The median home in Jacobus was built in 1972; there are 735 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.
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 Jacobus
Permit
Jacobus’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. Whether Jacobus wants a permit is in its own ordinance; ask the borough code office before the old roof comes off.
IRC R908.3.1.1 forbids roofing over two existing layers, over slate or tile, or over a water-soaked roof. 63% of Jacobus’s homes were built before 1980, so count the layers before comparing quotes.
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). Ask the borough code office or the contractor what Jacobus’s says.
Checked against the code text on October 24, 2026. The state’s code edition and the rest of its rules: roof replacement in Pennsylvania.
Homes and roofs in Jacobus
79% of the occupied homes in Jacobus are lived in by their owners: 556 households, the people this line is for. Counting by decade, 17% before 1940, 32% before 1960, 63% before 1980 of the housing was in place, and 30% dates from 2000 on. (ACS 2020–2024.)
The housing is 92% detached houses.
Of the 57 York County municipalities on this site, Jacobus has the 18th largest share of homes built before 1980: 63%, against a county range of 25% to 98%.
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 Jacobus
NOAA’s storm reports show 16 days since 2006 with hail of at least 1 inch inside a 10-mile circle around Jacobus, topping out at 2 in on August 2, 2008. The most recent was April 15, 2024.
York County has had 3 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; 92% 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; 17% here predate 1940
Can’t be roofed over; check the framing for the weight
Flat roof: EPDM or TPO
15 years
Additions and porch roofs
Seams at walls and drainage
Checking a contractor in Pennsylvania
Before signing for a roof in Jacobus, 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 Jacobus, PA?
Jacobus’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. Whether Jacobus wants a permit is in its own ordinance; ask the borough code office before the old roof comes off.
Can a new roof go over the old one in Jacobus?
IRC R908.3.1.1 forbids roofing over two existing layers, over slate or tile, or over a water-soaked roof. 63% of Jacobus’s homes were built before 1980, so count the layers before comparing quotes.
When were most homes in Jacobus built?
By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in Jacobus was built in 1972, 63% of homes were built before 1980, 79% are owner-occupied.
How often does hail hit Jacobus?
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 16 days within 10 miles of Jacobus 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 Jacobus have?
Before signing for a roof in Jacobus, 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 Jacobus
One story or two (or more), detached or attached
The roof you have today, shingle, metal, slate, tile or flat, and its rough age
How many layers are on it, if you know
Your timing for a complete replacement
Whether the house is in a historic district or an HOA