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Permitting Authorities / Ambler Borough - Code Enforcement Department

Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Borough of Ambler, PA?

Adopted code

Ambler Borough - Code Enforcement Department

Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Borough of Ambler, PA, issued by Ambler Borough - Code Enforcement Department. Ambler Borough's code keeps a permit requirement for roofing replacement of any size. Section 5-901 of the Borough Code (Ord. 986, June 21, 2004) says "The Borough hereby removes the following types of work/construction from the list of exemptions set forth in §§403.42 and 403.62 of the Act, and accordingly, a permit will still be required for the following," and its residential list includes "Replacement of existing roofing material that does not exceed 25% of the total roof area performed within any 12 month period." The Borough's Building Inspector page (read October 9, 2026) says "The Borough of Ambler requires building permits for various construction projects, including new construction, additions, storage sheds, roofing, fences, pools and others," and the Borough's posted fee schedule (Resolution 2013-07) lists building permit fees for "(Construction, Roofing, Siding, Renovations, Parking Lots, Driveways, Window Replacement)" of "$50 for first $5,000; $25 each additional $5,000 construction cost (labor and materials)" for one and two family structures. Under state law, Act 45 says the Act "shall not apply to" "Alterations to residential buildings which do not make structural changes or changes to means of egress, except as might be required by ordinances in effect pursuant to section 303(b)(1) or adopted pursuant to section 503" or to "Repairs to residential buildings, except as might be required by ordinances in effect pursuant to section 303(b)(1) or adopted pursuant to section 503" (section 104(b)(5) and (6)), and of a municipal ordinance that adds to the code, section 503(c) says "An ordinance under this subsection shall not be effective nor enforceable unless subsections (d), (e), (f), (g), (h) and (i) have been satisfied." This record does not decide whether the municipality's requirement is one adopted under section 503 or kept in effect by section 303(b)(1). In practice, expect the Borough to require a permit for any reroof, however small. Section 5-105 of the Borough Code says "Where work, for which a permit is required by the code, is started or proceeded with prior to obtaining said permit, the fee shall be doubled," and that the double fee does not relieve anyone "from any penalties prescribed by the code." The Borough's Building Application asks for the contractor's PA State Registration number and says "All contractors and sub-contractors must be registered with the State." For whether a project needs a permit, inspections or other permit questions, the Building Inspector page directs callers to the Borough of Ambler Code Department at 215-646-1000, ext. 112. Borough offices are open Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Read for this answer: Chapter 5 of the Borough Code, Code Enforcement, in full (Parts 1 to 9), from the Borough's posted chapter files; the complete Borough Code as codified July 17, 2012, searched for "roof" and "Uniform Construction"; the list of ordinances passed after July 17, 2012; the Borough's Code Enforcement, Building Inspector and Fee Schedule and Permits pages; the fee schedule (Resolution 2013-07); and the Borough's Building Application.

Roof code checklist: Borough of Ambler, PA

ItemAnswerCode citeSourceVerified
Permit to replace a roofYesboroughofambler.com2026-10-09
Repair permit thresholdPublishedpacodeandbulletin.gov2026-10-09
Layer limit / roof-overPublishedR908.3.1.1pacodeandbulletin.gov2026-10-09
Deck & sheathingPublishedR905.2.1pacodeandbulletin.gov2026-10-09
Drip edgeNot published
Ice & water shieldNot published
Mid-roof inspectionNot published
Impact-resistant (Class 4) roofingNot published
Wind design criteriaNot published
Adopted codePublishedSec. 5-901pacodeandbulletin.gov2026-10-09
Contractor license / registrationYespalegis.us2026-10-09
Sales & use taxPublishedpa.gov2026-10-09

Each row comes from the sourced record on this page; full wording is in the table below. "Not published" means no official source for that item was found when the record was last verified.

