Half of the 1,527 homes in Rice were built before 1997. 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)). Whether Rice 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). 19% of Rice’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. Rice’s answer is with the township code office.
Checked against the code text on October 24, 2026. Everything else the state requires: roof replacement in Pennsylvania.
94% of the occupied homes in Rice are lived in by their owners: 1,366 households, the people this line is for. Counting by decade, 9% before 1960, 19% before 1980 of the housing was in place, and 44% dates from 2000 on. (ACS 2020–2024.)
The housing is 81% detached houses, 11% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses), 8% manufactured homes.
44% 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 63 Luzerne County municipalities on this site, Rice has the smallest share of homes built before 1980: 19%, against a county range of 19% to 97%.
ZIP codes: 18707
| Place | Median built | Before 1980 | Owners | Row, twin | Hail days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rice | 1997 | 19% | 94% | 11% | 7 |
| Wright | 1982 | 47% | 93% | 1% | 6 |
| Hanover Township, Luzerne County | 1963 | 77% | 67% | 12% | 10 |
| Fairview Township, Luzerne County | 1977 | 57% | 82% | 9% | 9 |
| Ashley | 1945 | 84% | 68% | 19% | 13 |
| Nanticoke | 1946 | 91% | 56% | 19% | 10 |
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 7 days since 2006 with hail of at least 1 inch inside a 10-mile circle around Rice, topping out at 1.75 in on February 25, 2017. The most recent was June 26, 2024.
That is fewer than most places in the state on this site (median 12 days).
At the county level, Rice shares Luzerne County’s record of 4 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.
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; 81% 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 and historic houses | Sound slate can be reused (R908.5); broken slate cannot |
| Flat roof: EPDM or TPO | 15 years | Additions and porch roofs | 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 Rice and look it up.
Contracts, deposits and the right to cancel: checking a roofing contractor. What moves the price: new roof cost in Pennsylvania.
Rice’s ordinance decides. Pennsylvania’s code leaves residential alterations without structural change to local ordinance (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). Whether Rice 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). 19% of Rice’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 Rice was built in 1997, 19% of homes were built before 1980, 94% are owner-occupied.
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 7 days within 10 miles of Rice 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 Rice 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.