The median home in New London was built in 1995; there are 2,049 of them. 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.
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 New London
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 township code office in New London is the one to ask before work starts.
IRC R908.3.1.1 forbids roofing over two existing layers, over slate or tile, or over a water-soaked roof. 16% of New London’s homes were built before 1980, so count the layers before comparing quotes.
The code requires an ice barrier where the local climate table (Table R301.2) says so, and each Pennsylvania municipality fills that table in. New London’s answer is with the township code office.
Owners live in 1,889 of New London’s occupied homes, or 94%. Counting by decade, 6% before 1940, 7% before 1960, 16% before 1980 of the housing was in place, and 37% dates from 2000 on. (ACS 2020–2024.)
The housing is 97% detached houses.
37% of homes here were built in 2000 or later. HUD’s useful-life table gives an asphalt-shingle roof 20 years, so roofs on houses from the early 2000s are reaching that age.
Of the 71 Chester County municipalities on this site, New London has the 70th largest share of homes built before 1980: 16%, against a county range of 12% to 80%.
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 New London
Since 2006 the National Weather Service has logged hail of 1 inch or larger on 12 separate days within 10 miles of New London; the largest was 1.75 in on April 1, 2023. The most recent was May 3, 2025.
Chester County has had 5 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; 97% 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
A complete standing-seam system may go over the old roof (R908.3.1)
Slate
75 years
Older houses; 6% here predate 1940
Sound slate can be reused (R908.5); broken slate cannot
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 New London, and search it.
Does a roof replacement in New London need a 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 township code office in New London is the one to ask before work starts.
Do the old shingles have to come off in New London?
IRC R908.3.1.1 forbids roofing over two existing layers, over slate or tile, or over a water-soaked roof. 16% of New London’s homes were built before 1980, so count the layers before comparing quotes.
When were most homes in New London built?
By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in New London was built in 1995, 16% of homes were built before 1980, 94% are owner-occupied.
How many hail days has New London had?
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 12 days within 10 miles of New London 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 New London 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 New London, and search it.
What they will ask on the phone
Your address or ZIP code in New London
One story or two (or more), detached or attached
The roof you have today, shingle, metal, slate, tile or flat, and its rough age
How many layers are on it, 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