Greenwich has 1,391 homes, and half of them were standing by 1983. 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 Greenwich
Permit
Ask Greenwich first
Pennsylvania’s code leaves residential alterations without structural change to local ordinance (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). Whether Greenwich wants a permit is in its own ordinance; ask the township 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). 44% of Greenwich’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). The contractor or the township code office in Greenwich will know.
88% of the occupied homes in Greenwich are lived in by their owners: 1,159 households, the people this line is for. By year built, 21% before 1940, 22% before 1960, 44% before 1980; 16% went up in 2000 or later. (ACS 2020–2024.)
By building type: 71% detached houses, 4% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses), 22% manufactured homes.
22% of homes in Greenwich are manufactured homes (306). A roof on a manufactured home is its own kind of job; tell the person on the line that it is one.
Of the 67 Berks County municipalities on this site, Greenwich has the 56th largest share of homes built before 1980: 44%, against a county range of 18% to 97%.
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 Greenwich
Within 10 miles of Greenwich, hail of an inch or more was reported on 9 days between 2006 and 2025, the biggest stones 2.5 in on May 14, 2010. The most recent was September 7, 2023.
Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm (DR-4267, March 2016) is the latest of 2 federal storm declarations covering Berks County since 2006. (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; 71% 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; 21% here predate 1940
Can’t be roofed over; check the framing for the weight
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 Greenwich, and search it.
Is a permit required for a new roof in Greenwich, PA?
Ask Greenwich first. Pennsylvania’s code leaves residential alterations without structural change to local ordinance (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). Whether Greenwich wants a permit is in its own ordinance; ask the township code office before the old roof comes off.
Is a roof-over allowed in Greenwich, or is it a tear-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). 44% of Greenwich’s homes were built before 1980; many have been reroofed before.
How old are the houses in Greenwich?
By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in Greenwich was built in 1983, 44% of homes were built before 1980, 88% are owner-occupied.
How many hail days has Greenwich had?
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 9 days within 10 miles of Greenwich 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 Greenwich?
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 Greenwich, and search it.
What they will ask on the phone
Your address or ZIP code in Greenwich
How many stories the house has, and whether it is detached or attached
Whether it is a manufactured home
The roof you have today, shingle, metal, slate, tile or flat, and its rough age
How many layers are on it, if you know
That the job is a full replacement or a new roof, and your timing
Any historic-district or HOA rules on the house in Greenwich