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 Montour
Permit
Montour’s ordinance decides
Pennsylvania’s code leaves residential alterations without structural change to local ordinance (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). Whether Montour wants a permit is in its own ordinance; ask the township code office before the old roof comes off.
IRC R908.3.1.1 forbids roofing over two existing layers, over slate or tile, or over a water-soaked roof. With 70% of Montour’s homes were built before 1980, ask what is under the newest layer.
IRC R905.1.2 calls for an ice barrier where Table R301.2 says so; in Pennsylvania the municipality completes that table. Montour’s answer is with the township code office.
Owners live in 439 of Montour’s occupied homes, or 88%. By year built, 15% before 1940, 30% before 1960, 70% before 1980; 9% went up in 2000 or later. (ACS 2020–2024.)
By building type: 87% detached houses, 8% manufactured homes.
Of the 22 Columbia County municipalities on this site, Montour has the 5th largest share of homes built before 1980: 70%, against a county range of 42% to 93%.
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.
Storm record around Montour
Since 2006 the National Weather Service has logged hail of 1 inch or larger on 5 separate days within 10 miles of Montour; the largest was 2.5 in on May 22, 2014.
That is fewer than most places in the state on this site (median 12 days).
Severe Storms and Flooding (DR-4408, November 2018) is the latest of 2 federal storm declarations covering Columbia County since 2006. (OpenFEMA.)
HUD’s useful-life figures are for planning; a warranty is a separate promise. For Montour’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; 87% 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; 15% here predate 1940
Never a base for a new layer (R908.3.1.1); heavy
Flat roof: EPDM or TPO
15 years
Porches, additions, low-slope rears
Seams at walls and drainage
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 Montour and look it up.
Is a permit required for a new roof in Montour, PA?
Montour’s ordinance decides. Pennsylvania’s code leaves residential alterations without structural change to local ordinance (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). Whether Montour wants a permit is in its own ordinance; ask the township code office before the old roof comes off.
Is a roof-over allowed in Montour, or is it a tear-off?
IRC R908.3.1.1 forbids roofing over two existing layers, over slate or tile, or over a water-soaked roof. With 70% of Montour’s homes were built before 1980, ask what is under the newest layer.
How old are the houses in Montour?
By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in Montour was built in 1971, 70% of homes were built before 1980, 88% are owner-occupied.
Does Montour get hail that damages roofs?
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 5 days within 10 miles of Montour from 2006 through 2025 (NOAA Storm Prediction Center). A report means hail fell nearby, not that a roof was damaged.
How do I check a roofing contractor in Montour?
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 Montour and look it up.
What they will ask on the phone
Where the house is: the Montour address or ZIP
One story or two (or more), detached or attached
What is on the roof now (asphalt shingles, metal, slate, tile, or a flat membrane) and roughly how old it is
How many layers are on it, if you know
That the job is a full replacement or a new roof, and your timing
Any historic-district or HOA rules on the house in Montour