Roof Replacement in Union Township, Lebanon County, PA

Union Township has 1,322 homes, and half of them were standing by 1979. 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 Union 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)). So the township code office in Union Township is the one to ask before work starts.

Source: 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)

Layers

No third layer

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). 53% of Union 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

IRC R905.1.2 calls for an ice barrier where Table R301.2 says so; in Pennsylvania the municipality completes that table. Union 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. The state’s code edition and the rest of its rules: roof replacement in Pennsylvania.

Homes and roofs in Union Township

76% of the occupied homes in Union Township are lived in by their owners: 959 households, the people this line is for. Counting by decade, 8% before 1940, 19% before 1960, 53% before 1980 of the housing was in place, and 26% dates from 2000 on. (ACS 2020–2024.)

The housing is 78% detached houses, 6% buildings of two to four units, 15% manufactured homes.

Of the 23 Lebanon County municipalities on this site, Union Township has the 15th largest share of homes built before 1980: 53%, against a county range of 31% to 88%.

ZIP codes: 17038

Union Township and the towns around it

Place	Median built	Before 1980	Owners	Row, twin	Hail days
Union Township, Lebanon County	1979	53%	76%	0%	8
East Hanover Township, Lebanon County	1964	71%	68%	5%	13
Swatara Township, Lebanon County	1976	56%	82%	4%	11
Jonestown	1993	42%	79%	19%	15
Bethel Township, Lebanon County	1979	53%	79%	5%	11
North Annville	1964	73%	81%	13%	17

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 Union Township

NOAA’s storm reports show 8 days since 2006 with hail of at least 1 inch inside a 10-mile circle around Union Township, topping out at 1.5 in on August 6, 2024.

At the county level, Union Township shares Lebanon County’s record of 3 storm disaster declarations since 2006, the newest 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.

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; 78% 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; 8% 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

Pennsylvania’s home improvement law (HICPA § 3, § 6) requires registration with the Attorney General from $5,000 a year of such work and puts the number on every estimate; ask for it in Union Township and look it up.

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 Union Township

Is a permit required for a new roof in Union Township, PA?

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 Union Township is the one to ask before work starts.

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

When were most homes in Union Township built?

By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in Union Township was built in 1979, 53% of homes were built before 1980, 76% are owner-occupied.

How often does hail hit Union Township?

Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 8 days within 10 miles of Union 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 Union Township have?

What they will ask on the phone

The street address in Union Township, or at least the ZIP code
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
The number of layers, if anyone has counted
That you want a new roof or a full replacement, and when you want the work done
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.