Jurisdiction
Borough of Ambler, Pennsylvania
Jurisdiction type
city
Address
131 Rosemary Avenue, Ambler, PA 19002
Contact
  • url: https://boroughofambler.com/departments/code-enforcement/
  • phone: 215-646-1000
Roofing permit required
Required
Contractor registration required
Required
Permit process note
Ambler Borough's code keeps a permit requirement for roofing replacement of any size. Section 5-901 of the Borough Code (Ord. 986, June 21, 2004) says "The Borough hereby removes the following types of work/construction from the list of exemptions set forth in §§403.42 and 403.62 of the Act, and accordingly, a permit will still be required for the following," and its residential list includes "Replacement of existing roofing material that does not exceed 25% of the total roof area performed within any 12 month period." The Borough's Building Inspector page (read October 9, 2026) says "The Borough of Ambler requires building permits for various construction projects, including new construction, additions, storage sheds, roofing, fences, pools and others," and the Borough's posted fee schedule (Resolution 2013-07) lists building permit fees for "(Construction, Roofing, Siding, Renovations, Parking Lots, Driveways, Window Replacement)" of "$50 for first $5,000; $25 each additional $5,000 construction cost (labor and materials)" for one and two family structures. Under state law, Act 45 says the Act "shall not apply to" "Alterations to residential buildings which do not make structural changes or changes to means of egress, except as might be required by ordinances in effect pursuant to section 303(b)(1) or adopted pursuant to section 503" or to "Repairs to residential buildings, except as might be required by ordinances in effect pursuant to section 303(b)(1) or adopted pursuant to section 503" (section 104(b)(5) and (6)), and of a municipal ordinance that adds to the code, section 503(c) says "An ordinance under this subsection shall not be effective nor enforceable unless subsections (d), (e), (f), (g), (h) and (i) have been satisfied." This record does not decide whether the municipality's requirement is one adopted under section 503 or kept in effect by section 303(b)(1). In practice, expect the Borough to require a permit for any reroof, however small. Section 5-105 of the Borough Code says "Where work, for which a permit is required by the code, is started or proceeded with prior to obtaining said permit, the fee shall be doubled," and that the double fee does not relieve anyone "from any penalties prescribed by the code." The Borough's Building Application asks for the contractor's PA State Registration number and says "All contractors and sub-contractors must be registered with the State." For whether a project needs a permit, inspections or other permit questions, the Building Inspector page directs callers to the Borough of Ambler Code Department at 215-646-1000, ext. 112. Borough offices are open Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Read for this answer: Chapter 5 of the Borough Code, Code Enforcement, in full (Parts 1 to 9), from the Borough's posted chapter files; the complete Borough Code as codified July 17, 2012, searched for "roof" and "Uniform Construction"; the list of ordinances passed after July 17, 2012; the Borough's Code Enforcement, Building Inspector and Fee Schedule and Permits pages; the fee schedule (Resolution 2013-07); and the Borough's Building Application.
Adopted code
The 2021 International Residential Code, as adopted by the State in the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code (UCC). 34 Pa. Code 403.21(a)(7) adopts "The 'International Residential Code of 2021,' except that:" followed by the State's list of exclusions and modifications, effective January 1, 2026 (55 Pa.B. 7701). None of the State's changes touches Chapter 9, Roof Assemblies, or Section R803, Roof Sheathing, so those apply as the International Code Council publishes them. Work on existing buildings is also pointed to the State's existing-building code: "The repair, alteration, change of occupancy, addition and relocation of existing buildings must comply with Chapter 34 of the 'International Building Code of 2021' or with the 'International Existing Building Code of 2021'" (34 Pa. Code 403.21(f)). The UCC is the minimum everywhere in the state: "no municipality may propose or enact any ordinance which is less than the minimum requirement of the Uniform Construction Code" (Pennsylvania Construction Code Act, Act 45 of 1999, section 503(b)). The Act also lists work it "shall not apply to", including "Alterations to residential buildings which do not