Roof Replacement in Penn Township, York County, PA

The median home in Penn Township was built in 1983; there are 7,155 of them. What the code requires when that roof is replaced, and who signs off, is below.

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 Penn Township

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 township code office in Penn Township is the one to ask before work starts.

Source: 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)

Layers

One old layer can stay; two cannot

IRC R908.3.1.1 forbids roofing over two existing layers, over slate or tile, or over a water-soaked roof. With 45% of Penn Township’s homes were built before 1980, ask what is under the newest layer.

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

Ice barrier

Set by the local climate table

IRC R905.1.2 calls for an ice barrier where Table R301.2 says so; in Pennsylvania the municipality completes that table. Penn Township’s answer is with the township code office.

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

Checked against the code text on October 24, 2026. Code edition, permit and contract rules for the whole state: roof replacement in Pennsylvania.

Homes and roofs in Penn Township

Of 6,937 occupied homes in Penn Township, 5,804 (84%) are owner-occupied. Counting by decade, 13% before 1940, 29% before 1960, 45% before 1980 of the housing was in place, and 24% dates from 2000 on. (ACS 2020–2024.)

The housing is 69% detached houses, 21% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses), 6% buildings of two to four units.

Of the 57 York County municipalities on this site, Penn Township has the 35th largest share of homes built before 1980: 45%, against a county range of 25% to 98%.

Penn Township and the towns around it

Place	Median built	Before 1980	Owners	Row, twin	Hail days
Penn Township, York County	1983	45%	84%	21%	17
Hanover Borough	1956	77%	53%	22%	18
McSherrystown	1973	70%	48%	22%	18
Heidelberg Township, York County	1978	55%	88%	1%	17
Conewago Township, Adams County	1989	37%	87%	21%	17
West Manheim	2002	32%	91%	21%	16

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 Penn Township

Within 10 miles of Penn Township, hail of an inch or more was reported on 17 days between 2006 and 2025, the biggest stones 1.75 in on September 21, 2024. The most recent was March 16, 2025.

That is more hail days than 79% of the places in the state on this site.

At the county level, Penn Township shares York County’s record of 3 storm disaster declarations since 2006, the newest DR-4618 (Remnants of Hurricane Ida, September 2021). (OpenFEMA.)

Storm reports are what observers logged, not a measure of damage to any roof. When wind or hail damage means a new roof.

What goes on the roof next

Lifespans come from HUD’s capital-needs table, not from a brochure. 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; 69% 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	A complete standing-seam system may go over the old roof (R908.3.1)
Slate	75 years	Older houses; 13% here predate 1940	Can’t be roofed over; check the framing for the weight
Flat roof: EPDM or TPO	15 years	Low-slope roofs and rear sections (21% of homes here are attached)	Coating is not a replacement

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 Penn Township and look it up.

Contracts, deposits and the right to cancel: checking a roofing contractor. What moves the price: new roof cost in Pennsylvania.

Questions about a new roof in Penn Township

Do I need a permit to replace a roof in Penn Township?

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 township code office in Penn Township is the one to ask before work starts.

Can a new roof go over the old one in Penn Township?

When were most homes in Penn Township built?

By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in Penn Township was built in 1983, 45% of homes were built before 1980, 84% are owner-occupied.

How often does hail hit Penn Township?

Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 17 days within 10 miles of Penn Township 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 Penn Township have?

What they will ask on the phone

The street address in Penn Township, or at least the ZIP code
The number of stories, and whether the house stands alone
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
Your timing for a complete replacement
Whether the house is in a historic district or an HOA
That you are the owner and the one who decides

The full list: before you call.