Roof Replacement in Southwest Madison, PA

Half of the 477 homes in Southwest Madison were built before 1972. 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.

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 Southwest Madison

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)). So the township code office in Southwest Madison is the one to ask before work starts.

Source: 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)

Layers

No third layer

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). 60% of Southwest Madison’s homes were built before 1980, so count the layers before comparing quotes.

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

Ice barrier

Southwest Madison’s climate table decides

The code requires an ice barrier where the local climate table (Table R301.2) says so, and each Pennsylvania municipality fills that table in. Ask the township code office or the contractor what Southwest Madison’s says.

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

Rules as read on October 24, 2026. Code edition, permit and contract rules for the whole state: roof replacement in Pennsylvania.

Homes and roofs in Southwest Madison

Of 396 occupied homes in Southwest Madison, 346 (87%) are owner-occupied. By year built, 36% before 1940, 43% before 1960, 60% before 1980; 22% went up in 2000 or later. (ACS 2020–2024.)

By building type: 92% detached houses, 6% manufactured homes.

15% of the homes in Southwest Madison are seasonal or occasional-use homes (ACS 2020–2024). If yours is one of them and you live elsewhere, the call still has to come from you as the owner.

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 19 Perry County municipalities on this site, Southwest Madison has the 8th largest share of homes built before 1980: 60%, against a county range of 38% to 98%.

ZIP codes: 17047

Southwest Madison and the towns around it

Place	Median built	Before 1980	Owners	Row, twin	Hail days
Southwest Madison	1972	60%	87%	1%	4
Lower Mifflin	1984	42%	88%	0%	6
Tyrone Township, Perry County	1972	65%	77%	1%	8
Upper Frankford	1987	40%	91%	2%	7
Saville	1983	45%	89%	3%	4
Tuscarora Township, Juniata County	1981	49%	82%	1%	2

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 Southwest Madison

Within 10 miles of Southwest Madison, hail of an inch or more was reported on 4 days between 2006 and 2025, the biggest stones 1.25 in on April 20, 2015. The most recent was May 23, 2019.

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

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm (DR-4267, March 2016) is the latest of 3 federal storm declarations covering Perry County since 2006. (OpenFEMA.)

A report says hail fell near Southwest Madison, 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; 92% 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	Standing seam that carries its own loads can skip the tear-off (R908.3.1)
Slate	75 years	Older houses; 36% here predate 1940	Sound slate can be reused (R908.5); broken slate cannot
Flat roof: EPDM or TPO	15 years	Porches, additions, low-slope rears	Seams at walls and drainage

Checking a contractor in Pennsylvania

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 Southwest Madison, and search it.

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 Southwest Madison

Do I need a permit to replace a roof in Southwest Madison?

Local ordinance, not the state. The state code does not cover a reroof that changes no structure (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). So the township code office in Southwest Madison is the one to ask before work starts.

Do the old shingles have to come off in Southwest Madison?

How old are the houses in Southwest Madison?

By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in Southwest Madison was built in 1972, 60% of homes were built before 1980, 87% are owner-occupied.

How often does hail hit Southwest Madison?

Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 4 days within 10 miles of Southwest Madison 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 Southwest Madison?

What they will ask on the phone

Your address or ZIP code in Southwest Madison
How many stories the house has, and whether it is detached or attached
The roof you have today, shingle, metal, slate, tile or flat, and its rough age
The number of layers, if anyone has counted
Your timing for a complete replacement
Any historic-district or HOA rules on the house in Southwest Madison
That you own the home and decide on the roof

The full list: before you call.