Forty Fort has 1,957 homes, and half of them were standing by 1942. 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
The state code does not cover a reroof that changes no structure (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). Whether Forty Fort wants a permit is in its own ordinance; ask the borough code office before the old roof comes off.
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). 95% of Forty Fort’s homes were built before 1980, so count the layers before comparing quotes.
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). Forty Fort’s answer is with the borough code office.
Rules as read on October 24, 2026. Everything else the state requires: roof replacement in Pennsylvania.
57% of the occupied homes in Forty Fort are lived in by their owners: 1,052 households, the people this line is for. By year built, 47% before 1940, 75% before 1960, 95% before 1980; 1% went up in 2000 or later. (ACS 2020–2024.)
By building type: 54% detached houses, 8% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses), 35% buildings of two to four units.
On a house built before 1940, ask what the deck is (boards or plywood) and whether slate sits under the later layers: slate can’t be roofed over.
Of the 63 Luzerne County municipalities on this site, Forty Fort has the 2nd largest share of homes built before 1980: 95%, against a county range of 19% to 97%.
| Place | Median built | Before 1980 | Owners | Row, twin | Hail days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forty Fort | 1942 | 95% | 57% | 8% | 16 |
| Kingston Borough | 1952 | 91% | 53% | 15% | 16 |
| Swoyersville | 1957 | 81% | 80% | 14% | 16 |
| Luzerne | 1950 | 97% | 59% | 7% | 16 |
| Wilkes-Barre | 1943 | 86% | 51% | 13% | 15 |
| Edwardsville | 1959 | 89% | 46% | 12% | 13 |
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 16 days since 2006 with hail of at least 1 inch inside a 10-mile circle around Forty Fort, topping out at 1.75 in on February 25, 2017. The most recent was July 1, 2022.
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 Forty Fort, 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 Forty Fort’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; 54% 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; 47% here predate 1940 | Never a base for a new layer (R908.3.1.1); heavy |
| Flat roof: EPDM or TPO | 15 years | Porches, additions, low-slope rears | Coating is not a replacement |
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 Forty Fort 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. The state code does not cover a reroof that changes no structure (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). Whether Forty Fort wants a permit is in its own ordinance; ask the borough 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). 95% of Forty Fort’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 Forty Fort was built in 1942, 95% of homes were built before 1980, 57% are owner-occupied.
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 16 days within 10 miles of Forty Fort 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 Forty Fort 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.