The median home in Penn Forest was built in 1992; there are 7,029 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
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 Penn Forest is the one to ask before work starts.
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. 21% of Penn Forest’s homes were built before 1980, so count the layers before comparing quotes.
Ice barrier
IRC R905.1.2 calls for an ice barrier where Table R301.2 says so; in Pennsylvania the municipality completes that table. The contractor or the township code office in Penn Forest will know.
Checked against the code text on October 24, 2026. Code edition, permit and contract rules for the whole state: roof replacement in Pennsylvania.
Owners live in 3,878 of Penn Forest’s occupied homes, or 90%. Counting by decade, 5% before 1960, 21% before 1980 of the housing was in place, and 30% dates from 2000 on. (ACS 2020–2024.)
The housing is 92% detached houses, 3% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses).
32% of the homes in Penn Forest are seasonal or occasional-use homes (ACS 2020–2024). If yours is one of them and you live elsewhere, the call still has to come from you as the owner.
30% 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 15 Carbon County municipalities on this site, Penn Forest has the smallest share of homes built before 1980: 21%, against a county range of 21% to 95%.
ZIP codes: 18210 · 18229
| Place | Median built | Before 1980 | Owners | Row, twin | Hail days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penn Forest | 1992 | 21% | 90% | 3% | 7 |
| Polk | 1983 | 45% | 87% | 2% | 9 |
| Towamensing | 1987 | 33% | 89% | 0% | 11 |
| Franklin Township, Carbon County | 1974 | 56% | 84% | 2% | 12 |
| Kidder | 1985 | 35% | 95% | 18% | 3 |
| Tunkhannock Township, Monroe County | 1990 | 22% | 91% | 3% | 7 |
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.
Since 2006 the National Weather Service has logged hail of 1 inch or larger on 7 separate days within 10 miles of Penn Forest; the largest was 2.75 in on August 17, 2007. The most recent was July 25, 2023.
That is fewer than most places in the state on this site (median 12 days).
Carbon County has had 1 federal major-disaster declaration for storms since 2006; the latest was DR-1649, Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides (June 2006). (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 Penn Forest’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; 92% 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 and historic houses | Never a base for a new layer (R908.3.1.1); heavy |
| Flat roof: EPDM or TPO | 15 years | Additions and porch roofs | Coating is not a replacement |
Before signing for a roof in Penn Forest, get the contractor’s PA registration number: the home improvement law requires registration with the Attorney General above $5,000 a year of such work, and the number on contracts and estimates (HICPA § 3, § 6).
Contracts, deposits and the right to cancel: checking a roofing contractor. What moves the price: new roof cost in Pennsylvania.
Penn Forest’s ordinance decides. 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 Penn Forest 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. 21% of Penn Forest’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 Penn Forest was built in 1992, 21% of homes were built before 1980, 90% are owner-occupied.
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 7 days within 10 miles of Penn Forest from 2006 through 2025 (NOAA Storm Prediction Center). A report means hail fell nearby, not that a roof was damaged.
Before signing for a roof in Penn Forest, get the contractor’s PA registration number: the home improvement law requires registration with the Attorney General above $5,000 a year of such work, and the number on contracts and estimates (HICPA § 3, § 6).
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.