make structural changes or changes to means of egress" or to "Repairs to residential buildings," in each case "except as might be required by ordinances" kept in force under section 303(b)(1) or adopted under section 503 (Act 45 section 104(b)(5) and (6); 34 Pa. Code 403.1(b)(8) and (9)). The Act defines a repair as "The reconstruction or renewal of any part of an existing building for the purpose of its maintenance." So whether the code's roofing rules reach a given house reroof depends on the municipality's own ordinances. Everything above is Pennsylvania state law, the same in every municipality. Locally, Ambler Borough issues building permits through its Code Enforcement Department at 131 Rosemary Avenue, Ambler. Section 5-901 of the Borough Code (Ord. 986, June 21, 2004) says the Borough "hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," and Section 5-104 makes the receipt of applications and issuance of permits for the "erection, addition to, alteration, repair" of structures a duty of the Borough's Code Enforcement Officer. Section 5-901 incorporates "The Uniform Construction Code, contained in 34 Pa. Code, Chapters 401-405, as amended, from time to time" as the Municipal Building Code of the Borough, keeps in force the Borough's pre-July 1, 1999 amendments to the national building codes, and removes listed residential work, including small roofing replacements, from the state permit exemptions. Part 8 of Chapter 5 of the Borough Code still adopts the "CABO One and Two Family Dwelling Code, 1989 Edition" for one and two family dwellings, and Part 2 the "BOCA National Building Code, 1990, Eleventh Edition," while Section 5-901 incorporates the Uniform Construction Code "as amended, from time to time" as the Municipal Building Code; the Borough's pages name no code edition; this record has not read the 1989 or 1990 editions' text and does not decide which edition the Borough applies.
Repair permit threshold
Ambler Borough requires a permit for roofing replacement of any size. Section 5-901 of the Borough Code (Ord. 986, June 21, 2004) says "The Borough hereby removes the following types of work/construction from the list of exemptions set forth in §§403.42 and 403.62 of the Act, and accordingly, a permit will still be required for the following," and its residential list includes "Replacement of existing roofing material that does not exceed 25% of the total roof area performed within any 12 month period." The Borough's Building Inspector page (read October 9, 2026) says "The Borough of Ambler requires building permits for various construction projects, including new construction, additions, storage sheds, roofing, fences, pools and others," and the Borough's posted fee schedule (Resolution 2013-07) lists building permit fees for "(Construction, Roofing, Siding, Renovations, Parking Lots, Driveways, Window Replacement)" of "$50 for first $5,000; $25 each additional $5,000 construction cost (labor and materials)" for one and two family structures. Under state law, Act 45 says the Act "shall not apply to" "Alterations to residential buildings which do not make structural changes or changes to means of egress, except as might be required by ordinances in effect pursuant to section 303(b)(1) or adopted pursuant to section 503" or to "Repairs to residential buildings, except as might be required by ordinances in effect pursuant to section 303(b)(1) or adopted pursuant to section 503" (section 104(b)(5) and (6)), and of a municipal ordinance that adds to the code, section 503(c) says "An ordinance under this subsection shall not be effective nor enforceable unless subsections (d), (e), (f), (g), (h) and (i) have been satisfied." This record does not decide whether the municipality's requirement is one adopted under section 503 or kept in effect by section 303(b)(1). In practice, expect the Borough to require a permit for any reroof, however small. Section 5-105 of the Borough Code says "Where work, for which a permit is required by the code, is started or proceeded with prior to obtaining said permit, the fee shall be doubled," and that the double fee does not relieve anyone "from any penalties prescribed by the code." State law sets no square-footage or percentage threshold for roof work; any threshold is set locally. The Uniform Construction Code "does not apply to" "Alterations to residential buildings which do not make structural changes or changes to means of egress, except as required by ordinances in effect under sections 303(b)(1) or 503 of the act" or to "Repairs to residential buildings, except as required by ordinances in effect under sections 303(b)(1) and 503 