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.
The rules for a reroof in Burnham
Permit
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 Burnham wants a permit is in its own ordinance; ask the borough code office before the old roof comes off.
IRC R908.3.1.1 forbids roofing over two existing layers, over slate or tile, or over a water-soaked roof. With 87% of Burnham’s homes were built before 1980, ask what is under the newest layer.
IRC R905.1.2 calls for an ice barrier where Table R301.2 says so; in Pennsylvania the municipality completes that table. Burnham’s answer is with the borough code office.
74% of the occupied homes in Burnham are lived in by their owners: 601 households, the people this line is for. Counting by decade, 35% before 1940, 66% before 1960, 87% before 1980 of the housing was in place, and 4% dates from 2000 on. (ACS 2020–2024.)
The housing is 72% detached houses, 8% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses), 6% buildings of two to four units, 11% manufactured homes.
Older houses hide their history: ask the contractor to confirm the deck (board or sheet) and every layer above it before pricing, because slate or two layers mean a full tear-off.
Of the 12 Mifflin County municipalities on this site, Burnham has the 2nd largest share of homes built before 1980: 87%, against a county range of 52% to 93%.
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.
Hail and storms near Burnham
Within 10 miles of Burnham, hail of an inch or more was reported on 7 days between 2006 and 2025, the biggest stones 2 in on June 16, 2022. The most recent was June 9, 2025.
That is fewer than most places in the state on this site (median 12 days).
HUD’s useful-life figures are for planning; a warranty is a separate promise. For Burnham’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; 72% 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; 35% 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
Checking a contractor in Pennsylvania
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 Burnham, and search it.
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 Burnham wants a permit is in its own ordinance; ask the borough code office before the old roof comes off.
Can a new roof go over the old one in Burnham?
IRC R908.3.1.1 forbids roofing over two existing layers, over slate or tile, or over a water-soaked roof. With 87% of Burnham’s homes were built before 1980, ask what is under the newest layer.
When were most homes in Burnham built?
By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in Burnham was built in 1952, 87% of homes were built before 1980, 74% are owner-occupied.
How many hail days has Burnham had?
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 7 days within 10 miles of Burnham from 2006 through 2025 (NOAA Storm Prediction Center). A report means hail fell nearby, not that a roof was damaged.
What license or registration should a roofer in Burnham have?
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 Burnham, and search it.
What they will ask on the phone
Your address or ZIP code in Burnham
How many stories the house has, and whether it is detached or attached
What covers the roof now and about when it went on
How many layers are on it, if you know
Your timing for a complete replacement
Whether the house is in a historic district or an HOA