Roof Replacement in Lykens Township, PA

Half of the 513 homes in Lykens Township were built before 1964. 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.

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 Lykens Township

Permit

Ask Lykens Township first

Under 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8), alterations to a house that make no structural change are outside the state code. The township code office can say what Lykens Township requires.

Source: 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)

Layers

One old layer can stay; two cannot

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). 64% of Lykens Township’s homes were built before 1980, so count the layers before comparing quotes.

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

Ice barrier

Set by the local climate table

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 Lykens Township will know.

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

Checked against the code text on October 24, 2026. Code edition, permit and contract rules for the whole state: roof replacement in Pennsylvania.

Homes and roofs in Lykens Township

Of 481 occupied homes in Lykens Township, 350 (73%) are owner-occupied. Counting by decade, 40% before 1940, 45% before 1960, 64% before 1980 of the housing was in place, and 15% dates from 2000 on. (ACS 2020–2024.)

The housing is 94% detached houses, 4% manufactured homes.

Older houses hide their history: ask the contractor to confirm the deck (board or sheet) and every layer above it before pricing, because slate or two layers mean a full tear-off.

Of the 31 Dauphin County municipalities on this site, Lykens Township has the 15th largest share of homes built before 1980: 64%, against a county range of 31% to 100%.

ZIP codes: 17030 · 17048 · 17978

Lykens Township and the towns around it

Place	Median built	Before 1980	Owners	Row, twin	Hail days
Lykens Township	1964	64%	73%	2%	5
Wiconisco	1938	86%	87%	3%	4
Lykens Borough	1938	94%	62%	20%	4
Williams Township, Dauphin County	1950	83%	86%	4%	4
Washington Township, Dauphin County	1980	50%	81%	0%	8
Williamstown	1938	97%	63%	15%	3

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 Lykens Township

Within 10 miles of Lykens Township, hail of an inch or more was reported on 5 days between 2006 and 2025, the biggest stones 2 in on May 28, 2019. The most recent was June 26, 2023.

That is fewer than most places in the state on this site (median 12 days).

At the county level, Lykens Township shares Dauphin County’s record of 5 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 Lykens 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; 94% 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; 40% 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

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 Lykens Township, and search it.

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 Lykens Township

Do I need a permit to replace a roof in Lykens Township?

Ask Lykens Township first. Under 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8), alterations to a house that make no structural change are outside the state code. The township code office can say what Lykens Township requires.

Can a new roof go over the old one in Lykens Township?

When were most homes in Lykens Township built?

By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in Lykens Township was built in 1964, 64% of homes were built before 1980, 73% are owner-occupied.

How many hail days has Lykens Township had?

Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 5 days within 10 miles of Lykens 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 Lykens Township have?

What they will ask on the phone

Your address or ZIP code in Lykens Township
How many stories the house has, and whether it is detached or attached
What covers the roof now and about when it went on
How many layers are on it, if you know
Your timing for a complete replacement
Whether the house is in a historic district or an HOA
That you are the owner and the one who decides

The full list: before you call.