of the act" (34 Pa. Code 403.1(b)(8) and (9)), and "A permit is not required for the exceptions listed in § 403.1(b) (relating to scope) and the following, if the work does not violate a law or ordinance" (34 Pa. Code 403.62(c)). For houses the regulation adds: "An ordinary repair does not require a permit." Its list of work that is not an ordinary repair names cutting away a load-bearing wall, "The removal or cutting of any structural beam or load-bearing support," changes to a required means of egress, and new or relocated piping, wiring or mechanical work (34 Pa. Code 403.62(d)); roofing is not named. A municipality may require more: under Act 45 section 503(c) it "may enact ordinances pursuant to this section which adopt additional code requirements for alterations or repairs to residential buildings," after a public hearing and after filing the proposed ordinance with the Department of Labor and Industry. These rules concern a "Residential building," which the regulation defines as "Detached one-family and two-family dwellings and townhouses which are not more than three stories above grade plane in height with a separate means of egress and their accessory structures" (34 Pa. Code 401.1). Everything above is Pennsylvania state law, the same in every municipality. Locally, Ambler Borough issues building permits through its Code Enforcement Department at 131 Rosemary Avenue, Ambler. Section 5-901 of the Borough Code (Ord. 986, June 21, 2004) says the Borough "hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," and Section 5-104 makes the receipt of applications and issuance of permits for the "erection, addition to, alteration, repair" of structures a duty of the Borough's Code Enforcement Officer. Its threshold is the one in Section 5-901 quoted at the start: the Borough keeps a permit requirement even for replacement of existing roofing material that does not exceed 25% of the total roof area within any 12 month period.
Roof layer limit / recover
Two layers at most where the state code reaches the job. Pennsylvania adopts the 2021 International Residential Code without changing its reroofing section, R908 (34 Pa. Code 403.21(a)(7); the State's list of changes names no Chapter 9 section). Section R908.3.1.1 says "A roof recover shall not be permitted where any of the following conditions occur," and the third condition is "Where the existing roof has two or more applications of any type of roof covering." So one existing layer may be covered once, and a roof that already has two layers is torn off to the deck. The same section also bars a recover "Where the existing roof or roof covering is water soaked or has deteriorated to the point that the existing roof or roof covering is not adequate as a base for additional roofing" and "Where the existing roof covering is slate, clay, cement or asbestos-cement tile." The existing-building code the State also adopts, the 2021 International Existing Building Code (34 Pa. Code 403.21(f)), carries the same three conditions in Section 705.2.1.1. These rules bind work the Uniform Construction Code reaches. The Act does not apply to "Repairs to residential buildings" or to alterations that make no structural change, "except as might be required by ordinances" (Act 45 section 104(b)(5) and (6)), so whether R908 binds a particular house reroof turns on that exclusion and on the municipality's own ordinances. Everything above is Pennsylvania state law, the same in every municipality. Locally, Ambler Borough issues building permits through its Code Enforcement Department at 131 Rosemary Avenue, Ambler. Section 5-901 of the Borough Code (Ord. 986, June 21, 2004) says the Borough "hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," and Section 5-104 makes the receipt of applications and issuance of permits for the "erection, addition to, alteration, repair" of structures a duty of the Borough's Code Enforcement Officer. Section 5-901 brings small roofing replacements back within the permit requirement, and Chapter 5 of the Borough Code changes nothing in the code's reroofing provisions; the Borough's pages say nothing on roof layers. Part 8 of Chapter 5 of the Borough Code still adopts the "CABO One and Two Family Dwelling Code, 1989 Edition" for one and two family dwellings, and Part 2 the "BOCA National Building Code, 1990, Eleventh Edition," while Section 5-901 incorporates the Uniform Construction Code "as amended, from time to time" as the Municipal Building Code; the Borough's pages name no code edition; the text above is the 2021 edition's, the 1989 and 1990 editions' reroofing text was not read for this record, and this record does not decide which edition the Borough applies.
