Roof Replacement in Jackson Township, Dauphin County, PA
Jackson Township has 792 homes, and half of them were standing by 1977. What the code requires when that roof is replaced, and who signs off, is below.
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 Jackson Township
Permit
Local ordinance, not the state
Under 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8), alterations to a house that make no structural change are outside the state code. Whether Jackson Township 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). With 54% of Jackson Township’s homes were built before 1980, ask what is under the newest layer.
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 township code office in Jackson Township will know.
92% of the occupied homes in Jackson Township are lived in by their owners: 688 households, the people this line is for. Counting by decade, 20% before 1940, 30% before 1960, 54% before 1980 of the housing was in place, and 17% dates from 2000 on. (ACS 2020–2024.)
The housing is 90% detached houses, 8% manufactured homes.
Of the 31 Dauphin County municipalities on this site, Jackson Township has the 22nd largest share of homes built before 1980: 54%, against a county range of 31% to 100%.
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 Jackson Township
NOAA’s storm reports show 7 days since 2006 with hail of at least 1 inch inside a 10-mile circle around Jackson Township, topping out at 1.5 in on June 3, 2023. The most recent was June 26, 2023.
That is fewer than most places in the state on this site (median 12 days).
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.)
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; 90% 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; 20% 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
Before signing for a roof in Jackson Township, 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).
Is a permit required for a new roof in Jackson Township, PA?
Local ordinance, not the state. Under 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8), alterations to a house that make no structural change are outside the state code. Whether Jackson Township wants a permit is in its own ordinance; ask the township code office before the old roof comes off.
Can a new roof go over the old one in Jackson Township?
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). With 54% of Jackson Township’s homes were built before 1980, ask what is under the newest layer.
When were most homes in Jackson Township built?
By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in Jackson Township was built in 1977, 54% of homes were built before 1980, 92% are owner-occupied.
Does Jackson Township get hail that damages roofs?
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 7 days within 10 miles of Jackson Township 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 Jackson Township have?
Before signing for a roof in Jackson Township, 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).
What they will ask on the phone
Your address or ZIP code in Jackson Township
One story or two (or more), detached or attached
The roof you have today, shingle, metal, slate, tile or flat, and its rough age
Whether there is one layer or more, if you know
That the job is a full replacement or a new roof, and your timing
Whether the house is in a historic district or an HOA