Half of the 2,801 homes in Gettysburg were built before 1942. What the code requires when that roof is replaced, and who signs off, is below.
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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
Under 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8), alterations to a house that make no structural change are outside the state code. So the borough code office in Gettysburg 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). With 87% of Gettysburg’s homes were built before 1980, ask what is under the newest layer.
Ice barrier
The code requires an ice barrier where the local climate table (Table R301.2) says so, and each Pennsylvania municipality fills that table in. The contractor or the borough code office in Gettysburg will know.
Rules as read on October 24, 2026. Everything else the state requires: roof replacement in Pennsylvania.
Of 2,447 occupied homes in Gettysburg, 1,143 (47%) are owner-occupied. By year built, 48% before 1940, 70% before 1960, 87% before 1980; 5% went up in 2000 or later. (ACS 2020–2024.)
By building type: 46% detached houses, 17% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses), 16% 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 28 Adams County municipalities on this site, Gettysburg has the largest share of homes built before 1980: 87%, against a county range of 26% to 87%.
| Place | Median built | Before 1980 | Owners | Row, twin | Hail days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gettysburg | 1942 | 87% | 47% | 17% | 8 |
| Cumberland | 1983 | 46% | 77% | 15% | 7 |
| Straban | 1979 | 51% | 87% | 8% | 8 |
| Mount Joy Township, Adams County | 1980 | 50% | 86% | 3% | 10 |
| Bonneauville | 1982 | 48% | 63% | 22% | 16 |
| Freedom | 1980 | 50% | 76% | 0% | 7 |
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 8 days since 2006 with hail of at least 1 inch inside a 10-mile circle around Gettysburg, topping out at 1.75 in on July 27, 2008. The most recent was July 2, 2022.
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.)
A report says hail fell near Gettysburg, not that it damaged a roof. When wind or hail damage means a new roof.
Lifespans come from HUD’s capital-needs table, not from a brochure. 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; 46% 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; 48% here predate 1940 | Never a base for a new layer (R908.3.1.1); heavy |
| Flat roof: EPDM or TPO | 15 years | Low-slope roofs and rear sections (17% of homes here are attached) | Coating is not a replacement |
Before signing for a roof in Gettysburg, 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).
The price side is in what a new roof costs in Pennsylvania; the paperwork side in checking a roofing contractor.
Gettysburg’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. So the borough code office in Gettysburg 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). With 87% of Gettysburg’s homes were built before 1980, ask what is under the newest layer.
By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in Gettysburg was built in 1942, 87% of homes were built before 1980, 47% are owner-occupied.
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 8 days within 10 miles of Gettysburg from 2006 through 2025 (NOAA Storm Prediction Center). A report means hail fell nearby, not that a roof was damaged.
Before signing for a roof in Gettysburg, 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).
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.