Deck & sheathing requirements
State rules from the base code, where the state code reaches the job. Pennsylvania adopts the 2021 International Residential Code without changing Section R803, Roof Sheathing (34 Pa. Code 403.21(a)(7); the State's changes to Chapter 8 are to ridge framing and attic ventilation). Lumber roof sheathing follows Table R803.1: over rafters or beams 24 inches apart it must be at least 5/8 inch net thick. Wood structural panels "shall be identified for grade, bond classification and performance category by a grade mark or certificate of inspection issued by an approved agency," and their spans "shall not exceed the values set forth in Table R503.2.1.1(1) or APA E30." For shingles, "Asphalt shingles shall be fastened to solidly sheathed decks" (R905.2.1), and on any reroof "The structural roof components shall be capable of supporting the roof covering system and the material and equipment loads that will be encountered during installation of the roof covering system" (R908.2). These rules bind work the Uniform Construction Code reaches; the Act does not apply to "Repairs to residential buildings" or to alterations that make no structural change, "except as might be required by ordinances" (Act 45 section 104(b)(5) and (6)). Act 45 section 104(b)(5) excludes alterations "which do not make structural changes or changes to means of egress" and says only that "a structural change does not include a minor framing change needed to replace existing windows or doors"; 34 Pa. Code 403.62(d)(2) lists "The removal or cutting of any structural beam or load-bearing support" as not an ordinary repair. Neither names roof sheathing; this record does not decide whether replacing it is either. Everything above is Pennsylvania state law, the same in every municipality. Locally, Ambler Borough issues building permits through its Code Enforcement Department at 131 Rosemary Avenue, Ambler. Section 5-901 of the Borough Code (Ord. 986, June 21, 2004) says the Borough "hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," and Section 5-104 makes the receipt of applications and issuance of permits for the "erection, addition to, alteration, repair" of structures a duty of the Borough's Code Enforcement Officer. Chapter 5 of the Borough Code draws no separate line for roof sheathing; its one sheathing amendment, to the 1990 BOCA code's siding section, sets a minimum particle board sheathing thickness under siding. Part 8 of Chapter 5 of the Borough Code still adopts the "CABO One and Two Family Dwelling Code, 1989 Edition" for one and two family dwellings, and Part 2 the "BOCA National Building Code, 1990, Eleventh Edition," while Section 5-901 incorporates the Uniform Construction Code "as amended, from time to time" as the Municipal Building Code; the Borough's pages name no code edition; the text above is the 2021 edition's, the 1989 and 1990 editions' sheathing text was not read for this record, and this record does not decide which edition the Borough applies.
Sales & use tax
6% Pennsylvania sales and use tax, with a local tax added on purchases made in Allegheny County (1%) and Philadelphia (2%). On a reroof the roofer pays the tax on the materials and does not add it to the homeowner's bill. The Department of Revenue says: "The Pennsylvania sales tax rate is 6 percent. By law, a 1 percent local tax is added to purchases made in Allegheny County, and 2 percent local tax is added to purchases made in Philadelphia." Roof work is a construction activity: the rule's list of items "presumed to become a permanent part of real estate" includes "Roofing (repairs)" (61 Pa. Code 31.11). For construction activities, "A contractor shall pay tax upon the purchase price ... of all property, including materials, equipment, components and supplies, which he furnishes and installs" (61 Pa. Code 31.12(a)(1)), and the rule's example says the contractor "does not charge sales tax on this transaction to his customer. The contractor may include the tax he must pay in his bid proposal but not as a separately stated item." Apart from limited exceptions set out in the rule, the same holds on jobs for tax-exempt owners: "a contractor erecting a building, repairing a roof, replacing a door for a governmental agency, ... school district, charitable or religious organization, and the like, shall pay tax upon the property which he consumes" (61 Pa. Code 31.13(a)). Everything above is Pennsylvania state law, the same in every municipality. Ambler Borough is in Montgomery County. The Borough's permit pages and fee schedule say nothing on sales tax.

