The median home in Lower Southampton was built in 1970; there are 8,088 of them. 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
Under 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8), alterations to a house that make no structural change are outside the state code. So the township code office in Lower Southampton is the one to ask before work starts.
Source: 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)
Layers
IRC R908.3.1.1 forbids roofing over two existing layers, over slate or tile, or over a water-soaked roof. 63% of Lower Southampton’s homes were built before 1980, so count the layers before comparing quotes.
Ice barrier
The code requires an ice barrier where the local climate table (Table R301.2) says so, and each Pennsylvania municipality fills that table in. The contractor or the township code office in Lower Southampton will know.
Rules as read on October 24, 2026. The state’s code edition and the rest of its rules: roof replacement in Pennsylvania.
Of 7,847 occupied homes in Lower Southampton, 6,528 (83%) are owner-occupied. By year built, 7% before 1940, 37% before 1960, 63% before 1980; 15% went up in 2000 or later. (ACS 2020–2024.)
By building type: 71% detached houses, 8% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses), 7% manufactured homes.
Of the 50 Bucks County municipalities on this site, Lower Southampton has the 24th largest share of homes built before 1980: 63%, against a county range of 16% to 88%.
ZIP codes: 19053
| Place | Median built | Before 1980 | Owners | Row, twin | Hail days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Southampton | 1970 | 63% | 83% | 8% | 11 |
| Upper Southampton | 1966 | 76% | 89% | 9% | 9 |
| Langhorne | 1938 | 87% | 58% | 11% | 9 |
| Langhorne Manor | 1951 | 87% | 85% | 1% | 10 |
| Northampton Township | 1980 | 50% | 94% | 12% | 12 |
| Penndel | 1959 | 85% | 45% | 9% | 9 |
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 11 separate days within 10 miles of Lower Southampton; the largest was 1.75 in on July 6, 2020. The most recent was May 3, 2025.
Federal major-disaster declarations for storms in Bucks County since 2006: 5, most recently DR-4618, Remnants of Hurricane Ida, declared September 2021. (OpenFEMA.)
A report says hail fell near Lower Southampton, not that it damaged a roof. When wind or hail damage means a new roof.
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; 71% 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 | Low pitches and long runs | Standing seam that carries its own loads can skip the tear-off (R908.3.1) |
| Slate | 75 years | Older houses; 7% here predate 1940 | Sound slate can be reused (R908.5); broken slate cannot |
| Flat roof: EPDM or TPO | 15 years | Porches, additions, low-slope rears | Seams at walls and drainage |
Before signing for a roof in Lower Southampton, 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. Under 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8), alterations to a house that make no structural change are outside the state code. So the township code office in Lower Southampton is the one to ask before work starts.
IRC R908.3.1.1 forbids roofing over two existing layers, over slate or tile, or over a water-soaked roof. 63% of Lower Southampton’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 Southampton was built in 1970, 63% of homes were built before 1980, 83% are owner-occupied.
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 11 days within 10 miles of Lower Southampton 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 Southampton, 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.