Exeter Township - Engineering Department

Township of Exeter, Pennsylvania (Berks County)

city

4975 DeMoss Road, Reading, PA 19606

Required

Required

Exeter Township treats reroofing over 25 percent of a roof as permit work. The Township's Building Permit Information Sheet 2026 (read October 6, 2026) says "Exeter Township opted into the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code on April 19, 2004," and that this "applies to all Demolition permits, new construction," and other listed work including "replacing roof over 25%," with a $4.50 State fee. The Township's 2026 miscellaneous building permit application lists a residential "ROOF REPLACEMENT" fee of $250.00 for "reroofing over 25% regulated by UCC," and lists "Roof in progress" among the inspections required where applicable; the 2026 Fee Schedule lists "Replacement of existing roofing regulated by the UCC" at $250.00 for residential work and $300.00 for non-residential work. A full reroof is more than 25 percent of the roof; the Township's pages do not say what they require for 25 percent or less. The information sheet's list of work that needs no building permit names "replacement of aluminum siding and replacement of windows/doors unless structural changes are made" and not roof work. Chapter 150 of the Township Code names no roof work. Article I (Sections 150-1 to 150-4, Ordinance No. 300, amended 2007) adopts by reference the "BOCA National Building Code of 1996" and the "CABO One- and Two-Family Dwelling Code of 1989," with local changes on fire suppression and penalties, and this record has not read the permit sections of those codes; Article II (Section 150-5) adopts the Uniform Construction Code, with Appendix F of the International Residential Code and the International Property Maintenance Code, "as amended from time to time," and keeps in force earlier building code ordinances that equal or exceed it. 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). The Department of Labor and Industry's register of municipal code change ordinances lists an Exeter Township ordinance that "Adopts Appendices E, F, and G of the International Fire Code 2006, establishes fines and permits fire authorities to set geographic limits for certain hazardous storage uses," challenged and then, as revised, approved by letter mailed January 30, 2008 and "Enacted 4 / 28 / 08"; it does not name roof work. In practice, expect the Township to require a permit for a reroof of more than 25 percent of the roof. Its fee schedule charges double the permit fee for "Issuance of Permit after construction has begun," and Section 150-4 of the Township Code sets a fine of "not more than $1,000 plus costs" for a violation of the codes Article I adopts. The information sheet says "Payment for permit(s) is due at the time of submission" and that permits obtained by a contractor must include "an affidavit/signed contract from property owner and a copy of their certificate of insurance"; each building permit also carries a $15 Permit Issuance fee. The permit application is a fillable form sent to the Engineering Department by e-mail or delivered to the Township offices, and inspections need 24 hours' notice at 610-779-5702; the department's hours are Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. Read for this answer: Chapter 150 of the Township Code, Construction Codes, Uniform, Article I (Sections 150-1 to 150-4) and Article II (Section 150-5), in full; Chapter A400, Fees, which says the fee schedule is on file in the Township offices; a search of the whole Township Code for "roof" (16 results) and a search for "reroofing" (no results), which found no permit provision naming roof work; the Building/Zoning/Engineering and Permits/Applications/Documents pages; the Building Permit Information Sheet 2026; the 2026 miscellaneous and residential new-building building permit applications; and the 2026 Fee Schedule. Article IV of Chapter 150 and Chapter 126 of the Township Code were not read.

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, Exeter Township administers the code, with a consulting firm as its building code official: Section 150-5 of the Township Code says "This Township hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act" and allows "the retention of one or more construction code officials or third-party agencies to act on behalf of the Township," and the Township's Building/Zoning/Engineering page says its Engineering Department "handles all inquiries regarding building permits" and lists Great Valley Consultants as the Township Engineer and as its "Building & Fire Code Official." Permit applications go to the Engineering Department at the Township offices, 4975 DeMoss Road, Reading. Section 150-5 adopts the Uniform Construction Code, "as amended from time to time," as the Municipal Building Code, adding Appendix F of the International Residential Code and the International Property Maintenance Code, and Article I of Chapter 150 adopts the 1996 BOCA and 1989 CABO codes with local changes on fire suppression and penalties. Chapter 150 changes nothing in the code's roofing provisions. Article I of Chapter 150 still names the 1996 BOCA National Building Code and the 1989 CABO One- and Two-Family Dwelling Code, and the Township's information sheet refers to "the current International Residential Code" without naming an edition; this record has not read the 1996 or 1989 codes' roofing text.

Exeter Township's 2026 permit papers treat replacing more than 25 percent of a roof as work under the Uniform Construction Code that needs a permit. The Township's Building Permit Information Sheet 2026 (read October 6, 2026) says "Exeter Township opted into the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code on April 19, 2004," and that this "applies to all Demolition permits, new construction," and other listed work including "replacing roof over 25%," with a $4.50 State fee. The Township's 2026 miscellaneous building permit application lists a residential "ROOF REPLACEMENT" fee of $250.00 for "reroofing over 25% regulated by UCC," and lists "Roof in progress" among the inspections required where applicable; the 2026 Fee Schedule lists "Replacement of existing roofing regulated by the UCC" at $250.00 for residential work and $300.00 for non-residential work. A full reroof is more than 25 percent of the roof; the Township's pages do not say what they require for 25 percent or less. Chapter 150 of the Township Code names no roof work. Article I (Sections 150-1 to 150-4, Ordinance No. 300, amended 2007) adopts by reference the "BOCA National Building Code of 1996" and the "CABO One- and Two-Family Dwelling Code of 1989," with local changes on fire suppression and penalties, and this record has not read the permit sections of those codes; Article II (Section 150-5) adopts the Uniform Construction Code, with Appendix F of the International Residential Code and the International Property Maintenance Code, "as amended from time to time," and keeps in force earlier building code ordinances that equal or exceed it. 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). The Department of Labor and Industry's register of municipal code change ordinances lists an Exeter Township ordinance that "Adopts Appendices E, F, and G of the International Fire Code 2006, establishes fines and permits fire authorities to set geographic limits for certain hazardous storage uses," challenged and then, as revised, approved by letter mailed January 30, 2008 and "Enacted 4 / 28 / 08"; it does not name roof work. In practice, expect the Township to require a permit for a reroof of more than 25 percent of the roof. Its fee schedule charges double the permit fee for "Issuance of Permit after construction has begun," and Section 150-4 of the Township Code sets a fine of "not more than $1,000 plus costs" for a violation of the codes Article I adopts. 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, Exeter Township administers the code through its Engineering Department, with Great Valley Consultants as its building code official (Section 150-5 of the Township Code; the Township's Building/Zoning/Engineering page). The only threshold the Township publishes for roof work is the 25 percent line quoted at the start; Chapter 150 sets none.