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Ambler Borough's Code Enforcement Department, at 131 Rosemary Avenue, Ambler, issues building permits, and the Borough says it requires building permits for projects including roofing. The Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code applies statewide, but Act 45 section 104(b) lists "Repairs to residential buildings" and alterations that make no structural or egress change among work it does not apply to, "except as might be required by ordinances in effect pursuant to section 303(b)(1) or adopted pursuant to section 503."

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Roofing questions: Borough of Ambler, PA

Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Borough of Ambler, PA?

Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Borough of Ambler, PA. Ambler Borough requires a permit for roofing replacement of any size. Section 5-901 of the Borough Code (Ord. 986, June 21, 2004) says "The Borough hereby removes the following types of work/construction from the list of exemptions set forth in §§403.42 and 403.62 of the Act, and accordingly, a permit will still be required for the following," and its residential list includes "Replacement of existing roofing material that does not exceed 25% of the total roof area performed within any 12 month period." The Borough's Building Inspector page (read October 9, 2026) says "The Borough of Ambler requires building permits for various construction projects, including new construction, additions, storage sheds, roofing, fences, pools and others," and the Borough's posted fee schedule (Resolution 2013-07) lists building permit fees for "(Construction, Roofing, Siding, Renovations, Parking Lots, Driveways, Window Replacement)" of "$50 for first $5,000; $25 each additional $5,000 construction cost (labor and materials)" for one and two family structures. Under state law, Act 45 says the Act "shall not apply to" "Alterations to residential buildings which do not make structural changes or changes to means of egress, except as might be required by ordinances in effect pursuant to section 303(b)(1) or adopted pursuant to section 503" or to "Repairs to residential buildings, except as might be required by ordinances in effect pursuant to section 303(b)(1) or adopted pursuant to section 503" (section 104(b)(5) and (6)), and of a municipal ordinance that adds to the code, section 503(c) says "An ordinance under this subsection shall not be effective nor enforceable unless subsections (d), (e), (f), (g), (h) and (i) have been satisfied." This record does not decide whether the municipality's requirement is one adopted under section 503 or kept in effect by section 303(b)(1). In practice, expect the Borough to require a permit for any reroof, however small. Section 5-105 of the Borough Code says "Where work, for which a permit is required by the code, is started or proceeded with prior to obtaining said permit, the fee shall be doubled," and that the double fee does not relieve anyone "from any penalties prescribed by the code." State law sets no square-footage or percentage threshold for roof work; any threshold is set locally. The Uniform Construction Code "does not apply to" "Alterations to residential buildings which do not make structural changes or changes to means of egress, except as required by ordinances in effect under sections 303(b)(1) or 503 of the act" or to "Repairs to residential buildings, except as required by ordinances in effect under sections 303(b)(1) and 503 of the act" (34 Pa. Code 403.1(b)(8) and (9)), and "A permit is not required for the exceptions listed in § 403.1(b) (relating to scope) and the following, if the work does not violate a law or ordinance" (34 Pa. Code 403.62(c)). For houses the regulation adds: "An ordinary repair does not require a permit." Its list of work that is not an ordinary repair names cutting away a load-bearing wall, "The removal or cutting of any structural beam or load-bearing support," changes to a required means of egress, and new or relocated piping, wiring or mechanical work (34 Pa. Code 403.62(d)); roofing is not named. A municipality may require more: under Act 45 section 503(c) it "may enact ordinances pursuant to this section which adopt additional code requirements for alterations or repairs to residential buildings," after a public hearing and after filing the proposed ordinance with the Department of Labor and Industry. These rules concern a "Residential building," which the regulation defines as "Detached one-family and two-family dwellings and townhouses which are not more than three stories above grade plane in height with a separate means of egress and their accessory structures" (34 Pa. Code 401.1). Everything above is Pennsylvania state law, the same in every municipality. Locally, Ambler Borough issues building permits through its Code Enforcement Department at 131 Rosemary Avenue, Ambler. Section 5-901 of the Borough Code (Ord. 986, June 21, 2004) says the Borough "hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," and Section 5-104 makes the receipt of applications and issuance of permits for the "erection, addition to, alteration, repair" of structures a duty of the Borough's Code Enforcement Officer. Its threshold is the one in Section 5-901 quoted at the start: the Borough keeps a permit requirement even for replacement of existing roofing material that does not exceed 25% of the total roof area within any 12 month period.

Can you roof over an existing roof in Borough of Ambler, PA?

