Roof Replacement in Falls Township, Bucks County, PA
Falls Township has 13,622 homes, and half of them were standing by 1962. What the code requires when that roof is replaced, and who signs off, is below.
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 Falls Township
Permit
Falls Township’s ordinance decides
Under 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8), alterations to a house that make no structural change are outside the state code. Whether Falls Township wants a permit is in its own ordinance; ask the township code office before the old roof comes off.
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). With 79% of Falls Township’s homes were built before 1980, ask what is under the newest layer.
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). Ask the township code office or the contractor what Falls Township’s says.
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 Falls Township
Of 13,214 occupied homes in Falls Township, 9,628 (73%) are owner-occupied. Counting by decade, 46% before 1960, 79% before 1980 of the housing was in place, and 5% dates from 2000 on. (ACS 2020–2024.)
The housing is 64% detached houses, 5% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses), 10% manufactured homes.
Of the 50 Bucks County municipalities on this site, Falls Township has the 9th largest share of homes built before 1980: 79%, against a county range of 16% to 88%.
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 Falls Township
Since 2006 the National Weather Service has logged hail of 1 inch or larger on 9 separate days within 10 miles of Falls Township; the largest was 1.75 in on July 6, 2020. The most recent was April 1, 2023.
Bucks County has had 5 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 Falls Township’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
Simple roofs with long, unbroken slopes
A complete standing-seam system may go over the old roof (R908.3.1)
Slate
75 years
Older and historic houses
Sound slate can be reused (R908.5); broken slate cannot
Flat roof: EPDM or TPO
15 years
Additions and porch roofs
Seams at walls and drainage
Checking a contractor in Pennsylvania
Before signing for a roof in Falls Township, get the contractor’s PA registration number: the home improvement law requires registration with the Attorney General above $5,000 a year of such work, and the number on contracts and estimates (HICPA § 3, § 6).
Is a permit required for a new roof in Falls Township, PA?
Falls Township’s ordinance decides. Under 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8), alterations to a house that make no structural change are outside the state code. Whether Falls Township 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 Falls Township?
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). With 79% of Falls Township’s homes were built before 1980, ask what is under the newest layer.
When were most homes in Falls Township built?
By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in Falls Township was built in 1962, 79% of homes were built before 1980, 73% are owner-occupied.
How often does hail hit Falls Township?
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 9 days within 10 miles of Falls Township 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 Falls Township have?
Before signing for a roof in Falls Township, get the contractor’s PA registration number: the home improvement law requires registration with the Attorney General above $5,000 a year of such work, and the number on contracts and estimates (HICPA § 3, § 6).
What they will ask on the phone
Your address or ZIP code in Falls Township
One story or two (or more), detached or attached
The roof you have today, shingle, metal, slate, tile or flat, and its rough age
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