Permit
Watts’s ordinance decides
Under 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8), alterations to a house that make no structural change are outside the state code. The township code office can say what Watts requires.
Source: 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)
Roof Replacement in Watts, PA
The median home in Watts was built in 1984; there are 764 of them. 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.
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.
The rules for a reroof in Watts
Layers
Two layers means a tear-off
IRC R908.3.1.1 forbids roofing over two existing layers, over slate or tile, or over a water-soaked roof. With 43% of Watts’s homes were built before 1980, ask what is under the newest layer.
Ice barrier
Set by the local climate table
IRC R905.1.2 calls for an ice barrier where Table R301.2 says so; in Pennsylvania the municipality completes that table. Watts’s answer is with the township code office.
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 Watts
85% of the occupied homes in Watts are lived in by their owners: 597 households, the people this line is for. Counting by decade, 6% before 1940, 17% before 1960, 43% before 1980 of the housing was in place, and 24% dates from 2000 on. (ACS 2020–2024.)
The housing is 83% detached houses, 8% manufactured homes.
Of the 19 Perry County municipalities on this site, Watts has the 15th largest share of homes built before 1980: 43%, against a county range of 38% to 98%.
ZIP codes: 17069
Watts and the towns around it
| Place | Median built | Before 1980 | Owners | Row, twin | Hail days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watts | 1984 | 43% | 85% | 1% | 12 |
| Halifax | 1980 | 50% | 81% | 1% | 12 |
| Buffalo Township, Perry County | 1977 | 56% | 91% | 0% | 8 |
| Duncannon | 1938 | 97% | 52% | 12% | 12 |
| Millersburg | 1953 | 82% | 51% | 24% | 7 |
| Wheatfield | 1982 | 46% | 95% | 0% | 11 |
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 Watts
Since 2006 the National Weather Service has logged hail of 1 inch or larger on 12 separate days within 10 miles of Watts; the largest was 1.75 in on July 18, 2012. The most recent was September 7, 2023.
At the county level, Watts shares Perry County’s record of 3 storm disaster declarations since 2006, the newest 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.
What goes on the roof next
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; 83% 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 | 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 Watts 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 Watts
Does a roof replacement in Watts need a permit?
Watts’s ordinance decides. Under 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8), alterations to a house that make no structural change are outside the state code. The township code office can say what Watts requires.
Is a roof-over allowed in Watts, 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. With 43% of Watts’s homes were built before 1980, ask what is under the newest layer.
When were most homes in Watts built?
By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in Watts was built in 1984, 43% of homes were built before 1980, 85% are owner-occupied.
How many hail days has Watts had?
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 12 days within 10 miles of Watts 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 Watts 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 Watts and look it up.
What they will ask on the phone
- Your address or ZIP code in Watts
- How many stories the house has, and whether it is detached or attached
- What covers the roof now and about when it went on
- Whether there is one layer or more, if you know
- That the job is a full replacement or a new roof, and your timing
- Whether the house is in a historic district or an HOA
- That you own the home and decide on the roof
The full list: before you call.