Roof Replacement in Williams Township, Dauphin County, PA

Half of the 533 homes in Williams Township were built before 1950. The rules below decide how much of the old roof has to come off and what goes under the new one.

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.

A Pennsylvania stone-and-brick house with a new shingle roof

The rules for a reroof in Williams Township

Permit

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. The township code office can say what Williams Township requires.

Source: 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)

Layers

One old layer can stay; two cannot

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). 83% of Williams Township’s homes were built before 1980, so count the layers before comparing quotes.

Source: IRC 2021, Chapter 9 (Pennsylvania edition, UpCodes)

Ice barrier

Williams Township’s climate table decides

The code requires an ice barrier where the local climate table (Table R301.2) says so, and each Pennsylvania municipality fills that table in. Ask the township code office or the contractor what Williams Township’s says.

Source: IRC 2021, Chapter 9 (Pennsylvania edition, UpCodes)

Rules as read on October 24, 2026. Code edition, permit and contract rules for the whole state: roof replacement in Pennsylvania.

Homes and roofs in Williams Township

Of 520 occupied homes in Williams Township, 446 (86%) are owner-occupied. By year built, 42% before 1940, 59% before 1960, 83% before 1980; 4% went up in 2000 or later. (ACS 2020–2024.)

By building type: 86% detached houses, 4% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses).

On a house built before 1940, ask what the deck is (boards or plywood) and whether slate sits under the later layers: slate can’t be roofed over.

Of the 31 Dauphin County municipalities on this site, Williams Township has the 9th largest share of homes built before 1980: 83%, against a county range of 31% to 100%.

ZIP codes: 17098

Williams Township and the towns around it

Place	Median built	Before 1980	Owners	Row, twin	Hail days
Williams Township, Dauphin County	1950	83%	86%	4%	4
Williamstown	1938	97%	63%	15%	3
Wiconisco	1938	86%	87%	3%	4
Lykens Borough	1938	94%	62%	20%	4
Tower City	1938	93%	74%	21%	3
Lykens Township	1964	64%	73%	2%	5

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.

Storm record around Williams Township

Within 10 miles of Williams Township, hail of an inch or more was reported on 4 days between 2006 and 2025, the biggest stones 2 in on May 28, 2019. The most recent was June 26, 2023.

That is fewer than most places in the state on this site (median 12 days).

Remnants of Hurricane Ida (DR-4618, September 2021) is the latest of 5 federal storm declarations covering Dauphin County since 2006. (OpenFEMA.)

A report says hail fell near Williams Township, not that it damaged a roof. When wind or hail damage means a new roof.

What goes on the roof next

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; 86% 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	Standing seam that carries its own loads can skip the tear-off (R908.3.1)
Slate	75 years	Older houses; 42% here predate 1940	Sound slate can be reused (R908.5); broken slate cannot
Flat roof: EPDM or TPO	15 years	Porches, additions, low-slope rears	Where the roof meets a wall or parapet

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 Williams Township and look it up.

The price side is in what a new roof costs in Pennsylvania; the paperwork side in checking a roofing contractor.

Questions about a new roof in Williams Township

Does a roof replacement in Williams Township need a permit?

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. The township code office can say what Williams Township requires.

Can a new roof go over the old one in Williams Township?

How old are the houses in Williams Township?

By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in Williams Township was built in 1950, 83% of homes were built before 1980, 86% are owner-occupied.

How often does hail hit Williams Township?

Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 4 days within 10 miles of Williams Township from 2006 through 2025 (NOAA Storm Prediction Center). A report means hail fell nearby, not that a roof was damaged.

How do I check a roofing contractor in Williams Township?

What they will ask on the phone

The street address in Williams Township, or at least the ZIP code
The number of stories, and whether the house stands alone
What covers the roof now and about when it went on
The number of layers, if anyone has counted
Your timing for a complete replacement
Any historic-district or HOA rules on the house in Williams Township
That you own the home and decide on the roof

The full list: before you call.