Permit
Macungie’s ordinance decides
The state code does not cover a reroof that changes no structure (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). The borough code office can say what Macungie requires.
Source: 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)
Roof Replacement in Macungie, PA
Half of the 1,494 homes in Macungie were built before 1982. 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.
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.
The rules for a reroof in Macungie
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). 44% of Macungie’s homes were built before 1980; many have been reroofed before.
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). Ask the borough code office or the contractor what Macungie’s says.
Checked against the code text on October 24, 2026. The state’s code edition and the rest of its rules: roof replacement in Pennsylvania.
Homes and roofs in Macungie
Of 1,392 occupied homes in Macungie, 707 (51%) are owner-occupied. Counting by decade, 19% before 1940, 30% before 1960, 44% before 1980 of the housing was in place, and 6% dates from 2000 on. (ACS 2020–2024.)
The housing is 26% detached houses, 42% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses), 14% buildings of two to four units.
With about two in five of homes attached, many roofs here meet a neighbor’s roof at a party wall. Say so on the call, and ask the contractor how the new roof will be tied in where it meets the house next door.
Of the 25 Lehigh County municipalities on this site, Macungie has the 20th largest share of homes built before 1980: 44%, against a county range of 22% to 90%.
Macungie and the towns around it
| Place | Median built | Before 1980 | Owners | Row, twin | Hail days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Macungie | 1982 | 44% | 51% | 42% | 15 |
| Lower Macungie | 1993 | 30% | 86% | 24% | 19 |
| Upper Milford | 1979 | 51% | 88% | 10% | 16 |
| Alburtis | 1989 | 49% | 76% | 51% | 15 |
| Emmaus | 1955 | 78% | 64% | 25% | 21 |
| Hereford | 1973 | 62% | 82% | 1% | 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.
Hail and storms near Macungie
Within 10 miles of Macungie, hail of an inch or more was reported on 15 days between 2006 and 2025, the biggest stones 2.5 in on May 14, 2010. The most recent was April 30, 2024.
Lehigh County has had 2 federal major-disaster declarations for storms since 2006; the latest was DR-4267, Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm (March 2016). (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
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; 26% 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 | A complete standing-seam system may go over the old roof (R908.3.1) |
| Slate | 75 years | Older houses; 19% here predate 1940 | Never a base for a new layer (R908.3.1.1); heavy |
| Flat roof: EPDM or TPO | 15 years | Low-slope roofs and rear sections (42% of homes here are attached) | Where the roof meets a wall or parapet |
Checking a contractor in Pennsylvania
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 Macungie and look it up.
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 Macungie
Does a roof replacement in Macungie need a permit?
Macungie’s ordinance decides. The state code does not cover a reroof that changes no structure (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). The borough code office can say what Macungie requires.
Do the old shingles have to come off in Macungie?
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). 44% of Macungie’s homes were built before 1980; many have been reroofed before.
When were most homes in Macungie built?
By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in Macungie was built in 1982, 44% of homes were built before 1980, 51% are owner-occupied.
How many hail days has Macungie had?
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 15 days within 10 miles of Macungie 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 Macungie have?
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 Macungie and look it up.
What they will ask on the phone
- Where the house is: the Macungie address or ZIP
- Whether the house is detached, a twin or a rowhouse, and how many stories
- What is on the roof now (asphalt shingles, metal, slate, tile, or a flat membrane) and roughly how old it is
- The number of layers, if anyone has counted
- That you want a new roof or a full replacement, and when you want the work done
- 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.