Do You Need Historic Approval to Replace a Slate Roof?

Do you need historic approval to replace a slate roof?

You need it only if the house is individually designated or sits in a local historic district. Then the city or township must approve the work before the building permit is issued. A house that is merely old, with no local designation, needs only the ordinary roofing permit.

Check your exact address with the permit office before you sign anything. The rest of this page covers each municipality we serve.

Does the Philadelphia Historical Commission allow slate to be replaced with asphalt?

Its staff may approve it without a hearing when the slate is deteriorated enough to need replacing and the substitute closely approximates the slate's color and shape. Mansards, turrets and other character-defining features are excluded from staff approval and go to the Architectural Committee and the Commission. Review is free.

The rule is §6.10.c(4) of the Historical Commission's Rules & Regulations, which reads: “the replacement of slate roofing materials, with the exception of mansards, turrets, and other character-defining features, provided the severity of deterioration requires replacement and the substitute materials closely approximate the color and shape of the historic slate roofing materials.” Reroofing counts as an alteration (§2.1), so it is reviewed.

• Staff complete reviews they don't refer within five working days of a complete application (§6.10.a.7). Staff can approve or refer, but can't deny (§6.10.a.4).
• Referred applications go to the Architectural Committee and then the Commission, which must act within 60 days of a complete application or defer up to six months (§6.12.b).
• Appeals go to the Board of License and Inspection Review within 15 days of the written decision (§6.14).
• The city says staff approve more than 90% of applications without referral, and applications go through eCLIPSE.

Which Northwest Philadelphia areas are historic districts?

The Historical Commission's list of designated districts includes, among others in or near Northwest Philadelphia: Awbury (2010), Wayne Junction (2018), Lutheran Theological Seminary (2018), Central Mt. Airy Commercial (2021), Germantown Urban Village (2024) and the Northwest Philadelphia Apartments thematic district (2025). Chestnut Hill is not on that list of locally designated districts, but individual buildings anywhere in the city can be designated. Designation does not need the owner's consent, so check your address even if you never applied.

Do you need approval to change a slate roof in Cheltenham Township?

You do if the house is in the La Mott or Wyncote historic districts. The township says owners there must seek the approval of its Board of Historical Architectural Review (BHAR) before building permits are granted. Outside those districts, a slate-to-asphalt job needs the ordinary Cheltenham roofing permit.

The BHAR meets on the third Thursday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at 8230 Old York Road, per the township's board page.

Does Lower Merion require a Certificate of Appropriateness for a new roof?

Yes, inside its historic districts. Lower Merion's Chapter 88 bars a building permit until a Certificate of Appropriateness is issued, and its definition of alteration names a roof replacement. The board reviews within 30 days and favors matching material, texture and color while being sensitive to the increased cost.

Ask the township whether your Merion Station address is inside one of its historic districts. If the township doesn't act within 90 days the application is deemed approved, and an unused certificate lapses after six months (§88-12). The township's fee schedule lists a $75 certificate application fee for new construction, additions and façade alterations disturbing more than 25% of the exterior, collected with the building permit application. Permit fees are the municipalities' published figures. They are not a quote for roof work; your price comes after a free inspection.

Does Narberth need historic approval for a roof replacement?

Only for certain roof changes on contributing houses visible from a public way. Narberth's Chapter 315 lists changing a roof's shape, slope or configuration, removing decorative roof or cornice treatments, and removing porch roofs. In-kind, matching replacements are exempt; a plain re-cover that keeps the roof's form is not a listed trigger.

Where a certificate is needed, the HARB has 60 days and Borough Council 30 to 60 days; appeals go to the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas within 30 days, and work without one risks fines of up to $500 a day and a stop-work order (§§315-9, 315-14, 315-15). Permit fees are the municipalities' published figures. They are not a quote for roof work; your price comes after a free inspection.

Does Jenkintown have a historic board for roofs?

Jenkintown's code enforcement and permit pages don't mention a historic review board. They do say a permit is required before any work starts, residential permits are decided within 15 business days, and roofing is listed on the permit application. Confirm with the borough before you rely on that.