Bedford Borough - Zoning, Historic District and Code Enforcement

Borough of Bedford, Pennsylvania (Bedford County)

city

244 W. Penn Street, Bedford, PA 15522

Required

Bedford Borough's pages read for this record do not say whether a house reroof needs a permit. The Borough's Zoning/HARB Permit FAQ says "A Zoning/HARB Permit shall be required prior to the erection, addition or alteration of any building or structure or portion thereof; prior to the use or change in use of a building, structure or land; and prioer to the change or extension of a non-conforming use," and the zoning chapter posted on the Borough's site (Chapter 27, Section 2008 A, adopted March 7, 2011 per the file name) has the same sentence; that chapter defines "ALTERATIONS" as "any change or rearrangement in the total floor area or an enlargement, whether by extending on a side or by increasing in height, or the moving from one location or position to another" and names no roof work. Part 21 of that chapter, the Historic District Ordinance, says in Section 2107 "Except for interior alterations or modifications, no person shall erect, construct, reconstruct, alter, restore, demolish, paint, raze or change in appearance, in any manner, any building or structure, in whole or in part, within any historic district" without first "obtaining permits which have been issued on the strength of a certificate of appropriateness issued by Borough Council," and the FAQ says "Approval from the Historical Architectural Review Board (H.A.R.B.) is required for any work that would affect the general design, arrangement, texture, material or color of any structure or building in any historic district when the result of such work is capable of being viewed from a public street or way"; neither names a roof. The Zoning/HARB Permit Application lists "Replace a Structure(s)" among the boxes under "Describe Project (Check all that apply)," a box on a general application, and its fee, "$25 per the first $1,000.00 in estimated construction costs and $1.00 per each additional $1,000.00 in estimated construction costs for only the Zoning portion," is set by the 2026 Borough Fee Schedule under "Zoning/Land Use," which lists no building or roofing line. This record does not decide whether a house reroof is an "alteration" in those clauses or needs any Borough permit. PMCA's own website carries a letter to municipal officials, dated July 20, 2018 and posted on its FAQ page, that says "a residential Re-roof still requires compliance with the provisions of the UCC but does not require a building permit" and also says "If structural work is required such as replacing studs, headers, rafters or trusses a permit would now be required"; the letter names no municipality and is not posted on the Borough's pages, and its Re-Roof Application Packet says "A Building Permit is required if there is a structural repair." This record does not treat either as the Borough's own statement. Under state law, Act 45 section 104(b)(5) and (6) list "Alterations to residential buildings which do not make structural changes or changes to means of egress" and "Repairs to residential buildings" among work the Act 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," and 34 Pa. Code 403.62(c) says "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." Ask the Borough office (814-623-8192) or PMCA's Bedford office (814-310-2326) before starting. The Borough office is open Monday to Thursday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Friday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., closed 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. Read for this answer: the Borough's home, Code Enforcement/Zoning, Code Enforcement/Zoning FAQ, Miscellaneous Permits FAQ, Applications and Permits, Ordinances, Historic Architectural Review Board and Fee Schedules pages, the Zoning/HARB Permit Application, the 2026 Borough Fee Schedule, the zoning chapter (Chapter 27) posted on the Borough's site, and PMCA's FAQ, Locations, Resources and Permit Applications pages. The Borough's Code of Ordinances is hosted at codelibrary.amlegal.com, which returned a bot-check page to automated requests and was not read, so the Borough's Uniform Construction Code ordinance and its current codified chapters were not read for this record.

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, Bedford Borough's Code Enforcement/Zoning page says "The Borough of Bedford works closely with Pennsylvania Municipal Code Alliance (PMCA) to ensure codes and zoning ordinances are enforced" and lists the agency's Bedford office at 125 S. Richard Street, Suite 102, phone 814-310-2326; the Borough's Zoning/HARB Permit Application, posted on its Applications and Permits page, says "it is the applicant's responsibility to obtain a Building Permit prior to starting construction as per Act 45" and its official-use certification has the line "A Uniform Construction Code Building Permit is required: YES NO." Zoning and historic-district applications go to the Borough office, 244 W. Penn Street, Bedford. The Borough's pages name no code edition.

Not required — No impact-resistance requirement under state law. The State's adoption of the 2021 International Residential Code (34 Pa. Code 403.21) contains no hail or impact rule, and it makes no change to the code's roof assemblies chapter, which itself has no UL 2218, Class 4 or hail-impact requirement for roof coverings. A municipality could add one only by an ordinance that equals or exceeds the Uniform Construction Code under Act 45 section 503, filed with the Department of Labor and Industry; none of the filings on the Department's register of municipal code change ordinances mentions hail or impact resistance. An owner may still choose an impact-rated roof covering. Everything above is Pennsylvania state law, the same in every municipality. Locally, Bedford Borough's Code Enforcement/Zoning page says "The Borough of Bedford works closely with Pennsylvania Municipal Code Alliance (PMCA) to ensure codes and zoning ordinances are enforced" and lists the agency's Bedford office at 125 S. Richard Street, Suite 102, phone 814-310-2326; the Borough's Zoning/HARB Permit Application, posted on its Applications and Permits page, says "it is the applicant's responsibility to obtain a Building Permit prior to starting construction as per Act 45" and its official-use certification has the line "A Uniform Construction Code Building Permit is required: YES NO." Zoning and historic-district applications go to the Borough office, 244 W. Penn Street, Bedford. The Borough's pages read and the zoning chapter posted on its site contain no UL 2218, Class 4 or hail-impact requirement; the Borough's current Code of Ordinances was not read for this record.

