Roof Replacement in Franklin Township, Adams County, PA
The median home in Franklin Township was built in 1971; there are 2,178 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.
The rules for a reroof in Franklin Township
Permit
Ask Franklin Township first
Under 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8), alterations to a house that make no structural change are outside the state code. So the township code office in Franklin Township is the one to ask before work starts.
IRC R908.3.1.1 forbids roofing over two existing layers, over slate or tile, or over a water-soaked roof. 66% of Franklin Township’s homes were built before 1980; many have been reroofed before.
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). Franklin Township’s answer is with the township code office.
Rules as read on October 24, 2026. Code edition, permit and contract rules for the whole state: roof replacement in Pennsylvania.
Homes and roofs in Franklin Township
85% of the occupied homes in Franklin Township are lived in by their owners: 1,559 households, the people this line is for. By year built, 27% before 1940, 41% before 1960, 66% before 1980; 7% went up in 2000 or later. (ACS 2020–2024.)
By building type: 91% detached houses, 6% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses), 3% manufactured homes.
Of the 28 Adams County municipalities on this site, Franklin Township has the 6th largest share of homes built before 1980: 66%, against a county range of 26% to 87%.
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.
Storm record around Franklin Township
Since 2006 the National Weather Service has logged hail of 1 inch or larger on 5 separate days within 10 miles of Franklin Township; the largest was 1.75 in on June 23, 2008. The most recent was August 4, 2023.
That is fewer than most places in the state on this site (median 12 days).
Federal major-disaster declarations for storms in Adams County since 2006: 3, most recently DR-4267, Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm, declared March 2016. (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; 91% 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; 27% 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
Seams at walls and drainage
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 Franklin Township, and search it.
Is a permit required for a new roof in Franklin Township, PA?
Ask Franklin Township first. Under 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8), alterations to a house that make no structural change are outside the state code. So the township code office in Franklin Township is the one to ask before work starts.
Do the old shingles have to come off in Franklin Township?
IRC R908.3.1.1 forbids roofing over two existing layers, over slate or tile, or over a water-soaked roof. 66% of Franklin Township’s homes were built before 1980; many have been reroofed before.
How old are the houses in Franklin Township?
By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in Franklin Township was built in 1971, 66% of homes were built before 1980, 85% are owner-occupied.
Does Franklin Township get hail that damages roofs?
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 5 days within 10 miles of Franklin Township from 2006 through 2025 (NOAA Storm Prediction Center). A report means hail fell nearby, not that a roof was damaged.
How do I check a roofing contractor in Franklin Township?
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 Franklin Township, and search it.
What they will ask on the phone
The street address in Franklin Township, or at least the ZIP code
One story or two (or more), detached or attached
What is on the roof now (asphalt shingles, metal, slate, tile, or a flat membrane) and roughly how old it is
The number of layers, if anyone has counted
Your timing for a complete replacement
Any historic-district or HOA rules on the house in Franklin Township