Slatington has 1,925 homes, and half of them were standing by 1938. 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
Under 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8), alterations to a house that make no structural change are outside the state code. Whether Slatington wants a permit is in its own ordinance; ask the borough code office before the old roof comes off.
Source: 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)
Layers
On a roof that already carries two layers, or slate or tile, the code allows no recover: it is a tear-off (IRC R908.3.1.1). With 90% of Slatington’s homes were built before 1980, ask what is under the newest layer.
Ice barrier
IRC R905.1.2 calls for an ice barrier where Table R301.2 says so; in Pennsylvania the municipality completes that table. The contractor or the borough code office in Slatington will know.
Checked against the code text on October 24, 2026. Code edition, permit and contract rules for the whole state: roof replacement in Pennsylvania.
59% of the occupied homes in Slatington are lived in by their owners: 1,006 households, the people this line is for. Counting by decade, 63% before 1940, 72% before 1960, 90% before 1980 of the housing was in place, and 0% dates from 2000 on. (ACS 2020–2024.)
The housing is 41% detached houses, 29% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses), 22% buildings of two to four units.
Older houses hide their history: ask the contractor to confirm the deck (board or sheet) and every layer above it before pricing, because slate or two layers mean a full tear-off.
Of the 25 Lehigh County municipalities on this site, Slatington has the largest share of homes built before 1980: 90%, against a county range of 22% to 90%.
| Place | Median built | Before 1980 | Owners | Row, twin | Hail days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slatington | 1938 | 90% | 59% | 29% | 18 |
| Walnutport | 1962 | 75% | 74% | 29% | 18 |
| Washington Township, Lehigh County | 1976 | 60% | 94% | 3% | 18 |
| Palmerton | 1947 | 79% | 58% | 24% | 13 |
| Lehigh Township, Northampton County | 1979 | 51% | 94% | 3% | 18 |
| Lower Towamensing | 1968 | 65% | 79% | 3% | 12 |
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 18 days since 2006 with hail of at least 1 inch inside a 10-mile circle around Slatington, topping out at 2.75 in on August 17, 2007. The most recent was May 6, 2025.
That is more hail days than 85% of the places in the state on this site.
Lehigh County has had 2 federal major-disaster declarations for storms since 2006; the latest was DR-4267, Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm (March 2016). (OpenFEMA.)
Storm reports are what observers logged, not a measure of damage to any 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 Slatington’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; 41% 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; 63% here predate 1940 | Never a base for a new layer (R908.3.1.1); heavy |
| Flat roof: EPDM or TPO | 15 years | Low-slope roofs and rear sections (29% of homes here are attached) | Where the roof meets a wall or parapet |
A contractor who does $5,000 or more of home improvement work a year must be registered with the Pennsylvania Attorney General, and the number has to be on every contract and estimate (HICPA § 3, § 6). Ask for it before anyone starts on a roof in Slatington, and search it.
Contracts, deposits and the right to cancel: checking a roofing contractor. What moves the price: new roof cost in Pennsylvania.
Ask Slatington first. Under 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8), alterations to a house that make no structural change are outside the state code. Whether Slatington wants a permit is in its own ordinance; ask the borough code office before the old roof comes off.
On a roof that already carries two layers, or slate or tile, the code allows no recover: it is a tear-off (IRC R908.3.1.1). With 90% of Slatington’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 Slatington was built in 1938, 90% of homes were built before 1980, 59% are owner-occupied.
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 18 days within 10 miles of Slatington from 2006 through 2025 (NOAA Storm Prediction Center). A report means hail fell nearby, not that a roof was damaged.
A contractor who does $5,000 or more of home improvement work a year must be registered with the Pennsylvania Attorney General, and the number has to be on every contract and estimate (HICPA § 3, § 6). Ask for it before anyone starts on a roof in Slatington, and search it.
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.