Upper Leacock has 3,404 homes, and half of them were standing by 1975. 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
Under 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8), alterations to a house that make no structural change are outside the state code. Whether Upper Leacock 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). With 57% of Upper Leacock’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. Upper Leacock’s answer is with the township code office.
Checked against the code text on October 24, 2026. Code edition, permit and contract rules for the whole state: roof replacement in Pennsylvania.
Owners live in 1,797 of Upper Leacock’s occupied homes, or 56%. Counting by decade, 18% before 1940, 28% before 1960, 57% before 1980 of the housing was in place, and 19% dates from 2000 on. (ACS 2020–2024.)
The housing is 63% detached houses, 14% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses), 9% buildings of two to four units.
Of the 59 Lancaster County municipalities on this site, Upper Leacock has the 20th largest share of homes built before 1980: 57%, against a county range of 27% to 87%.
ZIP codes: 17505 · 17540
| Place | Median built | Before 1980 | Owners | Row, twin | Hail days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Leacock | 1975 | 57% | 56% | 14% | 25 |
| West Earl | 1983 | 42% | 82% | 14% | 25 |
| East Lampeter | 1983 | 45% | 62% | 17% | 27 |
| Leacock | 1976 | 53% | 62% | 22% | 20 |
| Earl Township, Lancaster County | 1986 | 43% | 63% | 21% | 16 |
| New Holland | 1970 | 63% | 69% | 20% | 16 |
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.
NOAA’s storm reports show 25 days since 2006 with hail of at least 1 inch inside a 10-mile circle around Upper Leacock, topping out at 1.75 in on June 10, 2008. The most recent was July 1, 2022.
That is more hail days than 99% of the places in the state on this site.
Lancaster County has had 3 federal major-disaster declarations for storms since 2006; the latest was 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.
HUD’s useful-life figures are for planning; a warranty is a separate promise. For Upper Leacock’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; 63% 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; 18% here predate 1940 | Never a base for a new layer (R908.3.1.1); heavy |
| Flat roof: EPDM or TPO | 15 years | Additions and porch roofs | Where the roof meets a wall or parapet |
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 Upper Leacock and look it up.
Contracts, deposits and the right to cancel: checking a roofing contractor. What moves the price: new roof cost in Pennsylvania.
Ask Upper Leacock first. Under 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8), alterations to a house that make no structural change are outside the state code. Whether Upper Leacock 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). With 57% of Upper Leacock’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 Leacock was built in 1975, 57% of homes were built before 1980, 56% are owner-occupied.
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 25 days within 10 miles of Upper Leacock from 2006 through 2025 (NOAA Storm Prediction Center). A report means hail fell nearby, not that a roof was damaged.
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 Upper Leacock and look it up.
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.