Two layers at most where the state code reaches the job. Pennsylvania adopts the 2021 International Residential Code without changing its reroofing section, R908 (34 Pa. Code 403.21(a)(7); the State's list of changes names no Chapter 9 section). Section R908.3.1.1 says "A roof recover shall not be permitted where any of the following conditions occur," and the third condition is "Where the existing roof has two or more applications of any type of roof covering." So one existing layer may be covered once, and a roof that already has two layers is torn off to the deck. The same section also bars a recover "Where the existing roof or roof covering is water soaked or has deteriorated to the point that the existing roof or roof covering is not adequate as a base for additional roofing" and "Where the existing roof covering is slate, clay, cement or asbestos-cement tile." The existing-building code the State also adopts, the 2021 International Existing Building Code (34 Pa. Code 403.21(f)), carries the same three conditions in Section 705.2.1.1. These rules bind work the Uniform Construction Code reaches. The Act does not apply to "Repairs to residential buildings" or to alterations that make no structural change, "except as might be required by ordinances" (Act 45 section 104(b)(5) and (6)), so whether R908 binds a particular house reroof turns on that exclusion and on the municipality's own ordinances. Everything above is Pennsylvania state law, the same in every municipality. Locally, Ambler Borough issues building permits through its Code Enforcement Department at 131 Rosemary Avenue, Ambler. Section 5-901 of the Borough Code (Ord. 986, June 21, 2004) says the Borough "hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," and Section 5-104 makes the receipt of applications and issuance of permits for the "erection, addition to, alteration, repair" of structures a duty of the Borough's Code Enforcement Officer. Section 5-901 brings small roofing replacements back within the permit requirement, and Chapter 5 of the Borough Code changes nothing in the code's reroofing provisions; the Borough's pages say nothing on roof layers. Part 8 of Chapter 5 of the Borough Code still adopts the "CABO One and Two Family Dwelling Code, 1989 Edition" for one and two family dwellings, and Part 2 the "BOCA National Building Code, 1990, Eleventh Edition," while Section 5-901 incorporates the Uniform Construction Code "as amended, from time to time" as the Municipal Building Code; the Borough's pages name no code edition; the text above is the 2021 edition's, the 1989 and 1990 editions' reroofing text was not read for this record, and this record does not decide which edition the Borough applies.

Do roofing contractors need a license or registration in Borough of Ambler, PA?

Yes.

What building code does Borough of Ambler, PA use?

The 2021 International Residential Code, as adopted by the State in the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code (UCC). 34 Pa. Code 403.21(a)(7) adopts "The 'International Residential Code of 2021,' except that:" followed by the State's list of exclusions and modifications, effective January 1, 2026 (55 Pa.B. 7701). None of the State's changes touches Chapter 9, Roof Assemblies, or Section R803, Roof Sheathing, so those apply as the International Code Council publishes them. Work on existing buildings is also pointed to the State's existing-building code: "The repair, alteration, change of occupancy, addition and relocation of existing buildings must comply with Chapter 34 of the 'International Building Code of 2021' or with the 'International Existing Building Code of 2021'" (34 Pa. Code 403.21(f)). The UCC is the minimum everywhere in the state: "no municipality may propose or enact any ordinance which is less than the minimum requirement of the Uniform Construction Code" (Pennsylvania Construction Code Act, Act 45 of 1999, section 503(b)). The Act also lists work it "shall not apply to", including "Alterations to residential buildings which do not make structural changes or changes to means of egress" or to "Repairs to residential buildings," in each case "except as might be required by ordinances" kept in force under section 303(b)(1) or adopted under section 503 (Act 45 section 104(b)(5) and (6); 34 Pa. Code 403.1(b)(8) and (9)). The Act defines a repair as "The reconstruction or renewal of any part of an existing building for the purpose of its maintenance." So whether the code's roofing rules reach a given house reroof depends on the municipality's own ordinances. Everything above is Pennsylvania state law, the same in every municipality. Locally, Ambler Borough issues building permits through its Code Enforcement Department at 131 Rosemary Avenue, Ambler. Section 5-901 of the Borough Code (Ord. 986, June 21, 2004) says the Borough "hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," and Section 5-104 makes the receipt of applications and issuance of permits for the "erection, addition to, alteration, repair" of structures a duty of the Borough's Code Enforcement Officer. Section 5-901 incorporates "The Uniform Construction Code, contained in 34 Pa. Code, Chapters 401-405, as amended, from time to time" as the Municipal Building Code of the Borough, keeps in force the Borough's pre-July 1, 1999 amendments to the national building codes, and removes listed residential work, including small roofing replacements, from the state permit exemptions. Part 8 of Chapter 5 of the Borough Code still adopts the "CABO One and Two Family Dwelling Code, 1989 Edition" for one and two family dwellings, and Part 2 the "BOCA National Building Code, 1990, Eleventh Edition," while Section 5-901 incorporates the Uniform Construction Code "as amended, from time to time" as the Municipal Building Code; the Borough's pages name no code edition; this record has not read the 1989 or 1990 editions' text and does not decide which edition the Borough applies.