Roof Replacement in Highspire, PA

The median home in Highspire was built in 1964; there are 1,436 of them. 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 Highspire

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)). The borough code office can say what Highspire requires.

Source: 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)

Layers

One old layer can stay; two cannot

IRC R908.3.1.1 forbids roofing over two existing layers, over slate or tile, or over a water-soaked roof. 75% of Highspire’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

IRC R905.1.2 calls for an ice barrier where Table R301.2 says so; in Pennsylvania the municipality completes that table. The contractor or the borough code office in Highspire 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 Highspire

Owners live in 520 of Highspire’s occupied homes, or 39%. Counting by decade, 20% before 1940, 46% before 1960, 75% before 1980 of the housing was in place, and 10% dates from 2000 on. (ACS 2020–2024.)

The housing is 35% detached houses, 25% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses), 6% buildings of two to four units, 4% manufactured homes.

Of the 31 Dauphin County municipalities on this site, Highspire has the 13th largest share of homes built before 1980: 75%, against a county range of 31% to 100%.

ZIP codes: 17034

Highspire and the towns around it

Place	Median built	Before 1980	Owners	Row, twin	Hail days
Highspire	1964	75%	39%	25%	19
Lower Swatara	1983	46%	87%	14%	20
Steelton	1949	84%	48%	55%	21
Swatara Township, Dauphin County	1975	58%	70%	24%	20
Middletown Borough	1958	78%	43%	21%	20
Paxtang	1938	100%	83%	21%	22

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 Highspire

Within 10 miles of Highspire, hail of an inch or more was reported on 19 days between 2006 and 2025, the biggest stones 1.75 in on June 3, 2023. The most recent was June 26, 2023.

That is more hail days than 89% of the places in the state on this site.

Dauphin County has had 5 federal major-disaster declarations for storms since 2006; the latest was DR-4618, Remnants of Hurricane Ida (September 2021). (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

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; 35% 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	A complete standing-seam system may go over the old roof (R908.3.1)
Slate	75 years	Older houses; 20% here predate 1940	Sound slate can be reused (R908.5); broken slate cannot
Flat roof: EPDM or TPO	15 years	Low-slope roofs and rear sections (25% of homes here are attached)	Coating is not a replacement

Checking a contractor in Pennsylvania

Before signing for a roof in Highspire, 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).

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 Highspire

Does a roof replacement in Highspire need a 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)). The borough code office can say what Highspire requires.

Do the old shingles have to come off in Highspire?

When were most homes in Highspire built?

By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in Highspire was built in 1964, 75% of homes were built before 1980, 39% are owner-occupied.

Does Highspire get hail that damages roofs?

Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 19 days within 10 miles of Highspire 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 Highspire have?

What they will ask on the phone

Where the house is: the Highspire address or ZIP
The number of stories, and whether the house stands alone
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
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 you are the owner and the one who decides

The full list: before you call.