Roof Replacement in Cromwell, PA

The median home in Cromwell was built in 1986; there are 740 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 Cromwell

Permit

Ask Cromwell first

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

Source: 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)

Layers

One old layer can stay; two cannot

IRC R908.3.1.1 forbids roofing over two existing layers, over slate or tile, or over a water-soaked roof. With 42% of Cromwell’s homes were built before 1980, ask what is under the newest layer.

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

Ice barrier

Set by the local climate table

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

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

Checked against the code text on October 24, 2026. The state’s code edition and the rest of its rules: roof replacement in Pennsylvania.

Homes and roofs in Cromwell

86% of the occupied homes in Cromwell are lived in by their owners: 442 households, the people this line is for. Counting by decade, 18% before 1940, 24% before 1960, 42% before 1980 of the housing was in place, and 18% dates from 2000 on. (ACS 2020–2024.)

The housing is 88% detached houses, 12% manufactured homes.

19% of the homes in Cromwell are seasonal or occasional-use homes (ACS 2020–2024). If yours is one of them and you live elsewhere, the call still has to come from you as the owner.

Of the 12 Huntingdon County municipalities on this site, Cromwell has the smallest share of homes built before 1980: 42%, against a county range of 42% to 84%.

ZIP codes: 17243 · 17260 · 17264

Cromwell and the towns around it

Place	Median built	Before 1980	Owners	Row, twin	Hail days
Cromwell	1986	42%	86%	0%	2
Clay Township, Huntingdon County	1975	61%	88%	0%	3
Dublin Township	1972	64%	94%	0%	5
Cass Township, Huntingdon County	1975	58%	84%	2%	4
Shirley	1986	46%	86%	0%	1
Mount Union	1946	84%	52%	5%	1

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 Cromwell

NOAA’s storm reports show 2 days since 2006 with hail of at least 1 inch inside a 10-mile circle around Cromwell, topping out at 1.75 in on May 27, 2011.

That is fewer than most places in the state on this site (median 12 days).

At the county level, Cromwell shares Huntingdon County’s record of 4 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.

What goes on the roof next

Useful life is HUD’s planning figure, not a warranty. 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; 88% 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; 18% 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

Checking a contractor in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania’s home improvement law (HICPA § 3, § 6) requires registration with the Attorney General from $5,000 a year of such work and puts the number on every estimate; ask for it in Cromwell and look it up.

Contracts, deposits and the right to cancel: checking a roofing contractor. What moves the price: new roof cost in Pennsylvania.

Questions about a new roof in Cromwell

Does a roof replacement in Cromwell need a permit?

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

Is a roof-over allowed in Cromwell, or is it 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 42% of Cromwell’s homes were built before 1980, ask what is under the newest layer.

When were most homes in Cromwell built?

By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in Cromwell was built in 1986, 42% of homes were built before 1980, 86% are owner-occupied.

How many hail days has Cromwell had?

Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 2 days within 10 miles of Cromwell 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 Cromwell have?

What they will ask on the phone

The street address in Cromwell, or at least the ZIP code
The number of stories, and whether the house stands alone
What is on the roof now (asphalt shingles, metal, slate, tile, or a flat membrane) and roughly how old it is
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
That you are the owner and the one who decides

The full list: before you call.