St. Thomas has 2,150 homes, and half of them were standing by 1976. 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
The state code does not cover a reroof that changes no structure (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). Whether St. Thomas 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
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). 60% of St. Thomas’s homes were built before 1980, so count the layers before comparing quotes.
Ice barrier
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). St. Thomas’s answer is with the township code office.
Rules as read on October 24, 2026. The state’s code edition and the rest of its rules: roof replacement in Pennsylvania.
84% of the occupied homes in St. Thomas are lived in by their owners: 1,687 households, the people this line is for. By year built, 13% before 1940, 26% before 1960, 60% before 1980; 19% went up in 2000 or later. (ACS 2020–2024.)
By building type: 71% detached houses, 25% manufactured homes.
25% of homes in St. Thomas are manufactured homes (540). A roof on a manufactured home is its own kind of job; tell the person on the line that it is one.
Of the 20 Franklin County municipalities on this site, St. Thomas has the 9th largest share of homes built before 1980: 60%, against a county range of 38% to 80%.
ZIP codes: 17252
| Place | Median built | Before 1980 | Owners | Row, twin | Hail days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Thomas | 1976 | 60% | 84% | 0% | 7 |
| Hamilton Township, Franklin County | 1988 | 41% | 85% | 4% | 9 |
| Peters | 1974 | 57% | 90% | 2% | 7 |
| Chambersburg | 1963 | 64% | 43% | 29% | 9 |
| Mercersburg | 1942 | 79% | 58% | 12% | 9 |
| Metal | 1971 | 66% | 86% | 2% | 6 |
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.
Since 2006 the National Weather Service has logged hail of 1 inch or larger on 7 separate days within 10 miles of St. Thomas; the largest was 1.75 in on August 7, 2023.
That is fewer than most places in the state on this site (median 12 days).
Federal major-disaster declarations for storms in Franklin County since 2006: 4, most recently DR-4267, Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm, declared March 2016. (OpenFEMA.)
A report says hail fell near St. Thomas, not that it damaged a 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 St. Thomas’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; 71% 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; 13% here predate 1940 | Can’t be roofed over; check the framing for the weight |
| Flat roof: EPDM or TPO | 15 years | Porches, additions, low-slope rears | Seams at walls and drainage |
Before signing for a roof in St. Thomas, 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).
The price side is in what a new roof costs in Pennsylvania; the paperwork side in checking a roofing contractor.
Local ordinance, not the state. The state code does not cover a reroof that changes no structure (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). Whether St. Thomas wants a permit is in its own ordinance; ask the township 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). 60% of St. Thomas’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 St. Thomas was built in 1976, 60% of homes were built before 1980, 84% are owner-occupied.
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 7 days within 10 miles of St. Thomas from 2006 through 2025 (NOAA Storm Prediction Center). A report means hail fell nearby, not that a roof was damaged.
Before signing for a roof in St. Thomas, 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).
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.