The Roofing Book

Permitting Authorities / City of Hazleton - Licenses & Permits Office

Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Hazleton, PA?

Adopted code

City of Hazleton - Licenses & Permits Office

Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Hazleton, PA, issued by City of Hazleton - Licenses & Permits Office. Read October 6, 2026, the City's Permits and Licenses page says "Building permits are required for any interior renovations to your property including plumbing, electrical and general repair. Building permits are also required for exterior renovations including new siding, roof or sidewalk, the addition of sheds and fences and paving, and blacktop and concrete work." Section 180-13 of the City Code (Ord. No. 2015-8, amended by Ord. No. 2022-5), headed "Work authorization permit required for types of work exempt from Uniform Construction Code," says a City work authorization permit "shall be required of an owner or authorized agent to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish or change" listed work, including "Alterations to residential buildings which do not make structural changes or changes to the means of egress" and "Repairs to residential buildings, with the exception of painting, papering, tiling, carpeting and similar work." It names no roof work. 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 two Hazleton City filings: one that "Requires a building permit for all residential alterations and repairs, except for painting, papering, tiling, carpeting and similar finish work," enacted June 18, 2009, and shown as rescinded January 22, 2014; and one that "Requires a building permit for all repairs to residential buildings with the exception of painting, papering, tiling, carpeting and similar work," with an approval letter mailed January 7, 2014. In practice, plan on a City permit for any reroof, as the City's permit page says. Section 180-9 says "Failure to obtain a construction work permit, those activities and fees outlined in the currently effective fee schedule, shall result in a penalty of two times the cost of obtaining the permit, plus administrative fees," and Section 180-12 says a third offense "shall result in suspension of the license of the contractor performing the work for the remainder of the calendar year." The City's fee schedule lists "180-15 Work Permits" at $60.00 and refers UCC permits to "See UCC Fee Schedule"; the permit page says to call the License & Permits office at (570) 459-4960 for the cost of a building permit and that "permit applications can require up to 15 days for a residential property." It adds "All outstanding fees and fines must be paid up before a permit can be issued. This includes property taxes, garbage, water and sewer." Section 180-13 also requires the work authorization permit to be "posted in a conspicuous area where the work is being done and visible from an exterior public access area." Separately, Section 399-1 makes owners of a building "with a metal roof" near a sidewalk, street or neighboring property responsible to "install snow cleats, barriers, or other such structural impediments" where sliding snow and ice could cause harm. The offices are at City Hall, 40 North Church Street, third floor, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; office main phone (570) 459-4925.

Roof code checklist: Hazleton, PA

ItemAnswerCode citeSourceVerified
Permit to replace a roofYeshazletoncity.org2026-10-06
Repair permit thresholdPublishedpacodeandbulletin.gov2026-10-06
Layer limit / roof-overPublishedR908.3.1.1pacodeandbulletin.gov2026-10-06
Deck & sheathingPublishedR905.2.1pacodeandbulletin.gov2026-10-06
Drip edgeNot published
Ice & water shieldNot published
Mid-roof inspectionNot published
Impact-resistant (Class 4) roofingNot published
Wind design criteriaNot published
Adopted codePublishedSec. 180-1pacodeandbulletin.gov2026-10-06
Contractor license / registrationYespalegis.us2026-10-06
Sales & use taxPublishedpa.gov2026-10-06

