Delaware Township - Building Department

Township of Delaware, Pennsylvania (Pike County)

city

116 Wilson Hill Road, Dingmans Ferry, PA 18328

Required

Required

Delaware Township's building permit fee schedule lists a roof covering replacement fee with no size threshold. The Township's building permit fee schedule, Resolution 2021-01, headed "Code Inspections Inc. Fee Schedule — Delaware Township" and signed by the Board of Supervisors (read October 9, 2026), lists "19. Roof Covering Replacement Fee: $120.00", and the Township's Amended Resolution 2024-01 fee schedule keeps "BUILDING PERMIT FEES" at Resolution 2021-01 and adds a "Municipal Administrative Fee for building permits" of 20%. Section 201.4 of Ordinance 201 (Amended June 22, 2005) says "Prior to the construction, structural alteration, replacement, or installation, a permit must be obtained from the Township," and then that no permit is required for listed small work and for residential and commercial alterations "if no structural changes or means of egress will occur"; it names no roof work either way. The Building Department page's list headed "Residential - What DOES require a Building Permit?" does not name roofing, and under the question "When does a project need to have an architect or engineer stamp the plans?" the page says "All commercial projects will require stamped plans. A few exceptions are items that do not need plans to confirm compliance, examples: changing furnace, new roofing, wire replacement, etc, it will still require a building permit, just not stamped plans." 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 Township's building code official to require a permit, and the fee, for a roof covering replacement. Section 201.25 of Ordinance 201 sets, for a violation, "a fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000.)". The Building Department page says the Township's third-party agency "will not issue a building permit until authorized to do so by the municipality, most of the time it is by us receiving a copy of the Municipal Permit." The Building Code Official keeps office hours at the Township office on Tuesdays, 10 a.m. to noon, and Fridays, noon to 2 p.m.; the Township office is at 570-828-2347. Read for this answer: Ordinance 201, Regulating Building/Building Code (as amended June 22, 2005), in full, a scanned document read from its page images; the Zoning Ordinance (Ordinance 110), searched for "roof"; the Township's Ordinances page; the Building Department and Township Office pages; the building permit fee schedule, Resolution 2021-01, and the Township fee schedule, Amended Resolution 2024-01, both scanned and read from their page images; and the residential building permit application.

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, Delaware Township issues building permits through its Building Department at the Township office, 116 Wilson Hill Road, Dingmans Ferry, whose page names Code Inspections, Inc. as Building Code Official and says "Contact Code Inspections, Inc. at their number when planning new construction or to secure a building permit for an addition or for making improvements to an existing residential or commercial structure." Section 201.2 of Ordinance 201 provides for administration "By the retention of one or more construction code officials or third-party agencies to act on behalf of Delaware Township." Section 201.2 of Ordinance 201 (enacted May 12, 2004, effective July 1, 2004) adopts "The Uniform Construction Code, contained in 34 Pa. Code, Chapters 401-405, as amended from time to time" as the Municipal Building Code of Delaware Township and keeps in force building code ordinances adopted on or before July 1, 1999 that equal or exceed the code. Section 201.9 of the same ordinance sets local construction standards that "must be adhered to in the construction or alteration of any structure," including "All roofs must have at least a four (4) to twelve (12) pitch for strip shingles. All roof shingles must be at least two hundred and twenty-five (225) pounds per square and installation shall include underlayment of 15# felt as per IBC"; this record does not decide whether or how those standards apply to a reroof. The Township'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, Delaware Township issues building permits through its Building Department at the Township office, 116 Wilson Hill Road, Dingmans Ferry, whose page names Code Inspections, Inc. as Building Code Official and says "Contact Code Inspections, Inc. at their number when planning new construction or to secure a building permit for an addition or for making improvements to an existing residential or commercial structure." Section 201.2 of Ordinance 201 provides for administration "By the retention of one or more construction code officials or third-party agencies to act on behalf of Delaware Township." Ordinance 201, read in full, sets a shingle weight but no impact-resistance rule; no UL 2218 or Class 4 requirement appears in it.

Delaware Township's building permit fee schedule lists a roof covering replacement fee with no size threshold. The Township's building permit fee schedule, Resolution 2021-01, headed "Code Inspections Inc. Fee Schedule — Delaware Township" and signed by the Board of Supervisors (read October 9, 2026), lists "19. Roof Covering Replacement Fee: $120.00", and the Township's Amended Resolution 2024-01 fee schedule keeps "BUILDING PERMIT FEES" at Resolution 2021-01 and adds a "Municipal Administrative Fee for building permits" of 20%. Section 201.4 of Ordinance 201 (Amended June 22, 2005) says "Prior to the construction, structural alteration, replacement, or installation, a permit must be obtained from the Township," and then that no permit is required for listed small work and for residential and commercial alterations "if no structural changes or means of egress will occur"; it names no roof work either way. The Building Department page's list headed "Residential - What DOES require a Building Permit?" does not name roofing, and under the question "When does a project need to have an architect or engineer stamp the plans?" the page says "All commercial projects will require stamped plans. A few exceptions are items that do not need plans to confirm compliance, examples: changing furnace, new roofing, wire replacement, etc, it will still require a building permit, just not stamped plans." 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 Township's building code official to require a permit, and the fee, for a roof covering replacement. Section 201.25 of Ordinance 201 sets, for a violation, "a fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000.)". 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, Delaware Township issues building permits through its Building Department at the Township office, 116 Wilson Hill Road, Dingmans Ferry, whose page names Code Inspections, Inc. as Building Code Official and says "Contact Code Inspections, Inc. at their number when planning new construction or to secure a building permit for an addition or for making improvements to an existing residential or commercial structure." Section 201.2 of Ordinance 201 provides for administration "By the retention of one or more construction code officials or third-party agencies to act on behalf of Delaware Township." No Township text read for this record sets a roof area or cost threshold; the fee schedule's roof covering replacement line carries a flat fee.

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, Delaware Township issues building permits through its Building Department at the Township office, 116 Wilson Hill Road, Dingmans Ferry, whose page names Code Inspections, Inc. as Building Code Official and says "Contact Code Inspections, Inc. at their number when planning new construction or to secure a building permit for an addition or for making improvements to an existing residential or commercial structure." Section 201.2 of Ordinance 201 provides for administration "By the retention of one or more construction code officials or third-party agencies to act on behalf of Delaware Township." Ordinance 201 says nothing on roof layers, and the Township's pages say nothing on them.

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, Delaware Township issues building permits through its Building Department at the Township office, 116 Wilson Hill Road, Dingmans Ferry, whose page names Code Inspections, Inc. as Building Code Official and says "Contact Code Inspections, Inc. at their number when planning new construction or to secure a building permit for an addition or for making improvements to an existing residential or commercial structure." Section 201.2 of Ordinance 201 provides for administration "By the retention of one or more construction code officials or third-party agencies to act on behalf of Delaware Township." Section 201.9 of Ordinance 201 sets standards that "must be adhered to in the construction or alteration of any structure," including that "all roof sheathing must be at least one-half inch" (1/2 inch) "thick structural plywood bearing the American Plywood Association (APA) certification stamp," or composite wood particle structural sheathing bearing the manufacturer's certification; this record does not decide whether or how that standard applies to a reroof.

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. Delaware Township is in Pike County. The Township's permit pages and fee schedules say nothing on sales tax.