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Permitting Authorities / Elizabethtown Borough - Building Code Official

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

Adopted code

Elizabethtown Borough - Building Code Official

No, Borough of Elizabethtown, PA does not require a permit for like-for-like roof replacement (Elizabethtown Borough - Building Code Official). Elizabethtown Borough's Residential Permit Application lists "Replacing roof shingles, provided there is no structural damage" under "WORK THAT DOES NOT REQUIRE A PERMIT." The Borough's Residential Permit Application (revised 07/06/26, read October 9, 2026), under "WORK THAT DOES NOT REQUIRE A PERMIT," gives "a partial list of cosmetic repairs and routine maintenance tasks that do not require a permit," including "Replacing roof shingles, provided there is no structural damage." Its list of work that requires a permit includes "Any structural changes, including stairs and exterior step" and says "Items marked with ** require a UCC Building Permit." The application adds "If you're unsure whether a permit is required for your project, please contact the Building Code Official at 717-367-1700." Part 2 of Chapter 5 of the Borough Code, the Elizabethtown Borough Construction Code Ordinance (Ord. 845, 2004), names no roof work either way; its Section 101.2 says "All construction which the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act or the L & I Regulations exempt from compliance with the Uniform Construction Code are exempt from the provisions of this Construction Code," and it adopts 34 Pa. Code 403.62 to govern permits for residential construction. The Borough's Zoning Ordinance defines maintenance to include repair or replacement of "roof shingles" and says "Replacement of a roof structure shall not constitute maintenance and shall require a permit." The Borough's 2026 fee schedule (Resolution No. 2026-15) has no roofing line. The enacted building code text names no roof work on houses either way; the no-permit line is the Borough's stated practice, and this record does not decide whether it is the Borough'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." The fee schedule lists "Failure to obtain a Permit" at "Double the permit fee," and the Construction Code Ordinance sets a penalty of "not less than $200 and not more than $1,000 for each violation plus all costs of prosecution." The Borough also publishes a Notice of Intent form for property repairs, on which its Code Official marks "No Permit Required" or "Permit Required." The Borough office is at 600 South Hanover Street, Elizabethtown, 717-367-1700, open 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Read for this answer: Part 2 of Chapter 5 of the Borough Code, Uniform Construction Code (Sections 201 to 208), in full; Chapter 4, Buildings; Part 2 of the Zoning Ordinance, Definitions; every page of a search of the whole Borough Code for "roof" and for "reroofing," whose only hit naming roof work is the zoning definition of maintenance; the Permits / Applications / Forms page; the Residential Permit Application; the Notice of Intent form for property repairs; and the 2026 fee schedule, Resolution No. 2026-15, a scanned document read from its page images.

