Roof Replacement in Ross Township, Luzerne County, PA

Half of the 1,422 homes in Ross Township were built before 1977. Below: what the code asks of a replacement here, the permit, and the town’s own records.

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 Ross 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)). The township code office can say what Ross Township requires.

Source: 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)

Layers

One old layer can stay; two cannot

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). 54% of Ross Township’s homes were built before 1980; many have been reroofed before.

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

Ice barrier

Set by the local climate table

The code requires an ice barrier where the local climate table (Table R301.2) says so, and each Pennsylvania municipality fills that table in. Ross 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 Ross Township

Owners live in 1,031 of Ross Township’s occupied homes, or 88%. Counting by decade, 16% before 1940, 33% before 1960, 54% before 1980 of the housing was in place, and 13% dates from 2000 on. (ACS 2020–2024.)

The housing is 86% detached houses, 10% manufactured homes.

Of the 63 Luzerne County municipalities on this site, Ross Township has the 50th largest share of homes built before 1980: 54%, against a county range of 19% to 97%.

ZIP codes: 18656

Ross Township and the towns around it

Place	Median built	Before 1980	Owners	Row, twin	Hail days
Ross Township, Luzerne County	1977	54%	88%	1%	1
Fairmount	1986	43%	93%	0%	1
Lake Township, Luzerne County	1978	54%	84%	2%	2
Hunlock	1976	60%	92%	0%	0
Union Township, Luzerne County	1975	63%	95%	1%	1
Lehman Township, Luzerne County	1978	54%	87%	5%	8

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 Ross Township

Within 10 miles of Ross Township, hail of an inch or more was reported on 1 day between 2006 and 2025, the biggest stones 1 in on May 26, 2021.

That is fewer than most places in the state on this site (median 12 days).

Luzerne County has had 4 federal major-disaster declarations for storms since 2006; the latest was 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

Useful life is HUD’s planning figure, not a warranty. 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; 86% 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; 16% here predate 1940	Can’t be roofed over; check the framing for the weight
Flat roof: EPDM or TPO	15 years	Additions and porch roofs	Seams at walls and drainage

Checking a contractor in Pennsylvania

Before signing for a roof in Ross Township, 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.

Questions about a new roof in Ross Township

Does a roof replacement in Ross Township need a 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)). The township code office can say what Ross Township requires.

Do the old shingles have to come off in Ross Township?

When were most homes in Ross Township built?

By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in Ross Township was built in 1977, 54% of homes were built before 1980, 88% are owner-occupied.

Does Ross Township get hail that damages roofs?

Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 1 day within 10 miles of Ross 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 Ross Township have?

What they will ask on the phone

Where the house is: the Ross Township address or ZIP
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
Whether there is one layer or more, if you know
That the job is a full replacement or a new roof, and your timing
Whether the house is in a historic district or an HOA
That the house is yours and the decision is yours

The full list: before you call.