The median home in Coal was built in 1938; there are 4,047 of them. The rules below decide how much of the old roof has to come off and what goes under the new one.
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
Under 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8), alterations to a house that make no structural change are outside the state code. Whether Coal 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
IRC R908.3.1.1 forbids roofing over two existing layers, over slate or tile, or over a water-soaked roof. 91% of Coal’s homes were built before 1980, so count the layers before comparing quotes.
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 Coal’s says.
Checked against the code text on October 24, 2026. The state’s code edition and the rest of its rules: roof replacement in Pennsylvania.
Of 3,575 occupied homes in Coal, 2,854 (80%) are owner-occupied. Counting by decade, 51% before 1940, 70% before 1960, 91% before 1980 of the housing was in place, and 2% dates from 2000 on. (ACS 2020–2024.)
The housing is 64% detached houses, 26% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses).
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 23 Northumberland County municipalities on this site, Coal has the 2nd largest share of homes built before 1980: 91%, against a county range of 51% to 97%.
ZIP codes: 17866
| Place | Median built | Before 1980 | Owners | Row, twin | Hail days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coal | 1938 | 91% | 80% | 26% | 6 |
| Shamokin | 1938 | 97% | 60% | 55% | 6 |
| Kulpmont | 1947 | 88% | 79% | 49% | 6 |
| Mount Carmel Township | 1953 | 69% | 88% | 38% | 6 |
| Ralpho | 1976 | 60% | 92% | 3% | 7 |
| Mount Carmel Borough | 1938 | 88% | 77% | 53% | 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.
NOAA’s storm reports show 6 days since 2006 with hail of at least 1 inch inside a 10-mile circle around Coal, topping out at 2.25 in on May 22, 2014. The most recent was May 28, 2019.
That is fewer than most places in the state on this site (median 12 days).
Northumberland County has had 1 federal major-disaster declaration for storms since 2006; the latest was DR-1649, Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides (June 2006). (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; 64% 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 | Roofs that will carry solar later | A complete standing-seam system may go over the old roof (R908.3.1) |
| Slate | 75 years | Older houses; 51% here predate 1940 | Can’t be roofed over; check the framing for the weight |
| Flat roof: EPDM or TPO | 15 years | Low-slope roofs and rear sections (26% of homes here are attached) | Seams at walls and drainage |
Before signing for a roof in Coal, 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.
Coal’s ordinance decides. Under 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8), alterations to a house that make no structural change are outside the state code. Whether Coal wants a permit is in its own ordinance; ask the township 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. 91% of Coal’s homes were built before 1980, so count the layers before comparing quotes.
By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in Coal was built in 1938, 91% of homes were built before 1980, 80% are owner-occupied.
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 6 days within 10 miles of Coal 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 Coal, 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.