Roof code checklist: Borough of Elizabethtown, PA

ItemAnswerCode citeSourceVerified
Permit to replace a roofNoetownonline.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 codePublishedpacodeandbulletin.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 Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania
Jurisdiction type
city
Address
600 South Hanover Street, Elizabethtown, PA 17022
Contact
  • url: https://www.etownonline.com/1213/Permits-Applications-Forms
  • phone: 717-367-1700
Roofing permit required
Not required
Contractor registration required
Required
Permit process note
Elizabethtown Borough's Residential Permit Application lists "Replacing roof shingles, provided there is no structural damage" under "WORK THAT DOES NOT REQUIRE A PERMIT." The Borough's Residential Permit Application (revised 07/06/26, read October 9, 2026), under "WORK THAT DOES NOT REQUIRE A PERMIT," gives "a partial list of cosmetic repairs and routine maintenance tasks that do not require a permit," including "Replacing roof shingles, provided there is no structural damage." Its list of work that requires a permit includes "Any structural changes, including stairs and exterior step" and says "Items marked with ** require a UCC Building Permit." The application adds "If you're unsure whether a permit is required for your project, please contact the Building Code Official at 717-367-1700." Part 2 of Chapter 5 of the Borough Code, the Elizabethtown Borough Construction Code Ordinance (Ord. 845, 2004), names no roof work either way; its Section 101.2 says "All construction which the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act or the L & I Regulations exempt from compliance with the Uniform Construction Code are exempt from the provisions of this Construction Code," and it adopts 34 Pa. Code 403.62 to govern permits for residential construction. The Borough's Zoning Ordinance defines maintenance to include repair or replacement of "roof shingles" and says "Replacement of a roof structure shall not constitute maintenance and shall require a permit." The Borough's 2026 fee schedule (Resolution No. 2026-15) has no roofing line. The enacted building code text names no roof work on houses either way; the no-permit line is the Borough's stated practice, and this record does not decide whether it is the Borough'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." The fee schedule lists "Failure to obtain a Permit" at "Double the permit fee," and the Construction Code Ordinance sets a penalty of "not less than $200 and not more than $1,000 for each violation plus all costs of prosecution." The Borough also publishes a Notice of Intent form for property repairs, on which its Code Official marks "No Permit Required" or "Permit Required." The Borough office is at 600 South Hanover Street, Elizabethtown, 717-367-1700, open 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Read for this answer: Part 2 of Chapter 5 of the Borough Code, Uniform Construction Code (Sections 201 to 208), in full; Chapter 4, Buildings; Part 2 of the Zoning Ordinance, Definitions; every page of a search of the whole Borough Code for "roof" and for "reroofing," whose only hit naming roof work is the zoning definition of maintenance; the Permits / Applications / Forms page; the Residential Permit Application; the Notice of Intent form for property repairs; and the 2026 fee schedule, Resolution No. 2026-15, a scanned document read from its page images.
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, Elizabethtown Borough administers the code with a third-party agency: Part 2 of Chapter 5 of the Borough Code has Borough Council appoint a building code official and a construction code official, who "may be a third party agency," and the Borough's 2026 fee schedule says "Commonwealth Code Inspection Services is the third-party agency serving as the Construction Code Official." The Borough's Residential Permit Application says "If inspections are required, they will be conducted by the Borough's Building Code Official. In cases where a UCC Permit is issued, inspections will be handled by our third-party agency, Commonwealth Code Inspection Services (CCIS)." Section 203 of Part 2 of Chapter 5 adopts the standards the Department of Labor and Industry has made part of the Uniform Construction Code as the Elizabethtown Borough Construction Code and fills in Table R301.2(1), including "Ice shield underlayment required: Yes"; Part 2 changes nothing in the code's roofing provisions. Part 2 of Chapter 5 adopts the standards the Department of Labor and Industry has made part of the Uniform Construction Code but still names the International Building Code, 2003 and the International Residential Code, 2003, and the Borough's Residential Permit Application refers only to "the current edition of the International Residential Code (IRC)" without naming one; this record has not read the 2003 edition's text and does not decide which edition the Borough applies.
Repair permit threshold
