Roof Replacement in Germany, PA

Half of the 1,086 homes in Germany were built before 1983. 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.

Call (833) 781-1806 Replacement and new roofs only · homeowners

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.

A Pennsylvania stone-and-brick house with a new shingle roof

The rules for a reroof in Germany

Permit

Local ordinance, not the state

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 Germany is the one to ask before work starts.

Source: 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)

Layers

One old layer can stay; two cannot

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). 47% of Germany’s homes were built before 1980, so count the layers before comparing quotes.

Source: IRC 2021, Chapter 9 (Pennsylvania edition, UpCodes)

Ice barrier

Set by the local climate table

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). The contractor or the township code office in Germany will know.

Source: IRC 2021, Chapter 9 (Pennsylvania edition, UpCodes)

Checked against the code text on October 24, 2026. Code edition, permit and contract rules for the whole state: roof replacement in Pennsylvania.

Homes and roofs in Germany

Of 1,043 occupied homes in Germany, 978 (94%) are owner-occupied. Counting by decade, 17% before 1940, 29% before 1960, 47% before 1980 of the housing was in place, and 34% dates from 2000 on. (ACS 2020–2024.)

The housing is 96% detached houses.

34% 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 28 Adams County municipalities on this site, Germany has the 15th largest share of homes built before 1980: 47%, against a county range of 26% to 87%.

ZIP codes: 17340

Germany and the towns around it

Place	Median built	Before 1980	Owners	Row, twin	Hail days
Germany	1983	47%	94%	3%	17
Littlestown	1966	54%	72%	19%	19
Union Township, Adams County	1984	41%	90%	0%	18
Mount Joy Township, Adams County	1980	50%	86%	3%	10
Bonneauville	1982	48%	63%	22%	16
Conewago Township, Adams County	1989	37%	87%	21%	17

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 Germany

NOAA’s storm reports show 17 days since 2006 with hail of at least 1 inch inside a 10-mile circle around Germany, topping out at 1.75 in on September 21, 2024. The most recent was March 16, 2025.

That is more hail days than 79% of the places in the state on this site.

At the county level, Germany shares Adams County’s record of 3 storm disaster declarations since 2006, the newest DR-4267 (Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm, March 2016). (OpenFEMA.)

Storm reports are what observers logged, not a measure of damage to any roof. When wind or hail damage means a new roof.

What goes on the roof next

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; 96% 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	Roofs that will carry solar later	A complete standing-seam system may go over the old roof (R908.3.1)
Slate	75 years	Older houses; 17% here predate 1940	Never a base for a new layer (R908.3.1.1); heavy
Flat roof: EPDM or TPO	15 years	Additions and porch roofs	Where the roof meets a wall or parapet

Checking a contractor in Pennsylvania

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 Germany and look it up.

Contracts, deposits and the right to cancel: checking a roofing contractor. What moves the price: new roof cost in Pennsylvania.

Questions about a new roof in Germany

Is a permit required for a new roof in Germany, PA?

Local ordinance, not the state. 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 Germany is the one to ask before work starts.

Do the old shingles have to come off in Germany?

When were most homes in Germany built?

By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in Germany was built in 1983, 47% of homes were built before 1980, 94% are owner-occupied.

Does Germany get hail that damages roofs?

Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 17 days within 10 miles of Germany 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 Germany have?

What they will ask on the phone

Where the house is: the Germany address or ZIP
One story or two (or more), detached or attached
The roof you have today, shingle, metal, slate, tile or flat, and its rough age
The number of layers, if anyone has counted
That you want a new roof or a full replacement, and when you want the work done
Whether the house is in a historic district or an HOA
That the house is yours and the decision is yours

The full list: before you call.