Roof Replacement in Cumberland, PA

The median home in Cumberland was built in 1983; there are 3,070 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 Cumberland

Permit

Ask Cumberland 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 Cumberland 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 46% of Cumberland’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

The code requires an ice barrier where the local climate table (Table R301.2) says so, and each Pennsylvania municipality fills that table in. Ask the township code office or the contractor what Cumberland’s says.

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

Checked against the code text on October 24, 2026. Code edition, permit and contract rules for the whole state: roof replacement in Pennsylvania.

Homes and roofs in Cumberland

Owners live in 2,212 of Cumberland’s occupied homes, or 77%. Counting by decade, 5% before 1940, 20% before 1960, 46% before 1980 of the housing was in place, and 30% dates from 2000 on. (ACS 2020–2024.)

The housing is 66% detached houses, 15% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses), 9% manufactured homes.

Of the 28 Adams County municipalities on this site, Cumberland has the 16th largest share of homes built before 1980: 46%, against a county range of 26% to 87%.

ZIP codes: 17325

Cumberland and the towns around it

Place	Median built	Before 1980	Owners	Row, twin	Hail days
Cumberland	1983	46%	77%	15%	7
Gettysburg	1942	87%	47%	17%	8
Freedom	1980	50%	76%	0%	7
Mount Joy Township, Adams County	1980	50%	86%	3%	10
Bonneauville	1982	48%	63%	22%	16
Straban	1979	51%	87%	8%	8

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 Cumberland

Within 10 miles of Cumberland, hail of an inch or more was reported on 7 days between 2006 and 2025, the biggest stones 1.75 in on June 23, 2008. The most recent was July 12, 2022.

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

At the county level, Cumberland shares Adams County’s record of 3 storm disaster declarations since 2006, the newest DR-4267 (Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm, March 2016). (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

HUD’s useful-life figures are for planning; a warranty is a separate promise. For Cumberland’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; 66% 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; 5% 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 (15% of homes here are attached)	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 Cumberland, and search it.

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 Cumberland

Is a permit required for a new roof in Cumberland, PA?

Ask Cumberland 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 Cumberland is the one to ask before work starts.

Do the old shingles have to come off in Cumberland?

IRC R908.3.1.1 forbids roofing over two existing layers, over slate or tile, or over a water-soaked roof. With 46% of Cumberland’s homes were built before 1980, ask what is under the newest layer.

When were most homes in Cumberland built?

By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in Cumberland was built in 1983, 46% of homes were built before 1980, 77% are owner-occupied.

How often does hail hit Cumberland?

Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 7 days within 10 miles of Cumberland 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 Cumberland have?

What they will ask on the phone

The street address in Cumberland, 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
The number of layers, if anyone has counted
That you want a new roof or a full replacement, and when you want the work done
Whether the house is in a historic district or an HOA
That the house is yours and the decision is yours

The full list: before you call.