Bethlehem Township has 10,108 homes, and half of them were standing by 1989. Below: what the code asks of a replacement here, the permit, and the town’s own records.
New Roofing Costs connects homeowners with independent local roofing contractors. We do not perform roofing work.
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)). Whether Bethlehem Township wants a permit is in its own ordinance; ask the township code office before the old roof comes off.
Source: 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)
Layers
On a roof that already carries two layers, or slate or tile, the code allows no recover: it is a tear-off (IRC R908.3.1.1). 33% of Bethlehem 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). The contractor or the township code office in Bethlehem Township will know.
Checked against the code text on October 24, 2026. Code edition, permit and contract rules for the whole state: roof replacement in Pennsylvania.
Of 9,842 occupied homes in Bethlehem Township, 8,044 (82%) are owner-occupied. Counting by decade, 5% before 1940, 15% before 1960, 33% before 1980 of the housing was in place, and 28% dates from 2000 on. (ACS 2020–2024.)
The housing is 76% detached houses, 11% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses).
Of the 34 Northampton County municipalities on this site, Bethlehem Township has the 31st largest share of homes built before 1980: 33%, against a county range of 20% to 91%.
ZIP codes: 18020 · 18045
| Place | Median built | Before 1980 | Owners | Row, twin | Hail days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bethlehem Township | 1989 | 33% | 82% | 11% | 26 |
| Freemansburg | 1981 | 49% | 56% | 44% | 26 |
| Lower Nazareth | 1984 | 43% | 95% | 11% | 21 |
| Bethlehem City, Northampton County | 1957 | 79% | 48% | 30% | 23 |
| Bethlehem City, Lehigh County | 1957 | 79% | 48% | 30% | 23 |
| Palmer | 1979 | 51% | 82% | 15% | 16 |
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.
Within 10 miles of Bethlehem Township, hail of an inch or more was reported on 26 days between 2006 and 2025, the biggest stones 2 in on August 17, 2007. The most recent was July 3, 2025.
That is more hail days than 100% of the places in the state on this site.
At the county level, Bethlehem Township shares Northampton County’s record of 6 storm disaster declarations since 2006, the newest DR-4618 (Remnants of Hurricane Ida, September 2021). (OpenFEMA.)
Storm reports are what observers logged, not a measure of damage to any roof. When wind or hail damage means a new roof.
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; 76% 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 | A complete standing-seam system may go over the old roof (R908.3.1) |
| Slate | 75 years | Older houses; 5% 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 | Coating is not a replacement |
A contractor who does $5,000 or more of home improvement work a year must be registered with the Pennsylvania Attorney General, and the number has to be on every contract and estimate (HICPA § 3, § 6). Ask for it before anyone starts on a roof in Bethlehem Township, and search it.
Contracts, deposits and the right to cancel: checking a roofing contractor. What moves the price: new roof cost in Pennsylvania.
Local ordinance, not the state. Pennsylvania’s code leaves residential alterations without structural change to local ordinance (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). Whether Bethlehem Township wants a permit is in its own ordinance; ask the township code office before the old roof comes off.
On a roof that already carries two layers, or slate or tile, the code allows no recover: it is a tear-off (IRC R908.3.1.1). 33% of Bethlehem 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 Bethlehem Township was built in 1989, 33% of homes were built before 1980, 82% are owner-occupied.
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 26 days within 10 miles of Bethlehem Township from 2006 through 2025 (NOAA Storm Prediction Center). A report means hail fell nearby, not that a roof was damaged.
A contractor who does $5,000 or more of home improvement work a year must be registered with the Pennsylvania Attorney General, and the number has to be on every contract and estimate (HICPA § 3, § 6). Ask for it before anyone starts on a roof in Bethlehem Township, and search it.
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.