West Goshen has 9,637 homes, and half of them were standing by 1978. Below: what the code asks of a replacement here, the permit, and the town’s own records.
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
Pennsylvania’s code leaves residential alterations without structural change to local ordinance (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). Whether West Goshen 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). 53% of West Goshen’s homes were built before 1980; many have been reroofed before.
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). The contractor or the township code office in West Goshen will know.
Rules as read on October 24, 2026. Everything else the state requires: roof replacement in Pennsylvania.
72% of the occupied homes in West Goshen are lived in by their owners: 6,750 households, the people this line is for. By year built, 8% before 1940, 23% before 1960, 53% before 1980; 23% went up in 2000 or later. (ACS 2020–2024.)
By building type: 64% detached houses, 10% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses).
Of the 71 Chester County municipalities on this site, West Goshen has the 17th largest share of homes built before 1980: 53%, against a county range of 12% to 80%.
ZIP codes: 19380 · 19383
| Place | Median built | Before 1980 | Owners | Row, twin | Hail days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Goshen | 1978 | 53% | 72% | 10% | 10 |
| West Chester | 1954 | 75% | 35% | 32% | 10 |
| East Goshen | 1982 | 46% | 72% | 25% | 13 |
| East Bradford | 1987 | 27% | 88% | 35% | 15 |
| Westtown | 1981 | 47% | 83% | 11% | 15 |
| West Whiteland | 1989 | 35% | 63% | 29% | 14 |
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.
Since 2006 the National Weather Service has logged hail of 1 inch or larger on 10 separate days within 10 miles of West Goshen; the largest was 2 in on August 10, 2008. The most recent was July 14, 2024.
Remnants of Hurricane Ida (DR-4618, September 2021) is the latest of 5 federal storm declarations covering Chester County since 2006. (OpenFEMA.)
A report says hail fell near West Goshen, not that it damaged a roof. When wind or hail damage means a new roof.
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; 64% 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; 8% 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 | Coating is not a replacement |
Before signing for a roof in West Goshen, get the contractor’s PA registration number: the home improvement law requires registration with the Attorney General above $5,000 a year of such work, and the number on contracts and estimates (HICPA § 3, § 6).
The price side is in what a new roof costs in Pennsylvania; the paperwork side in checking a roofing contractor.
West Goshen’s ordinance decides. Pennsylvania’s code leaves residential alterations without structural change to local ordinance (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). Whether West Goshen 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). 53% of West Goshen’s homes were built before 1980; many have been reroofed before.
By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in West Goshen was built in 1978, 53% of homes were built before 1980, 72% are owner-occupied.
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 10 days within 10 miles of West Goshen from 2006 through 2025 (NOAA Storm Prediction Center). A report means hail fell nearby, not that a roof was damaged.
Before signing for a roof in West Goshen, get the contractor’s PA registration number: the home improvement law requires registration with the Attorney General above $5,000 a year of such work, and the number on contracts and estimates (HICPA § 3, § 6).
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.