Permit
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. The township code office can say what Manheim Township requires.
Source: 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)
Roof Replacement in Manheim Township, Lancaster County, PA
Manheim Township has 18,231 homes, and half of them were standing by 1979. 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 Manheim Township
Layers
Two layers means a tear-off
On a roof that already carries two layers, or slate or tile, the code allows no recover: it is a tear-off (IRC R908.3.1.1). 51% of Manheim Township’s homes were built before 1980; many have been reroofed before.
Ice barrier
Set by the local climate table
IRC R905.1.2 calls for an ice barrier where Table R301.2 says so; in Pennsylvania the municipality completes that table. Manheim Township’s answer is with the township code office.
Checked against the code text on October 24, 2026. Everything else the state requires: roof replacement in Pennsylvania.
Homes and roofs in Manheim Township
Of 17,852 occupied homes in Manheim Township, 12,622 (71%) are owner-occupied. Counting by decade, 8% before 1940, 25% before 1960, 51% before 1980 of the housing was in place, and 23% dates from 2000 on. (ACS 2020–2024.)
The housing is 60% detached houses, 17% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses).
Of the 59 Lancaster County municipalities on this site, Manheim Township has the 28th largest share of homes built before 1980: 51%, against a county range of 27% to 87%.
ZIP codes: 17601 · 17606
Manheim Township and the towns around it
| Place | Median built | Before 1980 | Owners | Row, twin | Hail days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manheim Township, Lancaster County | 1979 | 51% | 71% | 17% | 26 |
| East Petersburg | 1964 | 79% | 92% | 24% | 23 |
| Lancaster | 1938 | 86% | 49% | 52% | 23 |
| Lititz | 1962 | 68% | 64% | 29% | 20 |
| Warwick Township, Lancaster County | 1991 | 27% | 79% | 23% | 22 |
| East Hempfield | 1984 | 41% | 73% | 13% | 20 |
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 Manheim Township
Since 2006 the National Weather Service has logged hail of 1 inch or larger on 26 separate days within 10 miles of Manheim Township; the largest was 1.75 in on June 10, 2008. The most recent was June 28, 2025.
That is more hail days than 100% of the places in the state on this site.
At the county level, Manheim Township shares Lancaster County’s record of 3 storm disaster declarations since 2006, the newest 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
HUD’s useful-life figures are for planning; a warranty is a separate promise. For Manheim 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; 60% 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; 8% here predate 1940 | Sound slate can be reused (R908.5); broken slate cannot |
| Flat roof: EPDM or TPO | 15 years | Low-slope roofs and rear sections (17% of homes here are attached) | Coating is not a replacement |
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 Manheim Township 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 Manheim Township
Does a roof replacement in Manheim Township need a permit?
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. The township code office can say what Manheim Township requires.
Is a roof-over allowed in Manheim Township, or is it a tear-off?
On a roof that already carries two layers, or slate or tile, the code allows no recover: it is a tear-off (IRC R908.3.1.1). 51% of Manheim Township’s homes were built before 1980; many have been reroofed before.
When were most homes in Manheim Township built?
By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in Manheim Township was built in 1979, 51% of homes were built before 1980, 71% are owner-occupied.
Does Manheim Township get hail that damages roofs?
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 26 days within 10 miles of Manheim 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 Manheim Township 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 Manheim Township and look it up.
What they will ask on the phone
- Where the house is: the Manheim Township address or ZIP
- One story or two (or more), detached or attached
- The roof you have today, shingle, metal, slate, tile or flat, and its rough age
- Whether there is one layer or more, if you know
- That the job is a full replacement or a new roof, and your timing
- Whether the house is in a historic district or an HOA
- That you own the home and decide on the roof
The full list: before you call.