Roof Replacement in Upper Merion, PA

Half of the 16,222 homes in Upper Merion were built before 1977. 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.

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 Upper Merion

Permit

Upper Merion’s ordinance decides

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 Upper Merion is the one to ask before work starts.

Source: 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)

Layers

One old layer can stay; two cannot

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). 55% of Upper Merion’s homes were built before 1980, so count the layers before comparing quotes.

Source: IRC 2021, Chapter 9 (Pennsylvania edition, UpCodes)

Ice barrier

Set by the local climate table

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 Merion’s says.

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 Upper Merion

Owners live in 8,413 of Upper Merion’s occupied homes, or 55%. Counting by decade, 6% before 1940, 25% before 1960, 55% before 1980 of the housing was in place, and 26% dates from 2000 on. (ACS 2020–2024.)

The housing is 39% detached houses, 14% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses).

Of the 61 Montgomery County municipalities on this site, Upper Merion has the 34th largest share of homes built before 1980: 55%, against a county range of 17% to 98%.

ZIP codes: 19405 · 19406

Upper Merion and the towns around it

Place	Median built	Before 1980	Owners	Row, twin	Hail days
Upper Merion	1977	55%	55%	14%	14
Bridgeport	1964	79%	43%	38%	15
West Norriton	1979	52%	68%	31%	16
Norristown	1957	81%	43%	47%	17
West Conshohocken	1949	63%	75%	54%	14
Tredyffrin	1974	59%	74%	25%	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.

Hail and storms near Upper Merion

NOAA’s storm reports show 14 days since 2006 with hail of at least 1 inch inside a 10-mile circle around Upper Merion, topping out at 1.75 in on June 6, 2023. The most recent was August 18, 2024.

At the county level, Upper Merion 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.

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; 39% 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; 6% here predate 1940	Sound slate can be reused (R908.5); broken slate cannot
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 Upper Merion 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 Upper Merion

Does a roof replacement in Upper Merion need a permit?

Upper Merion’s ordinance decides. 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 Upper Merion is the one to ask before work starts.

Is a roof-over allowed in Upper Merion, or is it a tear-off?

When were most homes in Upper Merion built?

By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in Upper Merion was built in 1977, 55% of homes were built before 1980, 55% are owner-occupied.

Does Upper Merion get hail that damages roofs?

Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 14 days within 10 miles of Upper Merion 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 Upper Merion have?

What they will ask on the phone

The street address in Upper Merion, 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.