Lower Merion has 25,357 homes, and half of them were standing by 1955. 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.
Permit
The state code does not cover a reroof that changes no structure (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). Whether Lower Merion wants a permit is in its own ordinance; ask the township code office before the old roof comes off.
Source: 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)
Layers
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). 81% of Lower Merion’s homes were built before 1980, so count the layers before comparing quotes.
Ice barrier
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). Lower Merion’s answer is with the township code office.
Rules as read on October 24, 2026. The state’s code edition and the rest of its rules: roof replacement in Pennsylvania.
75% of the occupied homes in Lower Merion are lived in by their owners: 17,988 households, the people this line is for. By year built, 31% before 1940, 59% before 1960, 81% before 1980; 10% went up in 2000 or later. (ACS 2020–2024.)
By building type: 55% detached houses, 12% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses), 5% 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 61 Montgomery County municipalities on this site, Lower Merion has the 12th largest share of homes built before 1980: 81%, against a county range of 17% to 98%.
ZIP codes: 19003 · 19004 · 19010 · 19035 · 19041 · 19066 · 19072 · 19085 · 19096
| Place | Median built | Before 1980 | Owners | Row, twin | Hail days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Merion | 1955 | 81% | 75% | 12% | 18 |
| Narberth | 1938 | 94% | 55% | 18% | 18 |
| West Conshohocken | 1949 | 63% | 75% | 54% | 14 |
| Conshohocken | 1964 | 59% | 49% | 44% | 13 |
| Haverford | 1950 | 90% | 87% | 19% | 15 |
| Millbourne | 1944 | 93% | 34% | 36% | 14 |
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.
Since 2006 the National Weather Service has logged hail of 1 inch or larger on 18 separate days within 10 miles of Lower Merion; the largest was 1.75 in on June 6, 2023. The most recent was April 4, 2025.
That is more hail days than 85% of the places in the state on this site.
Federal major-disaster declarations for storms in Montgomery County since 2006: 6, most recently DR-4618, Remnants of Hurricane Ida, declared September 2021. (OpenFEMA.)
A report says hail fell near Lower Merion, not that it damaged a roof. When wind or hail damage means a new roof.
HUD’s useful-life figures are for planning; a warranty is a separate promise. For Lower Merion’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; 55% 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 | Standing seam that carries its own loads can skip the tear-off (R908.3.1) |
| Slate | 75 years | Older houses; 31% here predate 1940 | Can’t be roofed over; check the framing for the weight |
| Flat roof: EPDM or TPO | 15 years | Porches, additions, low-slope rears | Where the roof meets a wall or parapet |
Before signing for a roof in Lower Merion, 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).
The price side is in what a new roof costs in Pennsylvania; the paperwork side in checking a roofing contractor.
Local ordinance, not the state. The state code does not cover a reroof that changes no structure (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). Whether Lower Merion 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). 81% of Lower Merion’s homes were built before 1980, so count the layers before comparing quotes.
By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in Lower Merion was built in 1955, 81% of homes were built before 1980, 75% are owner-occupied.
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 18 days within 10 miles of Lower Merion from 2006 through 2025 (NOAA Storm Prediction Center). A report means hail fell nearby, not that a roof was damaged.
Before signing for a roof in Lower Merion, 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).
The full list: before you call.
Checked October 24, 2026. Laws and code editions change; the date says when these were last read at the source.