The median home in Upper Uwchlan was built in 2000; there are 4,247 of them. 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.
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.
The rules for a reroof in Upper Uwchlan
Permit
Upper Uwchlan’s ordinance decides
Pennsylvania’s code leaves residential alterations without structural change to local ordinance (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). So the township code office in Upper Uwchlan is the one to ask before work starts.
IRC R908.3.1.1 forbids roofing over two existing layers, over slate or tile, or over a water-soaked roof. 12% of Upper Uwchlan’s homes were built before 1980, so count the layers before comparing quotes.
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 Uwchlan’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.
Homes and roofs in Upper Uwchlan
Owners live in 3,918 of Upper Uwchlan’s occupied homes, or 92%. Counting by decade, 5% before 1960, 12% before 1980 of the housing was in place, and 50% dates from 2000 on. (ACS 2020–2024.)
The housing is 76% detached houses, 22% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses).
50% of homes here were built in 2000 or later. HUD’s useful-life table gives an asphalt-shingle roof 20 years, so roofs on houses from the early 2000s are reaching that age.
Of the 71 Chester County municipalities on this site, Upper Uwchlan has the smallest share of homes built before 1980: 12%, against a county range of 12% to 80%.
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 Uwchlan
Since 2006 the National Weather Service has logged hail of 1 inch or larger on 13 separate days within 10 miles of Upper Uwchlan; the largest was 2 in on August 10, 2008. The most recent was July 14, 2024.
Chester County has had 5 federal major-disaster declarations for storms since 2006; the latest was DR-4618, Remnants of Hurricane Ida (September 2021). (OpenFEMA.)
HUD’s useful-life figures are for planning; a warranty is a separate promise. For Upper Uwchlan’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; 76% 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
Low pitches and long runs
A complete standing-seam system may go over the old roof (R908.3.1)
Slate
75 years
Older and historic houses
Sound slate can be reused (R908.5); broken slate cannot
Flat roof: EPDM or TPO
15 years
Low-slope roofs and rear sections (22% of homes here are attached)
Coating is not a replacement
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 Uwchlan and look it up.
Do I need a permit to replace a roof in Upper Uwchlan?
Upper Uwchlan’s ordinance decides. Pennsylvania’s code leaves residential alterations without structural change to local ordinance (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). So the township code office in Upper Uwchlan is the one to ask before work starts.
Is a roof-over allowed in Upper Uwchlan, or is it a tear-off?
IRC R908.3.1.1 forbids roofing over two existing layers, over slate or tile, or over a water-soaked roof. 12% of Upper Uwchlan’s homes were built before 1980, so count the layers before comparing quotes.
When were most homes in Upper Uwchlan built?
By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in Upper Uwchlan was built in 2000, 12% of homes were built before 1980, 92% are owner-occupied.
How often does hail hit Upper Uwchlan?
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 13 days within 10 miles of Upper Uwchlan 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 Uwchlan have?
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 Uwchlan and look it up.
What they will ask on the phone
The street address in Upper Uwchlan, or at least the ZIP code
How many stories the house has, and whether it is detached or attached
What covers the roof now and about when it went on
How many layers are on it, if you know
Your timing for a complete replacement
Whether the house is in a historic district or an HOA