Canton Township - Code Enforcement

Township of Canton, Pennsylvania (Washington County)

city

1265 West Chestnut Street, Washington, PA 15301

Not required

Required

The building permit application of Canton Township's code agency, Harshman CE Group LLC, says "A UCC Permit is not required for the following items:" and lists "Roofing Surfaces (shingles/metal surfaces. NOT sheathing or truss work)." The Harshman CE Group residential building permit application posted on the Township's Permits & Applications page (read October 9, 2026) says "A UCC Permit is not required for the following items:" and lists "Roofing Surfaces (shingles/metal surfaces. NOT sheathing or truss work)," with fences 72 inches or less from grade and replacement doors and windows of the same size and location. The Township's page says "If you do not see what you are looking for, have questions about whether a permit is required, or would like to be sure that you have the most current version , please contact the Township Office at 724-225-8990 Ext 0." Chapter 5, Part 1 of the Township Code adopts the Uniform Construction Code by reference and names no roof work, and the Township's former building permit ordinance of 1955, once Part 1 of Chapter 4, is noted in the Code as superseded by the statewide adoption of the Uniform Construction Code. The Township's 2026-2027 fee schedule has no roofing line: it prices residential building permits "per Harshman CE Group Fee Schedule," which is not published on the Township's or the agency's site, and the agency's application lists its types of work as new structure, alteration or renovation, addition, phased approval, demolition and pools. Separately, Section 27-2602 of the zoning chapter requires a zoning permit before "The placement, erection, alteration, improvement or construction of a structure," says "No zoning permit shall be required for the following:" and lists first "Ordinary repair to existing structures," and names no roof work; the fee schedule says "All PROJECTS REQUIRE A ZONING PERMIT PRIOR TO BUILDING INSPECTORS REVIEW." The enacted text names no roof work on houses either way; the no-permit line is the stated practice of the Township's building code agency, and this record does not decide whether it is the agency's reading of the State's exclusion for house repairs. 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." Read for this answer: Chapter 5 of the Township Code, Code Enforcement (Parts 1 to 3), and Chapter 4, Buildings, in full; Part 26 of the zoning chapter, Permits, in full; every page of a search of the whole Township Code for "roof" and for "reroofing," which found no permit provision naming roof work on houses; the Permits & Applications page; the Harshman CE Group residential building permit application; the Township's zoning permit application; and the 2026-2027 fee schedule in full. The agency's application asks for a copy of zoning approval, and says "Municipal Permits including, but not limited to, zoning, driveway, land development, sewage and utility may be required prior to the issuance of a building permit." The Township Office is at 1265 West Chestnut Street, Washington, 724-225-8990, and Harshman CE Group is at 2455 Park Avenue, Washington, 724-993-4505.

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, Canton Township administers the code itself: Section 5-102 of the Township Code (Ord. 4-2004, July 8, 2004) says "Canton Township hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act" and adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time" as the Canton Township Building Code, and the Township's Permits & Applications page says "All building and zoning permits will be reviewed and issued by Canton Township Code Enforcement and/or Harshman CE Group LLC," whose residential building permit application the page carries. Chapter 5, Part 1 changes nothing in the code's roofing provisions, and the Township's permit page and the agency's application 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, Canton Township administers the code itself: Section 5-102 of the Township Code (Ord. 4-2004, July 8, 2004) says "Canton Township hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act" and adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time" as the Canton Township Building Code, and the Township's Permits & Applications page says "All building and zoning permits will be reviewed and issued by Canton Township Code Enforcement and/or Harshman CE Group LLC," whose residential building permit application the page carries. Chapter 5, Part 1 adds no impact-resistance rule, and no UL 2218 or Class 4 impact requirement appears in the Township Code or on its permit pages.

Canton Township's building code agency lists roofing surfaces among items that need no UCC permit, unless the work includes sheathing or truss work. The Harshman CE Group residential building permit application posted on the Township's Permits & Applications page (read October 9, 2026) says "A UCC Permit is not required for the following items:" and lists "Roofing Surfaces (shingles/metal surfaces. NOT sheathing or truss work)," with fences 72 inches or less from grade and replacement doors and windows of the same size and location. The Township's page says "If you do not see what you are looking for, have questions about whether a permit is required, or would like to be sure that you have the most current version , please contact the Township Office at 724-225-8990 Ext 0." Chapter 5, Part 1 of the Township Code adopts the Uniform Construction Code by reference and names no roof work, and the Township's former building permit ordinance of 1955, once Part 1 of Chapter 4, is noted in the Code as superseded by the statewide adoption of the Uniform Construction Code. The Township's 2026-2027 fee schedule has no roofing line: it prices residential building permits "per Harshman CE Group Fee Schedule," which is not published on the Township's or the agency's site, and the agency's application lists its types of work as new structure, alteration or renovation, addition, phased approval, demolition and pools. Separately, Section 27-2602 of the zoning chapter requires a zoning permit before "The placement, erection, alteration, improvement or construction of a structure," says "No zoning permit shall be required for the following:" and lists first "Ordinary repair to existing structures," and names no roof work; the fee schedule says "All PROJECTS REQUIRE A ZONING PERMIT PRIOR TO BUILDING INSPECTORS REVIEW." The enacted text names no roof work on houses either way; the no-permit line is the stated practice of the Township's building code agency, and this record does not decide whether it is the agency's reading of the State's exclusion for house repairs. 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, Canton Township administers the code itself: Section 5-102 of the Township Code (Ord. 4-2004, July 8, 2004) says "Canton Township hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act" and adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time" as the Canton Township Building Code, and the Township's Permits & Applications page says "All building and zoning permits will be reviewed and issued by Canton Township Code Enforcement and/or Harshman CE Group LLC," whose residential building permit application the page carries. The agency's line, quoted at the start, falls at sheathing or truss work, which takes the job out of the no-permit list; no Township 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, Canton Township administers the code itself: Section 5-102 of the Township Code (Ord. 4-2004, July 8, 2004) says "Canton Township hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act" and adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time" as the Canton Township Building Code, and the Township's Permits & Applications page says "All building and zoning permits will be reviewed and issued by Canton Township Code Enforcement and/or Harshman CE Group LLC," whose residential building permit application the page carries. Chapter 5, Part 1 changes nothing in the code's reroofing provisions, and the agency lists roofing surfaces without sheathing or truss work among items that need no UCC permit; neither says anything on roof layers.

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, Canton Township administers the code itself: Section 5-102 of the Township Code (Ord. 4-2004, July 8, 2004) says "Canton Township hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act" and adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time" as the Canton Township Building Code, and the Township's Permits & Applications page says "All building and zoning permits will be reviewed and issued by Canton Township Code Enforcement and/or Harshman CE Group LLC," whose residential building permit application the page carries. Chapter 5, Part 1 changes nothing in the code's roof sheathing provisions. The agency's no-permit line for roofing surfaces says "NOT sheathing or truss work," so roof work that includes sheathing is outside that line.

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. Canton Township is in Washington County. The Township's permit page and 2026-2027 fee schedule say nothing on sales tax.