The median home in Eaton was built in 1976; there are 766 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 Eaton
Permit
Ask Eaton first
Under 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8), alterations to a house that make no structural change are outside the state code. Whether Eaton wants a permit is in its own ordinance; ask the township code office before the old roof comes off.
IRC R908.3.1.1 forbids roofing over two existing layers, over slate or tile, or over a water-soaked roof. 57% of Eaton’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. Eaton’s answer is with the township code office.
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 Eaton
Owners live in 487 of Eaton’s occupied homes, or 76%. Counting by decade, 18% before 1940, 29% before 1960, 57% before 1980 of the housing was in place, and 18% dates from 2000 on. (ACS 2020–2024.)
The housing is 66% detached houses, 12% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses), 19% manufactured homes.
Of the 13 Wyoming County municipalities on this site, Eaton has the 10th largest share of homes built before 1980: 57%, against a county range of 46% to 89%.
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 Eaton
Within 10 miles of Eaton, hail of an inch or more was reported on 6 days between 2006 and 2025, the biggest stones 2.75 in on May 28, 2019.
That is fewer than most places in the state on this site (median 12 days).
Wyoming County has had 7 federal major-disaster declarations for storms since 2006; the latest was DR-4815, Tropical Storm Debby (September 2024). (OpenFEMA.)
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; 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
Low pitches and long runs
A complete standing-seam system may go over the old roof (R908.3.1)
Slate
75 years
Older houses; 18% 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 Eaton, and search it.
Ask Eaton first. Under 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8), alterations to a house that make no structural change are outside the state code. Whether Eaton wants a permit is in its own ordinance; ask the township code office before the old roof comes off.
Can a new roof go over the old one in Eaton?
IRC R908.3.1.1 forbids roofing over two existing layers, over slate or tile, or over a water-soaked roof. 57% of Eaton’s homes were built before 1980, so count the layers before comparing quotes.
When were most homes in Eaton built?
By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in Eaton was built in 1976, 57% of homes were built before 1980, 76% are owner-occupied.
How often does hail hit Eaton?
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 6 days within 10 miles of Eaton 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 Eaton have?
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 Eaton, and search it.
What they will ask on the phone
Where the house is: the Eaton address or ZIP
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
Whether there is one layer or more, if you know
That the job is a full replacement or a new roof, and your timing
Whether the house is in a historic district or an HOA