Elizabethtown Borough's Residential Permit Application lists replacing roof shingles, provided there is no structural damage, among work that does not require a permit. The Borough's Residential Permit Application (revised 07/06/26, read October 9, 2026), under "WORK THAT DOES NOT REQUIRE A PERMIT," gives "a partial list of cosmetic repairs and routine maintenance tasks that do not require a permit," including "Replacing roof shingles, provided there is no structural damage." Its list of work that requires a permit includes "Any structural changes, including stairs and exterior step" and says "Items marked with ** require a UCC Building Permit." The application adds "If you're unsure whether a permit is required for your project, please contact the Building Code Official at 717-367-1700." Part 2 of Chapter 5 of the Borough Code, the Elizabethtown Borough Construction Code Ordinance (Ord. 845, 2004), names no roof work either way; its Section 101.2 says "All construction which the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act or the L & I Regulations exempt from compliance with the Uniform Construction Code are exempt from the provisions of this Construction Code," and it adopts 34 Pa. Code 403.62 to govern permits for residential construction. The Borough's Zoning Ordinance defines maintenance to include repair or replacement of "roof shingles" and says "Replacement of a roof structure shall not constitute maintenance and shall require a permit." The Borough's 2026 fee schedule (Resolution No. 2026-15) has no roofing line. The enacted building code text names no roof work on houses either way; the no-permit line is the Borough's stated practice, and this record does not decide whether it is the Borough'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, Elizabethtown Borough administers the code with a third-party agency: Part 2 of Chapter 5 of the Borough Code has Borough Council appoint a building code official and a construction code official, who "may be a third party agency," and the Borough's 2026 fee schedule says "Commonwealth Code Inspection Services is the third-party agency serving as the Construction Code Official." The Borough's Residential Permit Application says "If inspections are required, they will be conducted by the Borough's Building Code Official. In cases where a UCC Permit is issued, inspections will be handled by our third-party agency, Commonwealth Code Inspection Services (CCIS)." The Borough's line, quoted at the start, falls at structural damage and structural changes, which need a permit; no Borough text sets an area or cost threshold for roof work.
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, Elizabethtown Borough administers the code with a third-party agency: Part 2 of Chapter 5 of the Borough Code has Borough Council appoint a building code official and a construction code official, who "may be a third party agency," and the Borough's 2026 fee schedule says "Commonwealth Code Inspection Services is the third-party agency serving as the Construction Code Official." The Borough's Residential Permit Application says "If inspections are required, they will be conducted by the Borough's Building Code Official. In cases where a UCC Permit is issued, inspections will be handled by our third-party agency, Commonwealth Code Inspection Services (CCIS)." Part 2 of Chapter 5 of the Borough Code changes nothing in the code's reroofing provisions, and the Borough lists replacing roof shingles, provided there is no structural damage, among work that needs no permit; its pages say nothing on roof layers. Part 2 of Chapter 5 adopts the standards the Department of Labor and Industry has made part of the Uniform Construction Code but still names the International Building Code, 2003 and the International Residential Code, 2003, and the Borough's Residential Permit Application refers only to "the current edition of the International Residential Code (IRC)" without naming one; the text above is the 2021 edition's, the 2003 edition's 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, Elizabethtown Borough administers the code with a third-party agency: Part 2 of Chapter 5 of the Borough Code has Borough Council appoint a building code official and a construction code official, who "may be a third party agency," and the Borough's 2026 fee schedule says "Commonwealth Code Inspection Services is the third-party agency serving as the Construction Code Official." The Borough's Residential Permit Application says "If inspections are required, they will be conducted by the Borough's Building Code Official. In cases where a UCC Permit is issued, inspections will be handled by our third-party agency, Commonwealth Code Inspection Services (CCIS)." Part 2 of Chapter 5 of the Borough Code changes nothing in the code's roof sheathing provisions. The Borough's no-permit line for roof shingles holds only where "there is no structural damage," and the Zoning Ordinance says "Replacement of a roof structure shall not constitute maintenance and shall require a permit"; neither names roof sheathing. Part 2 of Chapter 5 adopts the standards the Department of Labor and Industry has made part of the Uniform Construction Code but still names the International Building Code, 2003 and the International Residential Code, 2003, and the Borough's Residential Permit Application refers only to "the current edition of the International Residential Code (IRC)" without naming one; the text above is the 2021 edition's, the 2003 edition's 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. Elizabethtown Borough is in Lancaster County. The Borough's permit pages and 2026 fee schedule say nothing on sales tax.

