City of Bradford - Permits Department

City of Bradford, Pennsylvania (McKean County)

city

24 Kennedy Street, Bradford, PA 16701

Required

The City of Bradford requires its own application for reroofing, a City approval separate from a UCC building permit. Chapter 171 of the City Code, Residential Repairs (Ord. No. 3297, July 9, 2024; read October 9, 2026), says it "intends to prevent substandard work and repairs from being conducted on residential structures within the City of Bradford when other regulations and statutes do not apply to the work being conducted," adopts for the repair of single-family and two-family dwellings and townhouses "the version of the International Residential Code that is currently adopted by Chapter 80 of this code," and says "An owner or authorized agent who intends to conduct a repair listed in this section shall first apply to the City of Bradford and obtain an application for the work," listing "(1) Reroofing." Work "permitted under Chapter 80" (the City's Uniform Construction Code chapter) is exempt from that application, and a violation is a summary offense with a fine "of not less than $250" (Section 171-9). The City's Residential Roof (Replacement / Repair Application), posted in its Forms Library (read October 9, 2026), says "Applicant must apply prior to performing the replacement and/or repairs to residential roof" and "Any structural alterations and/or additions to a residential roof will require a full residential building permit," lists an Application Fee of $25.00, and says City officials may "conduct spot checks on the residential roofing project." The City's Projects That Do Not Require a Permit sheet (read October 9, 2026; posted in 2023, before Chapter 171) lists, under "BUILDING CONSTRUCTION/REPLACEMENT/REPAIRS," "Replacement/repair of existing roof material that does not exceed 10% of the total roof area." 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." This record does not decide whether a UCC building permit is needed for a house reroof here. In practice, expect the City to require its residential roof application before a house is reroofed, and a full residential building permit for structural roof work; Section 171-6 says "The proof of approved application shall be displayed in public view" while the work is done. The roof application says contractors must also file and pay the City's Business Privilege Tax "at the time a building permit is obtained." The Permits Department is at City Hall, 24 Kennedy Street, 814-362-3884 extension 121. Read for this answer: Chapters 80 (Construction Codes, Uniform), 106 (Fees) and 171 (Residential Repairs) of the City Code, in full; every page of a search of the whole City Code for "roof" and for "reroofing"; the City Hall, Forms Library and FAQ pages; the Residential Roof application; the Projects That Do Not Require a Permit sheet; and the Bureau Veritas UCC/Building Permit Fees schedule posted by the City, which has a "Commercial Roofing Inspections" line and no residential roofing line. The City's Master Fee Schedule was not found published.

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, The City of Bradford, in McKean County, administers the Uniform Construction Code with a third-party agency: Section 80-1 of the City Code says "The City of Bradford hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," and the City's Forms Library says "All Residential and Commercial Building permits will be approved by the Inspectors at Bureau Veritas." Applications are made to the City's Permits Department at City Hall, 24 Kennedy Street. Section 80-2 adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time" and names no edition, and the City's pages name none either. Chapter 171 separately adopts, for repairs to houses, "the version of the International Residential Code that is currently adopted by Chapter 80," and changes nothing in that code's roofing provisions.

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, The City of Bradford, in McKean County, administers the Uniform Construction Code with a third-party agency: Section 80-1 of the City Code says "The City of Bradford hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," and the City's Forms Library says "All Residential and Commercial Building permits will be approved by the Inspectors at Bureau Veritas." Applications are made to the City's Permits Department at City Hall, 24 Kennedy Street. Chapters 80 and 171 of the City Code, read in full, and the City's residential roof application contain no UL 2218, Class 4 or hail-impact requirement for roof coverings.

The City of Bradford requires its own application, separate from a UCC building permit, before reroofing a house. Chapter 171 of the City Code, Residential Repairs (Ord. No. 3297, July 9, 2024; read October 9, 2026), says it "intends to prevent substandard work and repairs from being conducted on residential structures within the City of Bradford when other regulations and statutes do not apply to the work being conducted," adopts for the repair of single-family and two-family dwellings and townhouses "the version of the International Residential Code that is currently adopted by Chapter 80 of this code," and says "An owner or authorized agent who intends to conduct a repair listed in this section shall first apply to the City of Bradford and obtain an application for the work," listing "(1) Reroofing." Work "permitted under Chapter 80" (the City's Uniform Construction Code chapter) is exempt from that application, and a violation is a summary offense with a fine "of not less than $250" (Section 171-9). The City's Residential Roof (Replacement / Repair Application), posted in its Forms Library (read October 9, 2026), says "Applicant must apply prior to performing the replacement and/or repairs to residential roof" and "Any structural alterations and/or additions to a residential roof will require a full residential building permit," lists an Application Fee of $25.00, and says City officials may "conduct spot checks on the residential roofing project." The City's Projects That Do Not Require a Permit sheet (read October 9, 2026; posted in 2023, before Chapter 171) lists, under "BUILDING CONSTRUCTION/REPLACEMENT/REPAIRS," "Replacement/repair of existing roof material that does not exceed 10% of the total roof area." 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." This record does not decide whether a UCC building permit is needed for a house reroof here. 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, The City of Bradford, in McKean County, administers the Uniform Construction Code with a third-party agency: Section 80-1 of the City Code says "The City of Bradford hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," and the City's Forms Library says "All Residential and Commercial Building permits will be approved by the Inspectors at Bureau Veritas." Applications are made to the City's Permits Department at City Hall, 24 Kennedy Street. Chapter 171's reroofing application is the City's own requirement quoted at the start; the City's older no-permit sheet draws its line at roof material replacement or repair of 10% of the roof area, and the roof application says structural alterations or additions to a roof need a full residential building permit.

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, The City of Bradford, in McKean County, administers the Uniform Construction Code with a third-party agency: Section 80-1 of the City Code says "The City of Bradford hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," and the City's Forms Library says "All Residential and Commercial Building permits will be approved by the Inspectors at Bureau Veritas." Applications are made to the City's Permits Department at City Hall, 24 Kennedy Street. Chapters 80 and 171 of the City Code change nothing in the code's reroofing provisions; the City's residential roof application asks for the current layers on the roof and states no layer limit of its own.

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, The City of Bradford, in McKean County, administers the Uniform Construction Code with a third-party agency: Section 80-1 of the City Code says "The City of Bradford hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," and the City's Forms Library says "All Residential and Commercial Building permits will be approved by the Inspectors at Bureau Veritas." Applications are made to the City's Permits Department at City Hall, 24 Kennedy Street. Chapters 80 and 171 of the City Code change nothing in the code's roof sheathing provisions, and the City's residential roof application says "Any structural alterations and/or additions to a residential roof will require a full residential building permit."

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. The City of Bradford is in McKean County. The City's residential roof application describes the City's Business Privilege Tax, "a gross receipts tax" contractors file and pay before beginning work, which is not a sales tax; the City's permit pages say nothing on sales tax.