Roofers in Montgomery County, PA: a large, mixed housing stock and 62 local codes
Updated · KeystoneProGuide editorial team
What is particular about roof work in Montgomery County?
The size and mix of its housing. In the Census Bureau's 2020-2024 estimates, Montgomery County has 350,351 housing units, the most of the four suburban counties in this directory. More of them are in multi-unit buildings than in any of the other suburban counties, 26.1 percent, and 16.0 percent were first built in 1939 or earlier. So a roof question here can be a question for a homeowner, a landlord or a condominium association, on a house that is new, old or anywhere between.
Who hires the roofer in a condo or apartment building?
That depends on who owns the roof, and it matters because the state's contractor law only reaches so far. The Attorney General's summary of the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act says the law applies to private residences: single-family dwellings, multifamily dwellings of not more than two units, and single units within any multifamily building, including condominiums and cooperative units. It does not apply to commercial property.
The summary does not say how that definition treats a roof shared by a larger building. If you own a condominium unit and the roof over it leaks, find out first whether the roof belongs to you or to the association, and who is entitled to hire the contractor.
Owners occupy 71.4 percent of the county's occupied homes, and renters 28.6 percent. Where a home is rented, federal lead rules bite harder: the Environmental Protection Agency's renovation rule, which generally exempts owners working on their own pre-1978 homes, does apply if you rent all or part of the home, and it requires any firm paid to disturb paint in a pre-1978 home to be certified in lead-safe practices.
How old are Montgomery County's houses?
Mixed. About one in six homes was first built in 1939 or earlier, more than in Bucks or Chester County but well below the 22.1 percent in Delaware County and the 39.9 percent in Philadelphia. At the other end, 8.1 percent was built since 2010. Single-family houses, detached or attached, make up 73.1 percent of the stock.
The National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA), the trade's association, says most new roofs are designed to give about 20 years of useful service, with slate, clay tile and some metals lasting longer. A house first built in 1939 or earlier has outlived that design life several times over, so on one of Montgomery County's older homes ask how many layers of roofing are already up there before you accept a quote to lay new shingles over them. What Pennsylvania requires of roofers explains the code limit on layers.
Who issues permits in Montgomery County?
Your municipality. The county lists 62 townships, boroughs and municipalities, and the Department of Labor and Industry says more than 90 percent of Pennsylvania municipalities enforce the state building code themselves. The state regulation leaves repairs to residential buildings outside the code unless a local ordinance requires otherwise, so the answer to whether your roof job needs a permit comes from the borough or township office, not the county.
Where do you check a roofer, and complain?
With the state. No county consumer affairs office for Montgomery County was found in the research for this guide, so the Pennsylvania Attorney General is the place for both. Its contractor search can be filtered to Montgomery County, or call 1-888-520-6680. Complaints go to its Bureau of Consumer Protection online or on 1-800-441-2555.
The same release sets out the rules most worth knowing before you sign: a free copy of the full contract, disclosures including the contractor's registration and insurance details, the right to rescind within three business days, and a deposit no greater than one-third of the price plus special-order materials. A contractor may not take any payment until the contract has all the required information and you have signed it. The cost guide gives the published price ranges, and roofers serving the county are listed on the Montgomery County roofers page.
Sources
- 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Narrative Profile: Montgomery 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: Chester 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: Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, U.S. Census Bureau
- Montgomery County by the Numbers, Montgomery County
- Frequently Asked Questions: Home Improvement Contractor Registration, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
- Uniform Construction Code, Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry
- 34 Pa. Code § 403.1. Scope., Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania Code)
- Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- 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
- Resources (frequently asked questions), National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA)