Roof Replacement in Lake Township, Luzerne County, PA

Half of the 826 homes in Lake Township were built before 1978. 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 Lake Township

Permit

Ask Lake Township first

Under 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8), alterations to a house that make no structural change are outside the state code. The township code office can say what Lake Township requires.

Source: 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)

Layers

One old layer can stay; two cannot

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). 54% of Lake Township’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

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 Lake Township 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 Lake Township

Of 735 occupied homes in Lake Township, 614 (84%) are owner-occupied. Counting by decade, 10% before 1940, 24% before 1960, 54% before 1980 of the housing was in place, and 12% dates from 2000 on. (ACS 2020–2024.)

The housing is 84% detached houses, 11% manufactured homes.

Of the 63 Luzerne County municipalities on this site, Lake Township has the 51st largest share of homes built before 1980: 54%, against a county range of 19% to 97%.

ZIP codes: 18618

Lake Township and the towns around it

Place	Median built	Before 1980	Owners	Row, twin	Hail days
Lake Township, Luzerne County	1978	54%	84%	2%	2
Harveys Lake	1974	59%	79%	6%	4
Lehman Township, Luzerne County	1978	54%	87%	5%	8
Noxen	1954	68%	83%	2%	3
Ross Township, Luzerne County	1977	54%	88%	1%	1
Dallas Borough	1969	75%	76%	4%	13

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 Lake Township

Since 2006 the National Weather Service has logged hail of 1 inch or larger on 2 separate days within 10 miles of Lake Township; the largest was 1.75 in on June 24, 2013.

That is fewer than most places in the state on this site (median 12 days).

At the county level, Lake Township shares Luzerne County’s record of 4 storm disaster declarations since 2006, the newest 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

HUD’s useful-life figures are for planning; a warranty is a separate promise. For Lake Township’s houses: 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; 84% 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; 10% 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	Where the roof meets a wall or parapet

Checking a contractor in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania’s home improvement law (HICPA § 3, § 6) requires registration with the Attorney General from $5,000 a year of such work and puts the number on every estimate; ask for it in Lake Township and look it up.

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 Lake Township

Does a roof replacement in Lake Township need a permit?

Ask Lake Township first. Under 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8), alterations to a house that make no structural change are outside the state code. The township code office can say what Lake Township requires.

Is a roof-over allowed in Lake Township, or is it a tear-off?

When were most homes in Lake Township built?

By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in Lake Township was built in 1978, 54% of homes were built before 1980, 84% are owner-occupied.

Does Lake Township get hail that damages roofs?

Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 2 days within 10 miles of Lake 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 Lake Township have?

What they will ask on the phone

Your address or ZIP code in Lake Township
How many stories the house has, and whether it is detached or attached
What covers the roof now and about when it went on
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
That you are the owner and the one who decides

The full list: before you call.