Half of the 1,698 homes in Franklin Township were built before 1994. 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)). So the township code office in Franklin Township is the one to ask before work starts.
Source: 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)
Layers
A new roof may go over one existing layer; with two or more, or over slate, clay or cement tile, everything comes off to the deck (IRC R908.3.1.1). 28% of Franklin Township’s homes were built before 1980, so count the layers before comparing quotes.
Ice barrier
IRC R905.1.2 calls for an ice barrier where Table R301.2 says so; in Pennsylvania the municipality completes that table. Franklin Township’s answer is with the township code office.
Rules as read on October 24, 2026. Everything else the state requires: roof replacement in Pennsylvania.
Owners live in 1,554 of Franklin Township’s occupied homes, or 94%. By year built, 7% before 1940, 9% before 1960, 28% before 1980; 38% went up in 2000 or later. (ACS 2020–2024.)
By building type: 94% detached houses, 3% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses).
38% of homes here were built in 2000 or later. HUD’s useful-life table gives an asphalt-shingle roof 20 years, so roofs on houses from the early 2000s are reaching that age.
Of the 71 Chester County municipalities on this site, Franklin Township has the 59th largest share of homes built before 1980: 28%, against a county range of 12% to 80%.
ZIP codes: 19350
| Place | Median built | Before 1980 | Owners | Row, twin | Hail days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin Township, Chester County | 1994 | 28% | 94% | 3% | 12 |
| London Britain | 1985 | 36% | 96% | 1% | 11 |
| New London | 1995 | 16% | 94% | 0% | 12 |
| West Grove | 1971 | 59% | 77% | 21% | 10 |
| Elk | 1988 | 38% | 94% | 1% | 12 |
| London Grove | 1997 | 26% | 96% | 7% | 10 |
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.
Since 2006 the National Weather Service has logged hail of 1 inch or larger on 12 separate days within 10 miles of Franklin Township; the largest was 1.75 in on June 29, 2012. The most recent was May 3, 2025.
Remnants of Hurricane Ida (DR-4618, September 2021) is the latest of 5 federal storm declarations covering Chester County since 2006. (OpenFEMA.)
A report says hail fell near Franklin Township, 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 Franklin 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; 94% 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; 7% 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 |
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.
The price side is in what a new roof costs in Pennsylvania; the paperwork side in checking a roofing contractor.
Franklin Township’s ordinance decides. The state code does not cover a reroof that changes no structure (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). So the township code office in Franklin Township is the one to ask before work starts.
A new roof may go over one existing layer; with two or more, or over slate, clay or cement tile, everything comes off to the deck (IRC R908.3.1.1). 28% of Franklin Township’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 Franklin Township was built in 1994, 28% of homes were built before 1980, 94% are owner-occupied.
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 12 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.
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.
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.