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
City of Hazleton, Pennsylvania
Jurisdiction type
city
Address
40 North Church Street, third floor, Hazleton, PA 18201
Contact
  • url: https://www.hazletoncity.org/departments/permits-and-licenses
  • phone: 570-459-4925
Roofing permit required
Required
Contractor registration required
Required
Registration details
  • state_level: Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act, Act 132 of 2008, 73 P.S. 517.1 et seq.: registration with the Attorney General's Bureau of Consumer Protection before performing any home improvement over $500 (section 2, section 3(a)); persons whose home improvements totalled less than $5,000 in the previous taxable year are not "contractors" (section 2). Section 12 precludes local registration or licensing of home improvement contractors, with carve-outs for building permits, pre-existing tested trade licences, and local insurance standards adopted before January 1, 2006.
  • city_level: Chapter 184 of the City Code requires a City contractor licence and fee for contractors working for commercial or industrial entities, and Section 184-2 says "Contractors performing work for private residences as defined above are not subject to this license"; Section 184-3 asks every contractor for proof of $500,000/$500,000 liability insurance at licence application. The City's Permits and Licenses page says "Anyone conducting business within the Hazleton city limits must pay a license fee," a general business licence.
Permit process note
Read October 6, 2026, the City's Permits and Licenses page says "Building permits are required for any interior renovations to your property including plumbing, electrical and general repair. Building permits are also required for exterior renovations including new siding, roof or sidewalk, the addition of sheds and fences and paving, and blacktop and concrete work." Section 180-13 of the City Code (Ord. No. 2015-8, amended by Ord. No. 2022-5), headed "Work authorization permit required for types of work exempt from Uniform Construction Code," says a City work authorization permit "shall be required of an owner or authorized agent to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish or change" listed work, including "Alterations to residential buildings which do not make structural changes or changes to the means of egress" and "Repairs to residential buildings, with the exception of painting, papering, tiling, carpeting and similar work." It names no roof work. 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 two Hazleton City filings: one that "Requires a building permit for all residential alterations and repairs, except for painting, papering, tiling, carpeting and similar finish work," enacted June 18, 2009, and shown as rescinded January 22, 2014; and one that "Requires a building permit for all repairs to residential buildings with the exception of painting, papering, tiling, carpeting and similar work," with an approval letter mailed January 7, 2014. In practice, plan on a City permit for any reroof, as the City's permit page says. Section 180-9 says "Failure to obtain a construction work permit, those activities and fees outlined in the currently effective fee schedule, shall result in a penalty of two times the cost of obtaining the permit, plus administrative fees," and Section 180-12 says a third offense "shall result in suspension of the license of the contractor performing the work for the remainder of the calendar year." The City's fee schedule lists "180-15 Work Permits" at $60.00 and refers UCC permits to "See UCC Fee Schedule"; the permit page says to call the License & Permits office at (570) 459-4960 for the cost of a building permit and that "permit applications can require up to 15 days for a residential property." It adds "All outstanding fees and fines must be paid up before a permit can be issued. This includes property taxes, garbage, water and sewer." Section 180-13 also requires the work authorization permit to be "posted in a conspicuous area where the work is being done and visible from an exterior public access area." Separately, Section 399-1 makes owners of a building "with a metal roof" near a sidewalk, street or neighboring property responsible to "install snow cleats, barriers, or other such structural impediments" where sliding snow and ice could cause harm. The offices are at City Hall, 40 North Church Street, third floor, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; office main phone (570) 459-4925.
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, the City of Hazleton administers the code itself: Section 180-1 of the City Code says "This municipality hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," its Permits and Licenses page answers "When do I need to obtain a building permit?" and sends fee questions to the License & Permits office, and its Building Inspections page lists the City's PAUCC Building Inspector with office hours at City Hall. Section 180-3 lets the City act through its own code official or a retained third-party agency; the pages read do not say which arrangement the inspector works under. Chapter 180 of the City Code, Construction Codes (Articles I to III, Sections 180-1 to 180-17), read in full, adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time" (Section 180-2, amended by Ord. No. 2022-5) and changes nothing in the code's roofing provisions; it names no code edition. Section 180-13 of the City Code (Ord. No. 2015-8, amended by Ord. No. 2022-5), headed "Work authorization permit required for types of work exempt from Uniform Construction Code," says a City work authorization permit "shall be required of an owner or authorized agent to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish or change" listed work, including "Alterations to residential buildings which do not make structural changes or changes to the means of egress" and "Repairs to residential buildings, with the exception of painting, papering, tiling, carpeting and similar work." It names no roof work. The City's Building Inspections page links its design criteria as "Design Criteria (Prevailing Code 2018 Edition of IBC)" and the City's code names no edition; the text above is the 2021 edition's, and the 2018 edition's text was not read for this record. The City names roof work as permit work on its permit page, quoted in the permit entries of this record.
Repair permit threshold
