Half of the 2,339 homes in West Pennsboro were built before 1976. 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
Pennsylvania’s code leaves residential alterations without structural change to local ordinance (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). The township code office can say what West Pennsboro requires.
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 55% of West Pennsboro’s homes were built before 1980, ask what is under the newest layer.
Ice barrier
The code requires an ice barrier where the local climate table (Table R301.2) says so, and each Pennsylvania municipality fills that table in. The contractor or the township code office in West Pennsboro will know.
Rules as read on October 24, 2026. The state’s code edition and the rest of its rules: roof replacement in Pennsylvania.
Of 2,196 occupied homes in West Pennsboro, 1,678 (76%) are owner-occupied. By year built, 26% before 1940, 30% before 1960, 55% before 1980; 12% went up in 2000 or later. (ACS 2020–2024.)
By building type: 81% detached houses, 7% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses), 5% buildings of two to four units, 7% manufactured homes.
Of the 31 Cumberland County municipalities on this site, West Pennsboro has the 12th largest share of homes built before 1980: 55%, against a county range of 24% to 93%.
ZIP codes: 17081
| Place | Median built | Before 1980 | Owners | Row, twin | Hail days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Pennsboro | 1976 | 55% | 76% | 7% | 7 |
| Newville | 1938 | 91% | 44% | 30% | 6 |
| Upper Frankford | 1987 | 40% | 91% | 2% | 7 |
| Lower Frankford | 1981 | 48% | 84% | 0% | 7 |
| Penn Township, Cumberland County | 1982 | 44% | 84% | 1% | 6 |
| North Newton | 1978 | 52% | 85% | 0% | 7 |
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 7 days since 2006 with hail of at least 1 inch inside a 10-mile circle around West Pennsboro, topping out at 2 in on May 14, 2010. The most recent was August 4, 2023.
That is fewer than most places in the state on this site (median 12 days).
Federal major-disaster declarations for storms in Cumberland County since 2006: 2, most recently DR-4267, Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm, declared March 2016. (OpenFEMA.)
A report says hail fell near West Pennsboro, 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; 81% 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 | Standing seam that carries its own loads can skip the tear-off (R908.3.1) |
| Slate | 75 years | Older houses; 26% 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 | Where the roof meets a wall or parapet |
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 West Pennsboro and look it up.
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. Pennsylvania’s code leaves residential alterations without structural change to local ordinance (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). The township code office can say what West Pennsboro requires.
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 55% of West Pennsboro’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 Pennsboro was built in 1976, 55% of homes were built before 1980, 76% are owner-occupied.
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 7 days within 10 miles of West Pennsboro from 2006 through 2025 (NOAA Storm Prediction Center). A report means hail fell nearby, not that a roof was damaged.
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 West Pennsboro and look it up.
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.