The median home in Dover Borough was built in 1974; there are 819 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.
The rules for a reroof in Dover Borough
Permit
Dover Borough’s ordinance decides
Pennsylvania’s code leaves residential alterations without structural change to local ordinance (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). So the borough code office in Dover Borough is the one to ask before work starts.
IRC R908.3.1.1 forbids roofing over two existing layers, over slate or tile, or over a water-soaked roof. 69% of Dover Borough’s homes were built before 1980, so count the layers before comparing quotes.
The code requires an ice barrier where the local climate table (Table R301.2) says so, and each Pennsylvania municipality fills that table in. Dover Borough’s answer is with the borough code office.
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 Dover Borough
Owners live in 523 of Dover Borough’s occupied homes, or 67%. Counting by decade, 16% before 1940, 28% before 1960, 69% before 1980 of the housing was in place, and 10% dates from 2000 on. (ACS 2020–2024.)
The housing is 64% detached houses, 4% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses), 17% buildings of two to four units.
Of the 57 York County municipalities on this site, Dover Borough has the 14th largest share of homes built before 1980: 69%, against a county range of 25% to 98%.
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 Dover Borough
Since 2006 the National Weather Service has logged hail of 1 inch or larger on 11 separate days within 10 miles of Dover Borough; the largest was 2 in on May 14, 2010. The most recent was September 21, 2024.
York County has had 3 federal major-disaster declarations for storms since 2006; the latest was DR-4618, Remnants of Hurricane Ida (September 2021). (OpenFEMA.)
HUD’s useful-life figures are for planning; a warranty is a separate promise. For Dover Borough’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; 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
Low pitches and long runs
A complete standing-seam system may go over the old roof (R908.3.1)
Slate
75 years
Older houses; 16% 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
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 Dover Borough and look it up.
Does a roof replacement in Dover Borough need a permit?
Dover Borough’s ordinance decides. Pennsylvania’s code leaves residential alterations without structural change to local ordinance (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). So the borough code office in Dover Borough is the one to ask before work starts.
Do the old shingles have to come off in Dover Borough?
IRC R908.3.1.1 forbids roofing over two existing layers, over slate or tile, or over a water-soaked roof. 69% of Dover Borough’s homes were built before 1980, so count the layers before comparing quotes.
When were most homes in Dover Borough built?
By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in Dover Borough was built in 1974, 69% of homes were built before 1980, 67% are owner-occupied.
How many hail days has Dover Borough had?
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 11 days within 10 miles of Dover Borough 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 Dover Borough have?
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 Dover Borough and look it up.
What they will ask on the phone
The street address in Dover Borough, 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
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