The City of Hazleton treats roof work as permit work and states no size threshold for it. Read October 6, 2026, the City's Permits and Licenses page says "Building permits are required for any interior renovations to your property including plumbing, electrical and general repair. Building permits are also required for exterior renovations including new siding, roof or sidewalk, the addition of sheds and fences and paving, and blacktop and concrete work." Section 180-13 of the City Code (Ord. No. 2015-8, amended by Ord. No. 2022-5), headed "Work authorization permit required for types of work exempt from Uniform Construction Code," says a City work authorization permit "shall be required of an owner or authorized agent to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish or change" listed work, including "Alterations to residential buildings which do not make structural changes or changes to the means of egress" and "Repairs to residential buildings, with the exception of painting, papering, tiling, carpeting and similar work." It names no roof work. The page and the code name no roof work as exempt. 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 two Hazleton City filings: one that "Requires a building permit for all residential alterations and repairs, except for painting, papering, tiling, carpeting and similar finish work," enacted June 18, 2009, and shown as rescinded January 22, 2014; and one that "Requires a building permit for all repairs to residential buildings with the exception of painting, papering, tiling, carpeting and similar work," with an approval letter mailed January 7, 2014. State law sets no square-footage or percentage threshold for roof work; any threshold is set locally. The Uniform Construction Code "does not apply to" "Alterations to residential buildings which do not make structural changes or changes to means of egress, except as required by ordinances in effect under sections 303(b)(1) or 503 of the act" or to "Repairs to residential buildings, except as required by ordinances in effect under sections 303(b)(1) and 503 of the act" (34 Pa. Code 403.1(b)(8) and (9)), and "A permit is not required for the exceptions listed in § 403.1(b) (relating to scope) and the following, if the work does not violate a law or ordinance" (34 Pa. Code 403.62(c)). For houses the regulation adds: "An ordinary repair does not require a permit." Its list of work that is not an ordinary repair names cutting away a load-bearing wall, "The removal or cutting of any structural beam or load-bearing support," changes to a required means of egress, and new or relocated piping, wiring or mechanical work (34 Pa. Code 403.62(d)); roofing is not named. A municipality may require more: under Act 45 section 503(c) it "may enact ordinances pursuant to this section which adopt additional code requirements for alterations or repairs to residential buildings," after a public hearing and after filing the proposed ordinance with the Department of Labor and Industry. These rules concern a "Residential building," which the regulation defines as "Detached one-family and two-family dwellings and townhouses which are not more than three stories above grade plane in height with a separate means of egress and their accessory structures" (34 Pa. Code 401.1). Everything above is Pennsylvania state law, the same in every municipality. Locally, the City of Hazleton administers the code itself: Section 180-1 of the City Code says "This municipality hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," its Permits and Licenses page answers "When do I need to obtain a building permit?" and sends fee questions to the License & Permits office, and its Building Inspections page lists the City's PAUCC Building Inspector with office hours at City Hall. Section 180-3 lets the City act through its own code official or a retained third-party agency; the pages read do not say which arrangement the inspector works under. Chapter 180 of the City Code, Construction Codes (Articles I to III, Sections 180-1 to 180-17), read in full, adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time" (Section 180-2, amended by Ord. No. 2022-5) and changes nothing in the code's roofing provisions; it names no code edition.
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, the City of Hazleton administers the code itself: Section 180-1 of the City Code says "This municipality hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," its Permits and Licenses page answers "When do I need to obtain a building permit?" and sends fee questions to the License & Permits office, and its Building Inspections page lists the City's PAUCC Building Inspector with office hours at City Hall. Section 180-3 lets the City act through its own code official or a retained third-party agency; the pages read do not say which arrangement the inspector works under. Chapter 180 of the City Code, Construction Codes (Articles I to III, Sections 180-1 to 180-17), read in full, adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time" (Section 180-2, amended by Ord. No. 2022-5) and changes nothing in the code's roofing provisions; it names no code edition. The City's pages say nothing on roof layers. The City's Building Inspections page links its design criteria as "Design Criteria (Prevailing Code 2018 Edition of IBC)" and the City's code names no edition; the text above is the 2021 edition's, and the 2018 edition's text was not read for this record.
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, the City of Hazleton administers the code itself: Section 180-1 of the City Code says "This municipality hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," its Permits and Licenses page answers "When do I need to obtain a building permit?" and sends fee questions to the License & Permits office, and its Building Inspections page lists the City's PAUCC Building Inspector with office hours at City Hall. Section 180-3 lets the City act through its own code official or a retained third-party agency; the pages read do not say which arrangement the inspector works under. Chapter 180 of the City Code, Construction Codes (Articles I to III, Sections 180-1 to 180-17), read in full, adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time" (Section 180-2, amended by Ord. No. 2022-5) and changes nothing in the code's roofing provisions; it names no code edition. The City's pages draw no line for roof sheathing. The City's Building Inspections page links its design criteria as "Design Criteria (Prevailing Code 2018 Edition of IBC)" and the City's code names no edition; the text above is the 2021 edition's, and the 2018 edition's text was not read for this record.
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. Hazleton is in Luzerne County. The City offices that administer the Uniform Construction Code there state nothing on sales tax on the pages and fee schedule read for this record.

