The median home in Palmyra Borough was built in 1957; there are 3,086 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.
Permit
Under 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8), alterations to a house that make no structural change are outside the state code. Whether Palmyra Borough wants a permit is in its own ordinance; ask the borough code office before the old roof comes off.
Source: 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)
Layers
IRC R908.3.1.1 forbids roofing over two existing layers, over slate or tile, or over a water-soaked roof. 83% of Palmyra Borough’s homes were built before 1980, so count the layers before comparing quotes.
Ice barrier
The code requires an ice barrier where the local climate table (Table R301.2) says so, and each Pennsylvania municipality fills that table in. Palmyra Borough’s answer is with the borough code office.
Checked against the code text on October 24, 2026. The state’s code edition and the rest of its rules: roof replacement in Pennsylvania.
Owners live in 1,703 of Palmyra Borough’s occupied homes, or 58%. Counting by decade, 27% before 1940, 58% before 1960, 83% before 1980 of the housing was in place, and 6% dates from 2000 on. (ACS 2020–2024.)
The housing is 49% detached houses, 19% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses), 16% buildings of two to four units, 5% manufactured homes.
Of the 23 Lebanon County municipalities on this site, Palmyra Borough has the 3rd largest share of homes built before 1980: 83%, against a county range of 31% to 88%.
| Place | Median built | Before 1980 | Owners | Row, twin | Hail days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palmyra Borough | 1957 | 83% | 58% | 19% | 17 |
| North Londonderry | 1980 | 50% | 84% | 18% | 17 |
| Derry Township, Dauphin County | 1979 | 51% | 63% | 22% | 21 |
| South Annville | 1978 | 57% | 91% | 3% | 17 |
| North Annville | 1964 | 73% | 81% | 13% | 17 |
| Annville | 1959 | 69% | 61% | 22% | 18 |
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.
NOAA’s storm reports show 17 days since 2006 with hail of at least 1 inch inside a 10-mile circle around Palmyra Borough, topping out at 1.75 in on March 29, 2009. The most recent was June 26, 2023.
That is more hail days than 79% of the places in the state on this site.
Lebanon County has had 3 federal major-disaster declarations for storms since 2006; the latest was 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.
HUD’s useful-life figures are for planning; a warranty is a separate promise. For Palmyra Borough’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; 49% 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; 27% 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 (19% of homes here are attached) | Where the roof meets a wall or parapet |
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 Palmyra Borough and look it up.
Contracts, deposits and the right to cancel: checking a roofing contractor. What moves the price: new roof cost in Pennsylvania.
Palmyra Borough’s ordinance decides. Under 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8), alterations to a house that make no structural change are outside the state code. Whether Palmyra Borough wants a permit is in its own ordinance; ask the borough 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. 83% of Palmyra Borough’s homes were built before 1980, so count the layers before comparing quotes.
By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in Palmyra Borough was built in 1957, 83% of homes were built before 1980, 58% are owner-occupied.
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 17 days within 10 miles of Palmyra Borough from 2006 through 2025 (NOAA Storm Prediction Center). A report means hail fell nearby, not that a roof was damaged.
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 Palmyra Borough and look it up.
The full list: before you call.
Checked October 24, 2026. Laws and code editions change; the date says when these were last read at the source.