Half of the 2,735 homes in Lower Nazareth were built before 1984. 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)). So the township code office in Lower Nazareth is the one to ask before work starts.
Source: 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)
Layers
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). 43% of Lower Nazareth’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). The contractor or the township code office in Lower Nazareth will know.
Checked against the code text on October 24, 2026. The state’s code edition and the rest of its rules: roof replacement in Pennsylvania.
Of 2,674 occupied homes in Lower Nazareth, 2,538 (95%) are owner-occupied. Counting by decade, 9% before 1940, 14% before 1960, 43% before 1980 of the housing was in place, and 29% dates from 2000 on. (ACS 2020–2024.)
The housing is 86% detached houses, 11% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses).
Of the 34 Northampton County municipalities on this site, Lower Nazareth has the 27th largest share of homes built before 1980: 43%, against a county range of 20% to 91%.
ZIP codes: 18020
| Place | Median built | Before 1980 | Owners | Row, twin | Hail days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Nazareth | 1984 | 43% | 95% | 11% | 21 |
| Upper Nazareth | 1998 | 31% | 82% | 10% | 21 |
| Nazareth | 1938 | 86% | 42% | 16% | 17 |
| Bethlehem Township | 1989 | 33% | 82% | 11% | 26 |
| Palmer | 1979 | 51% | 82% | 15% | 16 |
| Bath | 1969 | 65% | 57% | 18% | 24 |
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.
NOAA’s storm reports show 21 days since 2006 with hail of at least 1 inch inside a 10-mile circle around Lower Nazareth, topping out at 2 in on August 17, 2007. The most recent was July 3, 2025.
That is more hail days than 95% of the places in the state on this site.
At the county level, Lower Nazareth shares Northampton County’s record of 6 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.
HUD’s useful-life figures are for planning; a warranty is a separate promise. For Lower Nazareth’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; 86% 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; 9% here predate 1940 | Never a base for a new layer (R908.3.1.1); heavy |
| Flat roof: EPDM or TPO | 15 years | Additions and porch roofs | Coating is not a replacement |
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 Lower Nazareth and look it up.
Contracts, deposits and the right to cancel: checking a roofing contractor. What moves the price: new roof cost in Pennsylvania.
Lower Nazareth’s ordinance decides. 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 Lower Nazareth is the one to ask before work starts.
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). 43% of Lower Nazareth’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 Nazareth was built in 1984, 43% of homes were built before 1980, 95% are owner-occupied.
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 21 days within 10 miles of Lower Nazareth from 2006 through 2025 (NOAA Storm Prediction Center). A report means hail fell nearby, not that a roof was damaged.
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 Lower Nazareth and look it up.
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.