Half of the 1,172 homes in Manchester Borough were built before 1975. 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.
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 Manchester Borough
Permit
Local ordinance, not the state
Pennsylvania’s code leaves residential alterations without structural change to local ordinance (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). So the borough code office in Manchester Borough 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). 60% of Manchester Borough’s homes were built before 1980; many have been reroofed before.
The code requires an ice barrier where the local climate table (Table R301.2) says so, and each Pennsylvania municipality fills that table in. Manchester Borough’s answer is with the borough code office.
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 Manchester Borough
Owners live in 683 of Manchester Borough’s occupied homes, or 59%. Counting by decade, 26% before 1940, 40% before 1960, 60% before 1980 of the housing was in place, and 20% dates from 2000 on. (ACS 2020–2024.)
The housing is 68% detached houses, 10% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses), 11% buildings of two to four units, 4% manufactured homes.
Of the 57 York County municipalities on this site, Manchester Borough has the 21st largest share of homes built before 1980: 60%, against a county range of 25% to 98%.
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 Manchester Borough
Since 2006 the National Weather Service has logged hail of 1 inch or larger on 16 separate days within 10 miles of Manchester Borough; the largest was 2 in on May 14, 2010. The most recent was September 21, 2024.
York County has had 3 federal major-disaster declarations for storms since 2006; the latest was DR-4618, Remnants of Hurricane Ida (September 2021). (OpenFEMA.)
Useful life is HUD’s planning figure, not a warranty. 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; 68% 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; 26% here predate 1940
Sound slate can be reused (R908.5); broken slate cannot
Flat roof: EPDM or TPO
15 years
Additions and porch roofs
Where the roof meets a wall or parapet
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 Manchester Borough, and search it.
Do I need a permit to replace a roof in Manchester Borough?
Local ordinance, not the state. Pennsylvania’s code leaves residential alterations without structural change to local ordinance (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). So the borough code office in Manchester Borough is the one to ask before work starts.
Is a roof-over allowed in Manchester Borough, or is it a tear-off?
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). 60% of Manchester Borough’s homes were built before 1980; many have been reroofed before.
When were most homes in Manchester Borough built?
By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in Manchester Borough was built in 1975, 60% of homes were built before 1980, 59% are owner-occupied.
How many hail days has Manchester Borough had?
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 16 days within 10 miles of Manchester Borough 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 Manchester Borough have?
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 Manchester Borough, and search it.
What they will ask on the phone
The street address in Manchester Borough, or at least the ZIP code
How many stories the house has, and whether it is detached or attached
What covers the roof now and about when it went on
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