Permit
Reading’s ordinance decides
The state code does not cover a reroof that changes no structure (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). So the city code office in Reading is the one to ask before work starts.
Source: 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)
Roof Replacement in Reading, PA
The median home in Reading was built in 1938; there are 36,032 of them. What the code requires when that roof is replaced, and who signs off, is below.
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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.
The rules for a reroof in Reading
Layers
No third layer
IRC R908.3.1.1 forbids roofing over two existing layers, over slate or tile, or over a water-soaked roof. With 90% of Reading’s homes were built before 1980, ask what is under the newest layer.
Ice barrier
Reading’s climate table decides
Whether an eave membrane is a code item depends on the climate table the municipality filled in when it adopted the code (IRC R905.1.2, Table R301.2). The contractor or the city code office in Reading will know.
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 Reading
41% of the occupied homes in Reading are lived in by their owners: 13,474 households, the people this line is for. By year built, 57% before 1940, 75% before 1960, 90% before 1980; 3% went up in 2000 or later. (ACS 2020–2024.)
By building type: 12% detached houses, 52% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses), 18% buildings of two to four units.
With about half of homes attached, many roofs here meet a neighbor’s roof at a party wall. Say so on the call, and ask the contractor how the new roof will be tied in where it meets the house next door.
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 67 Berks County municipalities on this site, Reading has the 4th largest share of homes built before 1980: 90%, against a county range of 18% to 97%.
ZIP codes: 19601 · 19602 · 19604 · 19611
Reading and the towns around it
| Place | Median built | Before 1980 | Owners | Row, twin | Hail days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 1938 | 90% | 41% | 52% | 22 |
| West Reading | 1938 | 89% | 56% | 61% | 19 |
| Mount Penn | 1943 | 88% | 65% | 40% | 22 |
| Wyomissing | 1971 | 63% | 68% | 15% | 18 |
| Lower Alsace | 1954 | 84% | 76% | 15% | 22 |
| Kenhorst | 1954 | 93% | 79% | 18% | 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.
Storm record around Reading
Within 10 miles of Reading, hail of an inch or more was reported on 22 days between 2006 and 2025, the biggest stones 2.5 in on May 22, 2014. The most recent was July 8, 2025.
That is more hail days than 96% of the places in the state on this site.
Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm (DR-4267, March 2016) is the latest of 2 federal storm declarations covering Berks County since 2006. (OpenFEMA.)
A report says hail fell near Reading, not that it damaged a 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; 12% 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; 57% here predate 1940 | Sound slate can be reused (R908.5); broken slate cannot |
| Flat roof: EPDM or TPO | 15 years | Low-slope roofs and rear sections (52% 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 Reading and look it up.
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 Reading
Do I need a permit to replace a roof in Reading?
Reading’s ordinance decides. The state code does not cover a reroof that changes no structure (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). So the city code office in Reading is the one to ask before work starts.
Do the old shingles have to come off in Reading?
IRC R908.3.1.1 forbids roofing over two existing layers, over slate or tile, or over a water-soaked roof. With 90% of Reading’s homes were built before 1980, ask what is under the newest layer.
How old are the houses in Reading?
By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in Reading was built in 1938, 90% of homes were built before 1980, 41% are owner-occupied.
Does Reading get hail that damages roofs?
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 22 days within 10 miles of Reading 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 Reading?
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 Reading and look it up.
What they will ask on the phone
- Your address or ZIP code in Reading
- Detached, twin or rowhouse, and the number of stories
- The roof you have today, shingle, metal, slate, tile or flat, and its rough age
- How many layers are on it, if you know
- That the job is a full replacement or a new roof, and your timing
- Any historic-district or HOA rules on the house in Reading
- That the house is yours and the decision is yours
The full list: before you call.