Half of the 863 homes in Upper Bern were built before 1980. 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
The state code does not cover a reroof that changes no structure (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). Whether Upper Bern 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
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). With 50% of Upper Bern’s homes were built before 1980, ask what is under the newest layer.
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). Upper Bern’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.
Of 823 occupied homes in Upper Bern, 697 (85%) are owner-occupied. By year built, 12% before 1940, 24% before 1960, 50% before 1980; 27% went up in 2000 or later. (ACS 2020–2024.)
By building type: 72% detached houses, 4% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses), 18% manufactured homes.
Of the 67 Berks County municipalities on this site, Upper Bern has the 45th largest share of homes built before 1980: 50%, against a county range of 18% to 97%.
ZIP codes: 19554
| Place | Median built | Before 1980 | Owners | Row, twin | Hail days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Bern | 1980 | 50% | 85% | 4% | 6 |
| Tilden | 1983 | 45% | 80% | 0% | 5 |
| Upper Tulpehocken | 1977 | 56% | 84% | 5% | 7 |
| Centre Township, Berks County | 1982 | 46% | 94% | 3% | 12 |
| South Manheim | 1985 | 42% | 98% | 2% | 5 |
| Penn Township, Berks County | 1985 | 36% | 89% | 1% | 15 |
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 Upper Bern, hail of an inch or more was reported on 6 days between 2006 and 2025, the biggest stones 1 in on August 15, 2023.
That is fewer than most places in the state on this site (median 12 days).
Federal major-disaster declarations for storms in Berks County since 2006: 2, most recently DR-4267, Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm, declared March 2016. (OpenFEMA.)
A report says hail fell near Upper Bern, not that it damaged a 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; 72% 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 | Standing seam that carries its own loads can skip the tear-off (R908.3.1) |
| Slate | 75 years | Older houses; 12% 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 | Where the roof meets a wall or parapet |
Before signing for a roof in Upper Bern, 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.
Upper Bern’s ordinance decides. The state code does not cover a reroof that changes no structure (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). Whether Upper Bern wants a permit is in its own ordinance; ask the township code office before the old roof comes off.
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). With 50% of Upper Bern’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 Upper Bern was built in 1980, 50% of homes were built before 1980, 85% are owner-occupied.
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 6 days within 10 miles of Upper Bern 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 Upper Bern, 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.