Roof Replacement in Damascus, PA

The median home in Damascus was built in 1980; there are 2,459 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.

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 Damascus

Permit

Local ordinance, not the state

The state code does not cover a reroof that changes no structure (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). The township code office can say what Damascus requires.

Source: 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)

Layers

No third layer

IRC R908.3.1.1 forbids roofing over two existing layers, over slate or tile, or over a water-soaked roof. 50% of Damascus’s homes were built before 1980, so count the layers before comparing quotes.

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. The contractor or the township code office in Damascus will know.

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 Damascus

92% of the occupied homes in Damascus are lived in by their owners: 1,480 households, the people this line is for. Counting by decade, 19% before 1940, 28% before 1960, 50% before 1980 of the housing was in place, and 17% dates from 2000 on. (ACS 2020–2024.)

The housing is 88% detached houses, 10% manufactured homes.

30% of the homes in Damascus 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 18 Wayne County municipalities on this site, Damascus has the 6th largest share of homes built before 1980: 50%, against a county range of 29% to 80%.

ZIP codes: 18405 · 18415 · 18443 · 18469

Damascus and the towns around it

Place	Median built	Before 1980	Owners	Row, twin	Hail days
Damascus	1980	50%	92%	1%	7
Berlin	1982	47%	86%	0%	9
Dyberry	1982	45%	90%	1%	7
Honesdale	1952	80%	52%	0%	5
Texas	1969	68%	87%	5%	8
Palmyra Township, Wayne County	1982	46%	82%	0%	9

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 Damascus

Within 10 miles of Damascus, hail of an inch or more was reported on 7 days between 2006 and 2025, the biggest stones 1.75 in on April 22, 2023.

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

Wayne County has had 5 federal major-disaster declarations for storms since 2006; the latest was DR-4815, Tropical Storm Debby (September 2024). (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

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; 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	Low pitches and long runs	A complete standing-seam system may go over the old roof (R908.3.1)
Slate	75 years	Older houses; 19% here predate 1940	Can’t be roofed over; check the framing for the weight
Flat roof: EPDM or TPO	15 years	Additions and porch roofs	Coating is not a replacement

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 Damascus, 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 Damascus

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

Local ordinance, not the state. The state code does not cover a reroof that changes no structure (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). The township code office can say what Damascus requires.

Can a new roof go over the old one in Damascus?

When were most homes in Damascus built?

By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in Damascus was built in 1980, 50% of homes were built before 1980, 92% are owner-occupied.

How often does hail hit Damascus?

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

What they will ask on the phone

The street address in Damascus, or at least the ZIP code
How many stories the house has, and whether it is detached or attached
What covers the roof now and about when it went on
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 you are the owner and the one who decides

The full list: before you call.