Roofers in Chester County, PA: newer homes, 73 municipalities and what to check
Updated · KeystoneProGuide editorial team
What sets Chester County apart for roof work?
Its housing is the newest in the region. In the Census Bureau's 2020-2024 estimates, 10.7 percent of Chester County's housing units were built since 2010, the highest share of the five counties in this directory. That shapes two questions that come up less often elsewhere: who is responsible for a roof on a house that is still fairly new, and which warranty covers it. The county is also split into 73 municipalities, each with a say over permits.
How much new building is there?
A steady amount. The county itself counted 215,918 housing units in 2024, up 5,104 from 2021. The Chester County Planning Commission says that in most years since 2010 about 1,500 new units have been added, and that the mix has shifted from single-family detached houses toward twins and apartments.
The older stock is smaller than in the counties nearer Philadelphia. About one in eight Chester homes, 12.6 percent, was first built in 1939 or earlier, against 22.1 percent in Delaware County and 39.9 percent in Philadelphia. Single-family houses, detached or attached, make up 79.3 percent of the 212,491 units the Census profile counts, and three in four occupied homes are lived in by their owners.
Does the state's contractor law cover a roof on a new house?
Not while the house is being built. The Attorney General's summary of the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act says the construction of a new home is not a home improvement, so the law's registration, contract and deposit rules do not reach the builder of a new house. A later job on an existing home is different: the same summary names the replacement, installation or improvement of roofs as a home improvement once the price passes $500.
So if your house is recent and the roof is giving trouble, start with the paperwork that came with the house, not with a roofer. A roofer you hire to fix it is a home improvement contractor and must be registered.
Which warranty applies to a newer roof?
Possibly two. The National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA), the trade's association, says a roof usually carries a manufacturer's warranty on the materials, which can run from 20 years to a lifetime, and a separate workmanship warranty from the installer, which many contractors set at one or two years and for which there is no industry standard. NRCA says to keep the manufacturer's certificate.
The Federal Trade Commission advises keeping a copy of any warranty with the receipt, and assuming that anything not listed as covered is not covered. It also says that if you report a defect during the warranty period and it is not fixed properly, the company must correct it even after the warranty expires. On a roof only a few years old, that makes the dates on your paperwork worth checking before anyone climbs up.
Who handles roof permits in Chester County?
Your municipality. The county lists 73 of them: one city, 15 boroughs and 57 townships. The Department of Labor and Industry says more than 90 percent of Pennsylvania municipalities enforce the state building code themselves, and the code regulation leaves repairs to residential buildings outside the code except where a local ordinance requires otherwise. With 73 offices, there is no single county answer; ask the one where the house stands.
How do you check a roofer from Chester County?
Through the state. No county consumer office for Chester County turned up in the research for this guide, so the Attorney General is the place to check and to complain. Its contractor search can be filtered to Chester County, or call 1-888-520-6680, and complaints go to its Bureau of Consumer Protection on 1-800-441-2555.
Chester's owner-occupied homes have the highest median value of the five counties, $485,600. Whatever a house is worth, Angi's survey puts what most people pay for a new roof at $5,903 to $13,380, above the $5,000 line at which the state's deposit rule starts. Past that line, a contractor may not take more than one-third of the price plus special-order materials up front. What Pennsylvania requires of roofers covers the contract terms, the cost guide the published price ranges, and roofers serving the county are on the Chester County roofers page.
Sources
- 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Narrative Profile: Chester County, Pennsylvania, U.S. Census Bureau
- 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Narrative Profile: Bucks County, Pennsylvania, U.S. Census Bureau
- 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Narrative Profile: Delaware County, Pennsylvania, U.S. Census Bureau
- 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Narrative Profile: Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, U.S. Census Bureau
- 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Narrative Profile: Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, U.S. Census Bureau
- Facts About Chester County, Chester County
- Housing Report - Units By Type, Chester County Planning Commission
- Frequently Asked Questions: Home Improvement Contractor Registration, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
- Resources (frequently asked questions), National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA)
- Warranties, Federal Trade Commission
- Uniform Construction Code, Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry
- 34 Pa. Code § 403.1. Scope., Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania Code)
- Home Improvement Contractor Search, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
- AG Sunday Warns of Potential Scams Following Deadly Storms that Impacted Pittsburgh and Surrounding Areas, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
- How Much Does Roof Replacement Cost? [2026 Data], Angi