Half of the 640 homes in Ransom were built before 1972. 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.
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
The state code does not cover a reroof that changes no structure (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). Whether Ransom wants a permit is in its own ordinance; ask the township code office before the old roof comes off.
Source: 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)
Layers
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). With 65% of Ransom’s homes were built before 1980, ask what is under the newest layer.
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. The contractor or the township code office in Ransom will know.
Rules as read on October 24, 2026. Code edition, permit and contract rules for the whole state: roof replacement in Pennsylvania.
Of 595 occupied homes in Ransom, 471 (79%) are owner-occupied. By year built, 31% before 1940, 40% before 1960, 65% before 1980; 11% went up in 2000 or later. (ACS 2020–2024.)
By building type: 78% detached houses, 8% buildings of two to four units, 8% manufactured homes.
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 34 Lackawanna County municipalities on this site, Ransom has the 19th largest share of homes built before 1980: 65%, against a county range of 42% to 88%.
ZIP codes: 18411 · 18504
| Place | Median built | Before 1980 | Owners | Row, twin | Hail days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ransom | 1972 | 65% | 79% | 2% | 20 |
| Old Forge | 1960 | 82% | 70% | 6% | 21 |
| Taylor | 1960 | 78% | 63% | 8% | 20 |
| Newton | 1978 | 56% | 93% | 1% | 18 |
| Duryea | 1952 | 79% | 70% | 6% | 19 |
| Exeter Township, Luzerne County | 1976 | 59% | 93% | 1% | 20 |
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 20 separate days within 10 miles of Ransom; the largest was 2.75 in on May 28, 2019. The most recent was July 1, 2022.
That is more hail days than 93% of the places in the state on this site.
Federal major-disaster declarations for storms in Lackawanna County since 2006: 3, most recently DR-4408, Severe Storms and Flooding, declared November 2018. (OpenFEMA.)
A report says hail fell near Ransom, not that it damaged a 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 Ransom’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; 78% 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 | Standing seam that carries its own loads can skip the tear-off (R908.3.1) |
| Slate | 75 years | Older houses; 31% here predate 1940 | Can’t be roofed over; check the framing for the weight |
| Flat roof: EPDM or TPO | 15 years | Porches, additions, low-slope rears | Seams at walls and drainage |
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 Ransom and look it up.
The price side is in what a new roof costs in Pennsylvania; the paperwork side in checking a roofing contractor.
Ransom’s ordinance decides. The state code does not cover a reroof that changes no structure (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). Whether Ransom wants a permit is in its own ordinance; ask the township code office before the old roof comes off.
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). With 65% of Ransom’s homes were built before 1980, ask what is under the newest layer.
By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in Ransom was built in 1972, 65% of homes were built before 1980, 79% are owner-occupied.
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 20 days within 10 miles of Ransom 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 Ransom 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.