Exeter Borough has 2,846 homes, and half of them were standing by 1968. 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.
Permit
Pennsylvania’s code leaves residential alterations without structural change to local ordinance (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). The borough code office can say what Exeter Borough requires.
Source: 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)
Layers
On a roof that already carries two layers, or slate or tile, the code allows no recover: it is a tear-off (IRC R908.3.1.1). 69% of Exeter Borough’s homes were built before 1980, so count the layers before comparing quotes.
Ice barrier
The code requires an ice barrier where the local climate table (Table R301.2) says so, and each Pennsylvania municipality fills that table in. The contractor or the borough code office in Exeter Borough will know.
Rules as read on October 24, 2026. Code edition, permit and contract rules for the whole state: roof replacement in Pennsylvania.
Of 2,494 occupied homes in Exeter Borough, 1,924 (77%) are owner-occupied. By year built, 22% before 1940, 43% before 1960, 69% before 1980; 11% went up in 2000 or later. (ACS 2020–2024.)
By building type: 66% detached houses, 11% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses), 7% buildings of two to four units, 10% manufactured homes.
Of the 63 Luzerne County municipalities on this site, Exeter Borough has the 34th largest share of homes built before 1980: 69%, against a county range of 19% to 97%.
ZIP codes: 18643
| Place | Median built | Before 1980 | Owners | Row, twin | Hail days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exeter Borough | 1968 | 69% | 77% | 11% | 20 |
| West Pittston | 1942 | 77% | 53% | 19% | 20 |
| Pittston | 1947 | 84% | 47% | 16% | 21 |
| West Wyoming | 1957 | 87% | 80% | 8% | 16 |
| Wyoming | 1950 | 85% | 62% | 14% | 16 |
| Duryea | 1952 | 79% | 70% | 6% | 19 |
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.
NOAA’s storm reports show 20 days since 2006 with hail of at least 1 inch inside a 10-mile circle around Exeter Borough, topping out at 1.75 in on February 25, 2017. The most recent was July 1, 2022.
That is more hail days than 93% of the places in the state on this site.
Federal major-disaster declarations for storms in Luzerne County since 2006: 4, most recently DR-4618, Remnants of Hurricane Ida, declared September 2021. (OpenFEMA.)
A report says hail fell near Exeter Borough, not that it damaged a roof. When wind or hail damage means a new roof.
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; 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 | Standing seam that carries its own loads can skip the tear-off (R908.3.1) |
| Slate | 75 years | Older houses; 22% 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 |
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 Exeter Borough and look it up.
The price side is in what a new roof costs in Pennsylvania; the paperwork side in checking a roofing contractor.
Local ordinance, not the state. Pennsylvania’s code leaves residential alterations without structural change to local ordinance (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). The borough code office can say what Exeter Borough requires.
On a roof that already carries two layers, or slate or tile, the code allows no recover: it is a tear-off (IRC R908.3.1.1). 69% of Exeter Borough’s homes were built before 1980, so count the layers before comparing quotes.
By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in Exeter Borough was built in 1968, 69% of homes were built before 1980, 77% are owner-occupied.
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 20 days within 10 miles of Exeter Borough from 2006 through 2025 (NOAA Storm Prediction Center). A report means hail fell nearby, not that a roof was damaged.
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 Exeter Borough and look it up.
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.