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, Exeter Township administers the code, with a consulting firm as its building code official: Section 150-5 of the Township Code says "This Township hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act" and allows "the retention of one or more construction code officials or third-party agencies to act on behalf of the Township," and the Township's Building/Zoning/Engineering page says its Engineering Department "handles all inquiries regarding building permits" and lists Great Valley Consultants as the Township Engineer and as its "Building & Fire Code Official." Permit applications go to the Engineering Department at the Township offices, 4975 DeMoss Road, Reading. Chapter 150 of the Township Code changes nothing in the code's reroofing provisions, and the Township's pages say nothing on roof layers. Article I of Chapter 150 still names the 1996 BOCA National Building Code and the 1989 CABO One- and Two-Family Dwelling Code, and the Township's information sheet refers to "the current International Residential Code" without naming an edition; the text above is the 2021 edition's, and the 1996 and 1989 codes' reroofing text was not read for this record.

State rules from the base code, where the state code reaches the job. Pennsylvania adopts the 2021 International Residential Code without changing Section R803, Roof Sheathing (34 Pa. Code 403.21(a)(7); the State's changes to Chapter 8 are to ridge framing and attic ventilation). Lumber roof sheathing follows Table R803.1: over rafters or beams 24 inches apart it must be at least 5/8 inch net thick. Wood structural panels "shall be identified for grade, bond classification and performance category by a grade mark or certificate of inspection issued by an approved agency," and their spans "shall not exceed the values set forth in Table R503.2.1.1(1) or APA E30." For shingles, "Asphalt shingles shall be fastened to solidly sheathed decks" (R905.2.1), and on any reroof "The structural roof components shall be capable of supporting the roof covering system and the material and equipment loads that will be encountered during installation of the roof covering system" (R908.2). These rules bind work the Uniform Construction Code reaches; the Act does not apply to "Repairs to residential buildings" or to alterations that make no structural change, "except as might be required by ordinances" (Act 45 section 104(b)(5) and (6)). Act 45 section 104(b)(5) excludes alterations "which do not make structural changes or changes to means of egress" and says only that "a structural change does not include a minor framing change needed to replace existing windows or doors"; 34 Pa. Code 403.62(d)(2) lists "The removal or cutting of any structural beam or load-bearing support" as not an ordinary repair. Neither names roof sheathing; this record does not decide whether replacing it is either. Everything above is Pennsylvania state law, the same in every municipality. Locally, Exeter Township administers the code, with a consulting firm as its building code official: Section 150-5 of the Township Code says "This Township hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act" and allows "the retention of one or more construction code officials or third-party agencies to act on behalf of the Township," and the Township's Building/Zoning/Engineering page says its Engineering Department "handles all inquiries regarding building permits" and lists Great Valley Consultants as the Township Engineer and as its "Building & Fire Code Official." Permit applications go to the Engineering Department at the Township offices, 4975 DeMoss Road, Reading. Chapter 150 of the Township Code changes nothing in the code's roof sheathing provisions, and the Township's 25 percent reroofing line draws no separate line for roof sheathing. Article I of Chapter 150 still names the 1996 BOCA National Building Code and the 1989 CABO One- and Two-Family Dwelling Code, and the Township's information sheet refers to "the current International Residential Code" without naming an edition; the text above is the 2021 edition's, and the 1996 and 1989 codes' sheathing text was not read for this record.

6% Pennsylvania sales and use tax, with a local tax added on purchases made in Allegheny County (1%) and Philadelphia (2%). On a reroof the roofer pays the tax on the materials and does not add it to the homeowner's bill. The Department of Revenue says: "The Pennsylvania sales tax rate is 6 percent. By law, a 1 percent local tax is added to purchases made in Allegheny County, and 2 percent local tax is added to purchases made in Philadelphia." Roof work is a construction activity: the rule's list of items "presumed to become a permanent part of real estate" includes "Roofing (repairs)" (61 Pa. Code 31.11). For construction activities, "A contractor shall pay tax upon the purchase price ... of all property, including materials, equipment, components and supplies, which he furnishes and installs" (61 Pa. Code 31.12(a)(1)), and the rule's example says the contractor "does not charge sales tax on this transaction to his customer. The contractor may include the tax he must pay in his bid proposal but not as a separately stated item." Apart from limited exceptions set out in the rule, the same holds on jobs for tax-exempt owners: "a contractor erecting a building, repairing a roof, replacing a door for a governmental agency, ... school district, charitable or religious organization, and the like, shall pay tax upon the property which he consumes" (61 Pa. Code 31.13(a)). Everything above is Pennsylvania state law, the same in every municipality. Exeter Township is in Berks County. The Township's permit pages say nothing on sales tax.