57%, against a county range of 42% to 93%.
ZIP codes: 17878
| Place | Median built | Before 1980 | Owners | Row, twin | Hail days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benton Township, Columbia County | 1976 | 57% | 83% | 0% | 3 |
| Fishing Creek | 1977 | 57% | 89% | 2% | 4 |
| Sugarloaf Township, Columbia County | 1976 | 57% | 88% | 1% | 3 |
| Huntington Township, Luzerne County | 1975 | 60% | 88% | 2% | 3 |
| Greenwood | 1971 | 66% | 80% | 0% | 3 |
| Orange | 1984 | 44% | 97% | 1% | 6 |
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.
Since 2006 the National Weather Service has logged hail of 1 inch or larger on 3 separate days within 10 miles of Benton Township; the largest was 1 in on June 26, 2024.
That is fewer than most places in the state on this site (median 12 days).
Columbia County has had 2 federal major-disaster declarations for storms since 2006; the latest was DR-4408, Severe Storms and Flooding (November 2018). (OpenFEMA.)
Storm reports are what observers logged, not a measure of damage to any roof. When wind or hail damage means a new roof.
HUD’s useful-life figures are for planning; a warranty is a separate promise. For Benton Township’s houses: 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; 87% 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 | Simple roofs with long, unbroken slopes | A complete standing-seam system may go over the old roof (R908.3.1) |
| Slate | 75 years | Older houses; 26% here predate 1940 | Never a base for a new layer (R908.3.1.1); heavy |
| Flat roof: EPDM or TPO | 15 years | Additions and porch roofs | Where the roof meets a wall or parapet |
Before signing for a roof in Benton Township, 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).
Contracts, deposits and the right to cancel: checking a roofing contractor. What moves the price: new roof cost in Pennsylvania.
Ask Benton Township first. Pennsylvania’s code leaves residential alterations without structural change to local ordinance (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). So the township code office in Benton Township is the one to ask before work starts.
A new roof may go over one existing layer; with two or more, or over slate, clay or cement tile, everything comes off to the deck (IRC R908.3.1.1). 57% of Benton Township’s homes were built before 1980; many have been reroofed before.
By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in Benton Township was built in 1976, 57% of homes were built before 1980, 83% are owner-occupied.
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 3 days within 10 miles of Benton Township from 2006 through 2025 (NOAA Storm Prediction Center). A report means hail fell nearby, not that a roof was damaged.
Before signing for a roof in Benton Township, 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 full list: before you call.
Checked October 24, 2026. Laws and code editions change; the date says when these were last read at the source.