Half of the 1,952 homes in Washington Township were built before 1981. 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
Under 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8), alterations to a house that make no structural change are outside the state code. So the township code office in Washington Township is the one to ask before work starts.
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 49% of Washington Township’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). Washington Township’s answer is with the township code office.
Rules as read on October 24, 2026. Everything else the state requires: roof replacement in Pennsylvania.
83% of the occupied homes in Washington Township are lived in by their owners: 1,583 households, the people this line is for. By year built, 24% before 1940, 35% before 1960, 49% before 1980; 31% went up in 2000 or later. (ACS 2020–2024.)
By building type: 92% detached houses, 5% manufactured homes.
31% 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 67 Berks County municipalities on this site, Washington Township has the 48th largest share of homes built before 1980: 49%, against a county range of 18% to 97%.
ZIP codes: 19503 · 19504 · 19505
| Place | Median built | Before 1980 | Owners | Row, twin | Hail days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Township, Berks County | 1981 | 49% | 83% | 1% | 15 |
| Bally | 1960 | 63% | 71% | 29% | 14 |
| Douglass Township, Montgomery County | 1985 | 44% | 86% | 8% | 17 |
| Hereford | 1973 | 62% | 82% | 1% | 14 |
| District | 1979 | 51% | 85% | 1% | 16 |
| Pike | 1978 | 53% | 92% | 1% | 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 Washington Township, hail of an inch or more was reported on 15 days between 2006 and 2025, the biggest stones 2 in on May 29, 2019. The most recent was July 25, 2023.
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 Washington Township, not that it damaged a roof. When wind or hail damage means a new roof.
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; 92% 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 | Standing seam that carries its own loads can skip the tear-off (R908.3.1) |
| Slate | 75 years | Older houses; 24% here predate 1940 | Never a base for a new layer (R908.3.1.1); heavy |
| Flat roof: EPDM or TPO | 15 years | Porches, additions, low-slope rears | Seams at walls and drainage |
A contractor who does $5,000 or more of home improvement work a year must be registered with the Pennsylvania Attorney General, and the number has to be on every contract and estimate (HICPA § 3, § 6). Ask for it before anyone starts on a roof in Washington Township, and search it.
The price side is in what a new roof costs in Pennsylvania; the paperwork side in checking a roofing contractor.
Local ordinance, not the state. Under 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8), alterations to a house that make no structural change are outside the state code. So the township code office in Washington Township is the one to ask before work starts.
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 49% of Washington Township’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 Washington Township was built in 1981, 49% of homes were built before 1980, 83% are owner-occupied.
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 15 days within 10 miles of Washington Township from 2006 through 2025 (NOAA Storm Prediction Center). A report means hail fell nearby, not that a roof was damaged.
A contractor who does $5,000 or more of home improvement work a year must be registered with the Pennsylvania Attorney General, and the number has to be on every contract and estimate (HICPA § 3, § 6). Ask for it before anyone starts on a roof in Washington Township, and search it.
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.