19119
Roof replacement in Mount Airy
Part of the Upper Northwest planning district. Detached houses make up 26% of owner-occupied homes here, far more than the city's 14%; rowhomes and twins are 69%.
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.
82
EZ roof covering replacement permits in 19119 in 2025
69%
of owner-occupied homes are rowhomes or twins (1-unit attached)
57%
of homes built in 1939 or earlier
63%
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 19119
82 EZ roof covering replacement permits were issued in 19119 during 2025: 11th of 46 ZIP codes. Per 1,000 owner-occupied homes that comes to 10.3, well above the citywide 6.6; landlords pull these permits as well. It has stayed in the same range since 2021, when there were 60. Through October 23, 2026, 71 more were issued in 2026, after 85 in 2024. Residential: 81; commercial: 1.
The homes in 19119
19119 has 13,650 homes by the Census Bureau's count; owners live in 63% of those occupied, against 52% citywide. 57% were built in 1939 or earlier, against 40% citywide. On houses that old the roof has usually been replaced more than once, and the next replacement often starts with finding out what is underneath. Median owner-reported value: $371,300 (city $243,100).
What the roof job looks like here
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.
On houses this old, check for slate, including a slate mansard front, and for more than one layer. The City's EZ standard requires every existing layer to come off first where the roof is slate, clay, cement or asbestos-cement tile, or already has two or more coverings.
Read more: twin and detached roofs, rowhouse flat roofs , slate roofs, tear-off or roof-over.
Historic designation
4 local historic districts reach into 19119: French Village, Lutheran Theological Seminary, Mt Airy Historic District and Northwest Philadelphia Apartments. In all, 202 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
Roof permits issued in 19119 from 2021 through 2025 were filed for houses on 68 streets, led by Allens Ln (17), Gowen Ave (16) and Mount Pleasant Ave (16). Of the 362 permits issued in 19119 from 2021 through 2025, the most came in April (49) and September (36), the fewest in January (21). December through February accounted for 20%.
- Allens Ln · 17
- Gowen Ave · 16
- Mount Pleasant Ave · 16
- Hortter St · 14
- Phil Ellena St · 13
- Sharpnack St · 13
- Lincoln Dr · 12
- Carpenter Ln · 12
Questions about a new roof in Mount Airy
Does a roof replacement in Mount Airy need a City permit?
Yes. A roof covering replacement in Philadelphia goes through an EZ permit from L&I. In 2025 the City issued 82 of them in 19119 (West Mount Airy and East Mount Airy), 11th of 46 ZIP codes.
When were the homes in Mount Airy built?
57% of homes in 19119 were built in 1939 or earlier (city: 40%); the median year built is 1938. 63% of occupied homes are lived in by their owners (Census ACS 2020–2024).
Does the old roof have to come off on an older house in Mount Airy?
Under the City's EZ re-roofing standard, every existing layer comes off first where the roof is slate, clay, cement or asbestos-cement tile, or already has two or more coverings. On houses this old, check for slate and for more than one layer.
Does the Historical Commission review roofs in Mount Airy?
4 local historic districts reach into 19119: French Village, Lutheran Theological Seminary, Mt Airy Historic District and Northwest Philadelphia Apartments. 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 19119
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.