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Elizabethtown Borough, at 600 South Hanover Street, takes residential permit applications through its Building Code Official, with Commonwealth Code Inspection Services as its third-party agency, and its Residential Permit Application lists replacing roof shingles, provided there is no structural damage, among work that does not require a permit. 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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Sources

Roofing questions: Borough of Elizabethtown, PA

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

No, Borough of Elizabethtown, PA does not require a permit to replace a roof. Elizabethtown Borough's Residential Permit Application lists replacing roof shingles, provided there is no structural damage, among work that does not require a permit. The Borough's Residential Permit Application (revised 07/06/26, read October 9, 2026), under "WORK THAT DOES NOT REQUIRE A PERMIT," gives "a partial list of cosmetic repairs and routine maintenance tasks that do not require a permit," including "Replacing roof shingles, provided there is no structural damage." Its list of work that requires a permit includes "Any structural changes, including stairs and exterior step" and says "Items marked with ** require a UCC Building Permit." The application adds "If you're unsure whether a permit is required for your project, please contact the Building Code Official at 717-367-1700." Part 2 of Chapter 5 of the Borough Code, the Elizabethtown Borough Construction Code Ordinance (Ord. 845, 2004), names no roof work either way; its Section 101.2 says "All construction which the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act or the L & I Regulations exempt from compliance with the Uniform Construction Code are exempt from the provisions of this Construction Code," and it adopts 34 Pa. Code 403.62 to govern permits for residential construction. The Borough's Zoning Ordinance defines maintenance to include repair or replacement of "roof shingles" and says "Replacement of a roof structure shall not constitute maintenance and shall require a permit." The Borough's 2026 fee schedule (Resolution No. 2026-15) has no roofing line. The enacted building code text names no roof work on houses either way; the no-permit line is the Borough's stated practice, and this record does not decide whether it is the Borough'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, Elizabethtown Borough administers the code with a third-party agency: Part 2 of Chapter 5 of the Borough Code has Borough Council appoint a building code official and a construction code official, who "may be a third party agency," and the Borough's 2026 fee schedule says "Commonwealth Code Inspection Services is the third-party agency serving as the Construction Code Official." The Borough's Residential Permit Application says "If inspections are required, they will be conducted by the Borough's Building Code Official. In cases where a UCC Permit is issued, inspections will be handled by our third-party agency, Commonwealth Code Inspection Services (CCIS)." The Borough's line, quoted at the start, falls at structural damage and structural changes, which need a permit; no Borough text sets an area or cost threshold for roof work.

Can you roof over an existing roof in Borough of Elizabethtown, 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, Elizabethtown Borough administers the code with a third-party agency: Part 2 of Chapter 5 of the Borough Code has Borough Council appoint a building code official and a construction code official, who "may be a third party agency," and the Borough's 2026 fee schedule says "Commonwealth Code Inspection Services is the third-party agency serving as the Construction Code Official." The Borough's Residential Permit Application says "If inspections are required, they will be conducted by the Borough's Building Code Official. In cases where a UCC Permit is issued, inspections will be handled by our third-party agency, Commonwealth Code Inspection Services (CCIS)." Part 2 of Chapter 5 of the Borough Code changes nothing in the code's reroofing provisions, and the Borough lists replacing roof shingles, provided there is no structural damage, among work that needs no permit; its pages say nothing on roof layers. Part 2 of Chapter 5 adopts the standards the Department of Labor and Industry has made part of the Uniform Construction Code but still names the International Building Code, 2003 and the International Residential Code, 2003, and the Borough's Residential Permit Application refers only to "the current edition of the International Residential Code (IRC)" without naming one; the text above is the 2021 edition's, the 2003 edition's 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 Elizabethtown, PA?

Yes.

What building code does Borough of Elizabethtown, 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, Elizabethtown Borough administers the code with a third-party agency: Part 2 of Chapter 5 of the Borough Code has Borough Council appoint a building code official and a construction code official, who "may be a third party agency," and the Borough's 2026 fee schedule says "Commonwealth Code Inspection Services is the third-party agency serving as the Construction Code Official." The Borough's Residential Permit Application says "If inspections are required, they will be conducted by the Borough's Building Code Official. In cases where a UCC Permit is issued, inspections will be handled by our third-party agency, Commonwealth Code Inspection Services (CCIS)." Section 203 of Part 2 of Chapter 5 adopts the standards the Department of Labor and Industry has made part of the Uniform Construction Code as the Elizabethtown Borough Construction Code and fills in Table R301.2(1), including "Ice shield underlayment required: Yes"; Part 2 changes nothing in the code's roofing provisions. Part 2 of Chapter 5 adopts the standards the Department of Labor and Industry has made part of the Uniform Construction Code but still names the International Building Code, 2003 and the International Residential Code, 2003, and the Borough's Residential Permit Application refers only to "the current edition of the International Residential Code (IRC)" without naming one; this record has not read the 2003 edition's text and does not decide which edition the Borough applies.