The median home in Lititz was built in 1962; there are 4,112 of them. Below: what the code asks of a replacement here, the permit, and the town’s own records.
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 Lititz
Permit
Lititz’s ordinance decides
The state code does not cover a reroof that changes no structure (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). Whether Lititz 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. 68% of Lititz’s homes were built before 1980; many have been reroofed before.
IRC R905.1.2 calls for an ice barrier where Table R301.2 says so; in Pennsylvania the municipality completes that table. Ask the borough code office or the contractor what Lititz’s says.
Owners live in 2,521 of Lititz’s occupied homes, or 64%. By year built, 32% before 1940, 48% before 1960, 68% before 1980; 13% went up in 2000 or later. (ACS 2020–2024.)
By building type: 43% detached houses, 29% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses), 11% buildings of two to four units.
On a house built before 1940, ask what the deck is (boards or plywood) and whether slate sits under the later layers: slate can’t be roofed over.
Of the 59 Lancaster County municipalities on this site, Lititz has the 10th largest share of homes built before 1980: 68%, against a county range of 27% to 87%.
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.
Storm record around Lititz
Within 10 miles of Lititz, hail of an inch or more was reported on 20 days between 2006 and 2025, the biggest stones 1.75 in on June 10, 2008. The most recent was July 16, 2024.
That is more hail days than 93% of the places in the state on this site.
Federal major-disaster declarations for storms in Lancaster County since 2006: 3, most recently DR-4267, Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm, declared March 2016. (OpenFEMA.)
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; 43% 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
Standing seam that carries its own loads can skip the tear-off (R908.3.1)
Slate
75 years
Older houses; 32% 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 (29% of homes here are attached)
Seams at walls and drainage
Checking a contractor in Pennsylvania
A contractor who does $5,000 or more of home improvement work a year must be registered with the Pennsylvania Attorney General, and the number has to be on every contract and estimate (HICPA § 3, § 6). Ask for it before anyone starts on a roof in Lititz, and search it.
Lititz’s ordinance decides. The state code does not cover a reroof that changes no structure (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). Whether Lititz 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 Lititz?
IRC R908.3.1.1 forbids roofing over two existing layers, over slate or tile, or over a water-soaked roof. 68% of Lititz’s homes were built before 1980; many have been reroofed before.
How old are the houses in Lititz?
By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in Lititz was built in 1962, 68% of homes were built before 1980, 64% are owner-occupied.
Does Lititz get hail that damages roofs?
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 20 days within 10 miles of Lititz from 2006 through 2025 (NOAA Storm Prediction Center). A report means hail fell nearby, not that a roof was damaged.
How do I check a roofing contractor in Lititz?
A contractor who does $5,000 or more of home improvement work a year must be registered with the Pennsylvania Attorney General, and the number has to be on every contract and estimate (HICPA § 3, § 6). Ask for it before anyone starts on a roof in Lititz, and search it.
What they will ask on the phone
The street address in Lititz, or at least the ZIP code
One story or two (or more), detached or attached
What is on the roof now (asphalt shingles, metal, slate, tile, or a flat membrane) and roughly how old it is
Whether there is one layer or more, if you know
That you want a new roof or a full replacement, and when you want the work done
Any historic-district or HOA rules on the house in Lititz