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The City of Hazleton's Licenses & Permits office, on the third floor of City Hall at 40 North Church Street, issues building permits, and the City's Building Inspections page lists its PAUCC Building Inspector; the City's permit page names a new roof among the exterior renovations that need a building permit. The Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code applies statewide, but the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act (Act 45 of 1999) says the Act "shall not apply 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)(6)).

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Sources

Roofing questions: Hazleton, PA

Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Hazleton, PA?

Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Hazleton, PA. The City of Hazleton treats roof work as permit work and states no size threshold for it. Read October 6, 2026, the City's Permits and Licenses page says "Building permits are required for any interior renovations to your property including plumbing, electrical and general repair. Building permits are also required for exterior renovations including new siding, roof or sidewalk, the addition of sheds and fences and paving, and blacktop and concrete work." Section 180-13 of the City Code (Ord. No. 2015-8, amended by Ord. No. 2022-5), headed "Work authorization permit required for types of work exempt from Uniform Construction Code," says a City work authorization permit "shall be required of an owner or authorized agent to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish or change" listed work, including "Alterations to residential buildings which do not make structural changes or changes to the means of egress" and "Repairs to residential buildings, with the exception of painting, papering, tiling, carpeting and similar work." It names no roof work. The page and the code name no roof work as exempt. 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 two Hazleton City filings: one that "Requires a building permit for all residential alterations and repairs, except for painting, papering, tiling, carpeting and similar finish work," enacted June 18, 2009, and shown as rescinded January 22, 2014; and one that "Requires a building permit for all repairs to residential buildings with the exception of painting, papering, tiling, carpeting and similar work," with an approval letter mailed January 7, 2014. State law sets no square-footage or percentage threshold for roof work; any threshold is set locally. The Uniform Construction Code "does not apply to" "Alterations to residential buildings which do not make structural changes or changes to means of egress, except as required by ordinances in effect under sections 303(b)(1) or 503 of the act" or to "Repairs to residential buildings, except as required by ordinances in effect under sections 303(b)(1) and 503 of the act" (34 Pa. Code 403.1(b)(8) and (9)), and "A permit is not required for the exceptions listed in § 403.1(b) (relating to scope) and the following, if the work does not violate a law or ordinance" (34 Pa. Code 403.62(c)). For houses the regulation adds: "An ordinary repair does not require a permit." Its list of work that is not an ordinary repair names cutting away a load-bearing wall, "The removal or cutting of any structural beam or load-bearing support," changes to a required means of egress, and new or relocated piping, wiring or mechanical work (34 Pa. Code 403.62(d)); roofing is not named. A municipality may require more: under Act 45 section 503(c) it "may enact ordinances pursuant to this section which adopt additional code requirements for alterations or repairs to residential buildings," after a public hearing and after filing the proposed ordinance with the Department of Labor and Industry. These rules concern a "Residential building," which the regulation defines as "Detached one-family and two-family dwellings and townhouses which are not more than three stories above grade plane in height with a separate means of egress and their accessory structures" (34 Pa. Code 401.1). Everything above is Pennsylvania state law, the same in every municipality. Locally, the City of Hazleton administers the code itself: Section 180-1 of the City Code says "This municipality hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," its Permits and Licenses page answers "When do I need to obtain a building permit?" and sends fee questions to the License & Permits office, and its Building Inspections page lists the City's PAUCC Building Inspector with office hours at City Hall. Section 180-3 lets the City act through its own code official or a retained third-party agency; the pages read do not say which arrangement the inspector works under. Chapter 180 of the City Code, Construction Codes (Articles I to III, Sections 180-1 to 180-17), read in full, adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time" (Section 180-2, amended by Ord. No. 2022-5) and changes nothing in the code's roofing provisions; it names no code edition.