Bedford Borough's pages read for this record name no permit for a house reroof. The Borough's Zoning/HARB Permit FAQ says "A Zoning/HARB Permit shall be required prior to the erection, addition or alteration of any building or structure or portion thereof; prior to the use or change in use of a building, structure or land; and prioer to the change or extension of a non-conforming use," and the zoning chapter posted on the Borough's site (Chapter 27, Section 2008 A, adopted March 7, 2011 per the file name) has the same sentence; that chapter defines "ALTERATIONS" as "any change or rearrangement in the total floor area or an enlargement, whether by extending on a side or by increasing in height, or the moving from one location or position to another" and names no roof work. Part 21 of that chapter, the Historic District Ordinance, says in Section 2107 "Except for interior alterations or modifications, no person shall erect, construct, reconstruct, alter, restore, demolish, paint, raze or change in appearance, in any manner, any building or structure, in whole or in part, within any historic district" without first "obtaining permits which have been issued on the strength of a certificate of appropriateness issued by Borough Council," and the FAQ says "Approval from the Historical Architectural Review Board (H.A.R.B.) is required for any work that would affect the general design, arrangement, texture, material or color of any structure or building in any historic district when the result of such work is capable of being viewed from a public street or way"; neither names a roof. The Zoning/HARB Permit Application lists "Replace a Structure(s)" among the boxes under "Describe Project (Check all that apply)," a box on a general application, and its fee, "$25 per the first $1,000.00 in estimated construction costs and $1.00 per each additional $1,000.00 in estimated construction costs for only the Zoning portion," is set by the 2026 Borough Fee Schedule under "Zoning/Land Use," which lists no building or roofing line. This record does not decide whether a house reroof is an "alteration" in those clauses or needs any Borough permit. PMCA's own website carries a letter to municipal officials, dated July 20, 2018 and posted on its FAQ page, that says "a residential Re-roof still requires compliance with the provisions of the UCC but does not require a building permit" and also says "If structural work is required such as replacing studs, headers, rafters or trusses a permit would now be required"; the letter names no municipality and is not posted on the Borough's pages, and its Re-Roof Application Packet says "A Building Permit is required if there is a structural repair." This record does not treat either as the Borough's own statement. Under state law, Act 45 section 104(b)(5) and (6) list "Alterations to residential buildings which do not make structural changes or changes to means of egress" and "Repairs to residential buildings" among work the Act 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," and 34 Pa. Code 403.62(c) says "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." 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, Bedford Borough's Code Enforcement/Zoning page says "The Borough of Bedford works closely with Pennsylvania Municipal Code Alliance (PMCA) to ensure codes and zoning ordinances are enforced" and lists the agency's Bedford office at 125 S. Richard Street, Suite 102, phone 814-310-2326; the Borough's Zoning/HARB Permit Application, posted on its Applications and Permits page, says "it is the applicant's responsibility to obtain a Building Permit prior to starting construction as per Act 45" and its official-use certification has the line "A Uniform Construction Code Building Permit is required: YES NO." Zoning and historic-district applications go to the Borough office, 244 W. Penn Street, Bedford. No Borough text read for this record sets an area or cost threshold for roof work.

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, Bedford Borough's Code Enforcement/Zoning page says "The Borough of Bedford works closely with Pennsylvania Municipal Code Alliance (PMCA) to ensure codes and zoning ordinances are enforced" and lists the agency's Bedford office at 125 S. Richard Street, Suite 102, phone 814-310-2326; the Borough's Zoning/HARB Permit Application, posted on its Applications and Permits page, says "it is the applicant's responsibility to obtain a Building Permit prior to starting construction as per Act 45" and its official-use certification has the line "A Uniform Construction Code Building Permit is required: YES NO." Zoning and historic-district applications go to the Borough office, 244 W. Penn Street, Bedford. The Borough's pages read say nothing on roof layers or the code edition it applies, so the text above is the State's current one, and the Borough's Uniform Construction Code ordinance was not read for this record.

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, Bedford Borough's Code Enforcement/Zoning page says "The Borough of Bedford works closely with Pennsylvania Municipal Code Alliance (PMCA) to ensure codes and zoning ordinances are enforced" and lists the agency's Bedford office at 125 S. Richard Street, Suite 102, phone 814-310-2326; the Borough's Zoning/HARB Permit Application, posted on its Applications and Permits page, says "it is the applicant's responsibility to obtain a Building Permit prior to starting construction as per Act 45" and its official-use certification has the line "A Uniform Construction Code Building Permit is required: YES NO." Zoning and historic-district applications go to the Borough office, 244 W. Penn Street, Bedford. The Borough's pages read draw no line for roof sheathing or name a code edition, so the text above is the State's current one, and the Borough's Uniform Construction Code ordinance was not read for this record.

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. Bedford Borough is in Bedford County. The Borough's permit pages say nothing on sales tax.