Half of the 13,261 homes in State College were built before 1971. 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)). The borough code office can say what State College requires.
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). 67% of State College’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). The contractor or the borough code office in State College 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.
Of 11,257 occupied homes in State College, 2,943 (26%) are owner-occupied. Counting by decade, 12% before 1940, 30% before 1960, 67% before 1980 of the housing was in place, and 8% dates from 2000 on. (ACS 2020–2024.)
The housing is 26% detached houses, 8% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses), 7% buildings of two to four units.
| Place | Median built | Before 1980 | Owners | Row, twin | Hail days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State College | 1971 | 67% | 26% | 8% | 14 |
| College | 1989 | 35% | 77% | 7% | 13 |
| Brown | 1970 | 59% | 82% | 8% | 7 |
| Union Township, Mifflin County | 1971 | 66% | 70% | 8% | 7 |
| Menno | 1970 | 63% | 83% | 3% | 4 |
| Oneida | 1974 | 60% | 97% | 0% | 5 |
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.
Within 10 miles of State College, hail of an inch or more was reported on 14 days between 2006 and 2025, the biggest stones 1.75 in on May 23, 2019. The most recent was August 7, 2023.
At the county level, State College shares Centre County’s record of 1 storm disaster declaration since 2006, the newest DR-4149 (Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, October 2013). (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; 26% 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 | Roofs that will carry solar later | A complete standing-seam system may go over the old roof (R908.3.1) |
| Slate | 75 years | Older houses; 12% 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 | 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 State College, and search it.
Contracts, deposits and the right to cancel: checking a roofing contractor. What moves the price: new roof cost in Pennsylvania.
State College’s ordinance decides. Pennsylvania’s code leaves residential alterations without structural change to local ordinance (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). The borough code office can say what State College requires.
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). 67% of State College’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 State College was built in 1971, 67% of homes were built before 1980, 26% are owner-occupied.
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 14 days within 10 miles of State College 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 State College, 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.