The median home in Upper Gwynedd was built in 1983; there are 7,307 of them. What the code requires when that roof is replaced, and who signs off, is below.
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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)). Whether Upper Gwynedd 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
IRC R908.3.1.1 forbids roofing over two existing layers, over slate or tile, or over a water-soaked roof. With 44% of Upper Gwynedd’s homes were built before 1980, ask what is under the newest layer.
Ice barrier
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 Upper Gwynedd’s says.
Checked against the code text on October 24, 2026. The state’s code edition and the rest of its rules: roof replacement in Pennsylvania.
Owners live in 5,319 of Upper Gwynedd’s occupied homes, or 74%. Counting by decade, 6% before 1940, 15% before 1960, 44% before 1980 of the housing was in place, and 17% dates from 2000 on. (ACS 2020–2024.)
The housing is 51% detached houses, 21% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses), 6% buildings of two to four units.
Of the 61 Montgomery County municipalities on this site, Upper Gwynedd has the 47th largest share of homes built before 1980: 44%, against a county range of 17% to 98%.
ZIP codes: 19454
| Place | Median built | Before 1980 | Owners | Row, twin | Hail days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Gwynedd | 1983 | 44% | 74% | 21% | 16 |
| North Wales | 1943 | 89% | 74% | 21% | 15 |
| Lansdale | 1958 | 81% | 55% | 34% | 14 |
| Lower Gwynedd | 1979 | 52% | 78% | 17% | 14 |
| Worcester | 1993 | 27% | 85% | 27% | 18 |
| Towamencin | 1980 | 50% | 66% | 22% | 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.
Within 10 miles of Upper Gwynedd, hail of an inch or more was reported on 16 days between 2006 and 2025, the biggest stones 1.75 in on June 6, 2023. The most recent was August 18, 2024.
At the county level, Upper Gwynedd shares Montgomery County’s record of 6 storm disaster declarations since 2006, the newest DR-4618 (Remnants of Hurricane Ida, September 2021). (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; 51% 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; 6% here predate 1940 | Sound slate can be reused (R908.5); broken slate cannot |
| Flat roof: EPDM or TPO | 15 years | Low-slope roofs and rear sections (21% of homes here are attached) | Seams at walls and drainage |
Before signing for a roof in Upper Gwynedd, 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).
Contracts, deposits and the right to cancel: checking a roofing contractor. What moves the price: new roof cost in Pennsylvania.
Upper Gwynedd’s ordinance decides. Pennsylvania’s code leaves residential alterations without structural change to local ordinance (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). Whether Upper Gwynedd wants a permit is in its own ordinance; ask the township code office before the old roof comes off.
IRC R908.3.1.1 forbids roofing over two existing layers, over slate or tile, or over a water-soaked roof. With 44% of Upper Gwynedd’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 Gwynedd was built in 1983, 44% of homes were built before 1980, 74% are owner-occupied.
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 16 days within 10 miles of Upper Gwynedd 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 Gwynedd, 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.