Roof Replacement in Palmerton, PA

Half of the 2,870 homes in Palmerton were built before 1947. 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.

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.

A Pennsylvania stone-and-brick house with a new shingle roof

The rules for a reroof in Palmerton

Permit

Local ordinance, not the state

The state code does not cover a reroof that changes no structure (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). So the borough code office in Palmerton is the one to ask before work starts.

Source: 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)

Layers

No third layer

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). 79% of Palmerton’s homes were built before 1980, so count the layers before comparing quotes.

Source: IRC 2021, Chapter 9 (Pennsylvania edition, UpCodes)

Ice barrier

Palmerton’s climate table decides

The code requires an ice barrier where the local climate table (Table R301.2) says so, and each Pennsylvania municipality fills that table in. Ask the borough code office or the contractor what Palmerton’s says.

Source: IRC 2021, Chapter 9 (Pennsylvania edition, UpCodes)

Rules as read on October 24, 2026. The state’s code edition and the rest of its rules: roof replacement in Pennsylvania.

Homes and roofs in Palmerton

Of 2,802 occupied homes in Palmerton, 1,621 (58%) are owner-occupied. By year built, 43% before 1940, 61% before 1960, 79% before 1980; 7% went up in 2000 or later. (ACS 2020–2024.)

By building type: 48% detached houses, 24% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses), 7% buildings of two to four units.

On a house built before 1940, ask what the deck is (boards or plywood) and whether slate sits under the later layers: slate can’t be roofed over.

Of the 15 Carbon County municipalities on this site, Palmerton has the 7th largest share of homes built before 1980: 79%, against a county range of 21% to 95%.

Palmerton and the towns around it

Place	Median built	Before 1980	Owners	Row, twin	Hail days
Palmerton	1947	79%	58%	24%	13
Lower Towamensing	1968	65%	79%	3%	12
Slatington	1938	90%	59%	29%	18
Towamensing	1987	33%	89%	0%	11
Walnutport	1962	75%	74%	29%	18
Franklin Township, Carbon County	1974	56%	84%	2%	12

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 Palmerton

Within 10 miles of Palmerton, hail of an inch or more was reported on 13 days between 2006 and 2025, the biggest stones 2.75 in on August 17, 2007. The most recent was April 30, 2024.

Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides (DR-1649, June 2006) is the latest of 1 federal storm declaration covering Carbon County since 2006. (OpenFEMA.)

A report says hail fell near Palmerton, not that it damaged a roof. When wind or hail damage means a new roof.

What goes on the roof next

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; 48% 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	Standing seam that carries its own loads can skip the tear-off (R908.3.1)
Slate	75 years	Older houses; 43% 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 (24% of homes here are attached)	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 Palmerton, and search it.

The price side is in what a new roof costs in Pennsylvania; the paperwork side in checking a roofing contractor.

Questions about a new roof in Palmerton

Is a permit required for a new roof in Palmerton, PA?

Local ordinance, not the state. The state code does not cover a reroof that changes no structure (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). So the borough code office in Palmerton is the one to ask before work starts.

Is a roof-over allowed in Palmerton, or is it a tear-off?

How old are the houses in Palmerton?

By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in Palmerton was built in 1947, 79% of homes were built before 1980, 58% are owner-occupied.

How many hail days has Palmerton had?

Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 13 days within 10 miles of Palmerton 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 Palmerton?

What they will ask on the phone

The street address in Palmerton, or at least the ZIP code
The number of stories, and whether the house stands alone
What covers the roof now and about when it went on
The number of layers, if anyone has counted
Your timing for a complete replacement
Any historic-district or HOA rules on the house in Palmerton
That you own the home and decide on the roof

The full list: before you call.