The median home in East Hempfield was built in 1984; there are 11,686 of them. Below: what the code asks of a replacement here, the permit, and the town’s own records.
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
Pennsylvania’s code leaves residential alterations without structural change to local ordinance (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). The township code office can say what East Hempfield requires.
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. 41% of East Hempfield’s homes were built before 1980; many have been reroofed before.
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). East Hempfield’s answer is with the township code office.
Rules as read on October 24, 2026. Everything else the state requires: roof replacement in Pennsylvania.
73% of the occupied homes in East Hempfield are lived in by their owners: 8,283 households, the people this line is for. By year built, 7% before 1940, 18% before 1960, 41% before 1980; 23% went up in 2000 or later. (ACS 2020–2024.)
By building type: 65% detached houses, 13% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses), 7% buildings of two to four units.
Of the 59 Lancaster County municipalities on this site, East Hempfield has the 42nd largest share of homes built before 1980: 41%, against a county range of 27% to 87%.
ZIP codes: 17520 · 17538 · 17601
| Place | Median built | Before 1980 | Owners | Row, twin | Hail days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Hempfield | 1984 | 41% | 73% | 13% | 20 |
| East Petersburg | 1964 | 79% | 92% | 24% | 23 |
| Mountville | 1982 | 44% | 77% | 39% | 22 |
| Manheim Township, Lancaster County | 1979 | 51% | 71% | 17% | 26 |
| West Hempfield | 1985 | 36% | 86% | 13% | 22 |
| Lancaster | 1938 | 86% | 49% | 52% | 23 |
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.
Since 2006 the National Weather Service has logged hail of 1 inch or larger on 20 separate days within 10 miles of East Hempfield; the largest was 1.75 in on May 14, 2010. The most recent was June 28, 2025.
That is more hail days than 93% of the places in the state on this site.
Federal major-disaster declarations for storms in Lancaster County since 2006: 3, most recently DR-4267, Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm, declared March 2016. (OpenFEMA.)
A report says hail fell near East Hempfield, not that it damaged a roof. When wind or hail damage means a new roof.
HUD’s useful-life figures are for planning; a warranty is a separate promise. For East Hempfield’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; 65% 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 | Standing seam that carries its own loads can skip the tear-off (R908.3.1) |
| Slate | 75 years | Older houses; 7% here predate 1940 | Sound slate can be reused (R908.5); broken slate cannot |
| Flat roof: EPDM or TPO | 15 years | Porches, additions, low-slope rears | Seams at walls and drainage |
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 East Hempfield, and search it.
The price side is in what a new roof costs in Pennsylvania; the paperwork side in checking a roofing contractor.
East Hempfield’s ordinance decides. Pennsylvania’s code leaves residential alterations without structural change to local ordinance (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). The township code office can say what East Hempfield requires.
IRC R908.3.1.1 forbids roofing over two existing layers, over slate or tile, or over a water-soaked roof. 41% of East Hempfield’s homes were built before 1980; many have been reroofed before.
By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in East Hempfield was built in 1984, 41% of homes were built before 1980, 73% are owner-occupied.
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 20 days within 10 miles of East Hempfield from 2006 through 2025 (NOAA Storm Prediction Center). A report means hail fell nearby, not that a roof was damaged.
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 East Hempfield, and search it.
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.