West Fallowfield has 890 homes, and half of them were standing by 1978. 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 West Fallowfield 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 53% of West Fallowfield’s homes were built before 1980, ask what is under the newest layer.
Ice barrier
IRC R905.1.2 calls for an ice barrier where Table R301.2 says so; in Pennsylvania the municipality completes that table. The contractor or the township code office in West Fallowfield will know.
Checked against the code text on October 24, 2026. Code edition, permit and contract rules for the whole state: roof replacement in Pennsylvania.
78% of the occupied homes in West Fallowfield are lived in by their owners: 685 households, the people this line is for. Counting by decade, 18% before 1940, 27% before 1960, 53% before 1980 of the housing was in place, and 12% dates from 2000 on. (ACS 2020–2024.)
The housing is 79% detached houses, 16% manufactured homes.
Of the 71 Chester County municipalities on this site, West Fallowfield has the 19th largest share of homes built before 1980: 53%, against a county range of 12% to 80%.
ZIP codes: 19310 · 19330
| Place | Median built | Before 1980 | Owners | Row, twin | Hail days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Fallowfield | 1978 | 53% | 78% | 0% | 10 |
| Highland | 1962 | 69% | 88% | 4% | 10 |
| Atglen | 1992 | 35% | 83% | 16% | 9 |
| Upper Oxford | 1981 | 49% | 90% | 3% | 5 |
| Sadsbury Township, Lancaster County | 1985 | 40% | 69% | 6% | 8 |
| Londonderry Township, Chester County | 1998 | 40% | 94% | 9% | 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.
NOAA’s storm reports show 10 days since 2006 with hail of at least 1 inch inside a 10-mile circle around West Fallowfield, topping out at 1.75 in on June 9, 2009. The most recent was September 7, 2023.
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.)
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 West Fallowfield’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; 79% 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 |
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 West Fallowfield, and search it.
Contracts, deposits and the right to cancel: checking a roofing contractor. What moves the price: new roof cost in Pennsylvania.
Ask West Fallowfield first. Under 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8), alterations to a house that make no structural change are outside the state code. Whether West Fallowfield 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 53% of West Fallowfield’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 West Fallowfield was built in 1978, 53% of homes were built before 1980, 78% are owner-occupied.
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 10 days within 10 miles of West Fallowfield 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 West Fallowfield, 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.