Roof Replacement in Lehman Township, Luzerne County, PA

The median home in Lehman Township was built in 1978; there are 1,594 of them. 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.

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 Lehman Township

Permit

Ask Lehman Township first

The state code does not cover a reroof that changes no structure (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). So the township code office in Lehman Township is the one to ask before work starts.

Source: 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)

Layers

Two layers means a tear-off

IRC R908.3.1.1 forbids roofing over two existing layers, over slate or tile, or over a water-soaked roof. With 54% of Lehman Township’s homes were built before 1980, ask what is under the newest layer.

Source: IRC 2021, Chapter 9 (Pennsylvania edition, UpCodes)

Ice barrier

Set by the local climate table

The code requires an ice barrier where the local climate table (Table R301.2) says so, and each Pennsylvania municipality fills that table in. Ask the township code office or the contractor what Lehman Township’s says.

Source: IRC 2021, Chapter 9 (Pennsylvania edition, UpCodes)

Checked against the code text on October 24, 2026. Everything else the state requires: roof replacement in Pennsylvania.

Homes and roofs in Lehman Township

Owners live in 1,258 of Lehman Township’s occupied homes, or 87%. Counting by decade, 11% before 1940, 21% before 1960, 54% before 1980 of the housing was in place, and 23% dates from 2000 on. (ACS 2020–2024.)

The housing is 79% detached houses, 5% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses), 6% manufactured homes.

Of the 63 Luzerne County municipalities on this site, Lehman Township has the 52nd largest share of homes built before 1980: 54%, against a county range of 19% to 97%.

ZIP codes: 18612 · 18621 · 18627

Lehman Township and the towns around it

Place	Median built	Before 1980	Owners	Row, twin	Hail days
Lehman Township, Luzerne County	1978	54%	87%	5%	8
Jackson Township, Luzerne County	1981	48%	96%	1%	9
Dallas Borough	1969	75%	76%	4%	13
Lake Township, Luzerne County	1978	54%	84%	2%	2
Plymouth Township, Luzerne County	1959	78%	84%	12%	10
Harveys Lake	1974	59%	79%	6%	4

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 Lehman Township

Since 2006 the National Weather Service has logged hail of 1 inch or larger on 8 separate days within 10 miles of Lehman Township; the largest was 1.75 in on June 24, 2013. The most recent was April 14, 2019.

At the county level, Lehman 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 Lehman 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; 79% 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	A complete standing-seam system may go over the old roof (R908.3.1)
Slate	75 years	Older houses; 11% here predate 1940	Sound slate can be reused (R908.5); broken slate cannot
Flat roof: EPDM or TPO	15 years	Additions and porch roofs	Seams at walls and drainage

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 Lehman 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 Lehman Township

Is a permit required for a new roof in Lehman Township, PA?

Ask Lehman Township first. The state code does not cover a reroof that changes no structure (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). So the township code office in Lehman Township is the one to ask before work starts.

Do the old shingles have to come off in Lehman Township?

When were most homes in Lehman Township built?

By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in Lehman Township was built in 1978, 54% of homes were built before 1980, 87% are owner-occupied.

How often does hail hit Lehman Township?

Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 8 days within 10 miles of Lehman 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 Lehman Township have?

What they will ask on the phone

Where the house is: the Lehman Township address or ZIP
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
That you own the home and decide on the roof

The full list: before you call.