Can you roof over an existing roof in Hazleton, 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, the City of Hazleton administers the code itself: Section 180-1 of the City Code says "This municipality hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," its Permits and Licenses page answers "When do I need to obtain a building permit?" and sends fee questions to the License & Permits office, and its Building Inspections page lists the City's PAUCC Building Inspector with office hours at City Hall. Section 180-3 lets the City act through its own code official or a retained third-party agency; the pages read do not say which arrangement the inspector works under. Chapter 180 of the City Code, Construction Codes (Articles I to III, Sections 180-1 to 180-17), read in full, adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time" (Section 180-2, amended by Ord. No. 2022-5) and changes nothing in the code's roofing provisions; it names no code edition. The City's pages say nothing on roof layers. The City's Building Inspections page links its design criteria as "Design Criteria (Prevailing Code 2018 Edition of IBC)" and the City's code names no edition; the text above is the 2021 edition's, and the 2018 edition's text was not read for this record.

Do roofing contractors need a license or registration in Hazleton, PA?

Yes.

What building code does Hazleton, 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, the City of Hazleton administers the code itself: Section 180-1 of the City Code says "This municipality hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," its Permits and Licenses page answers "When do I need to obtain a building permit?" and sends fee questions to the License & Permits office, and its Building Inspections page lists the City's PAUCC Building Inspector with office hours at City Hall. Section 180-3 lets the City act through its own code official or a retained third-party agency; the pages read do not say which arrangement the inspector works under. Chapter 180 of the City Code, Construction Codes (Articles I to III, Sections 180-1 to 180-17), read in full, adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time" (Section 180-2, amended by Ord. No. 2022-5) and changes nothing in the code's roofing provisions; it names no code edition. Section 180-13 of the City Code (Ord. No. 2015-8, amended by Ord. No. 2022-5), headed "Work authorization permit required for types of work exempt from Uniform Construction Code," says a City work authorization permit "shall be required of an owner or authorized agent to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish or change" listed work, including "Alterations to residential buildings which do not make structural changes or changes to the means of egress" and "Repairs to residential buildings, with the exception of painting, papering, tiling, carpeting and similar work." It names no roof work. The City's Building Inspections page links its design criteria as "Design Criteria (Prevailing Code 2018 Edition of IBC)" and the City's code names no edition; the text above is the 2021 edition's, and the 2018 edition's text was not read for this record. The City names roof work as permit work on its permit page, quoted in the permit entries of this record.