19129
Roof replacement in East Falls and Allegheny West
Covers East Falls, Allegheny West and Tioga, in the city's Lower Northwest planning district. 71% of owner-occupied homes here are rowhomes or twins and 16% are detached, so the roofs on one block can be a low-slope membrane and on the next a pitched shingle roof.
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.
20
EZ roof covering replacement permits in 19129 in 2025
71%
of owner-occupied homes are rowhomes or twins (1-unit attached)
34%
of homes built in 1939 or earlier
49%
of occupied homes lived in by their owners
Permits: City of Philadelphia L&I open data. Homes: Census ACS 2020–2024.
Roofs Philadelphia connects homeowners with independent local roofing contractors. We do not perform roofing work.
Roof permits in 19129
City records show 20 EZ permits for replacing a roof covering in 19129 in 2025, 35th of 46 ZIP codes. Measured against owner-occupied homes it is 7.0 per 1,000, a little above the 6.6 for the city as a whole. It has stayed in the same range since 2021, when there were 14. Through October 23, 2026, 10 more were issued in 2026, after 14 in 2024. All of them were filed as residential work.
The homes in 19129
Of 6,344 homes here, 2,872 are lived in by their owners: 49% of occupied homes, against 52% for the city. The median year built is 1953; 34% of homes date from 1939 or earlier and 28% from 1980 or later. Median owner-reported value: $323,600 (city $243,100).
What the roof job looks like here
A rowhouse roof that looks flat is built to drain: in the words of the City's Rowhouse Manual, most "are actually gently sloped toward a drain." That slope, the parapet and the joints with the houses on either side are what a replacement here is mostly about.
Where a house here has a pitched roof, the City's re-roofing standard allows asphalt shingles only on slopes of 2 in 12 or steeper, so a shingled main slope and a low rear roof can need two different systems on one house.
Read more: rowhouse flat roofs, flat roof systems , tear-off or roof-over.
Historic designation
One local historic district reaches into 19129: Tudor East Falls. In all, 230 properties in this ZIP code are on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places.
For a designated property the City's EZ re-roofing standard does not apply "without prior approval" of the Historical Commission, so the commission's sign-off comes before the permit, and a change of material, such as slate to asphalt, is part of what it looks at.
Which streets, which months
40 streets in 19129 had at least one roof permit between 2021 and 2025; Penn St (6), Queen Ln (5) and Willard St (5) had the most. Of the 84 permits issued in 19129 from 2021 through 2025, the most came in April (14) and January (9), the fewest in May and December (3 each). December through February accounted for 21%.
- Penn St · 6
- Queen Ln · 5
- Willard St · 5
- Midvale Ave · 5
- Warden Dr · 5
- Apalogen Rd · 4
- School House Ln · 4
- The Oak Rd · 3
Questions about a new roof in East Falls and Allegheny West
Does a roof replacement in East Falls and Allegheny West need a City permit?
Yes. A roof covering replacement in Philadelphia goes through an EZ permit from L&I. In 2025 the City issued 20 of them in 19129 (East Falls and Allegheny West), 35th of 46 ZIP codes.
When were the homes in East Falls and Allegheny West built?
34% of homes in 19129 were built in 1939 or earlier (city: 40%); the median year built is 1953. 49% of occupied homes are lived in by their owners (Census ACS 2020–2024).
What kind of roof do rowhomes in East Falls and Allegheny West have?
71% of owner-occupied homes here are rowhomes or twins. Most rowhouse roofs look flat but slope gently toward a drain, so a replacement means a low-slope membrane turned up the parapet and sealed to the roofs next door.
Does the Historical Commission review roofs in East Falls and Allegheny West?
One local historic district reaches into 19129: Tudor East Falls. For a designated property the Historical Commission approves the work, including a change of material such as slate to asphalt, before the permit.
Next to 19129
Sources: L&I permits (OpenDataPhilly) and City map layers, queried October 24, 2026; Census ACS 2020–2024; L&I EZ re-roofing standard; Rowhouse Manual. All sources. Checked October 24, 2026.