Heidelberg Township - Permit Office

Township of Heidelberg, Pennsylvania (Lehigh County)

city

6272 Route 309, New Tripoli, PA 18066

Required

Heidelberg Township's code and pages read for this record do not say whether a house reroof needs a permit. Section 5-102 of the Township Code says "The Uniform Construction Code, contained in 34 Pa. Code, Chapters 401-405, as amended from time to time, is hereby adopted and incorporated herein by reference as the municipal building code of Heidelberg Township," and Part 1 adds no permit clause of its own for house repairs; Section 5-106 keeps building code ordinances adopted on or before July 1, 1999 that "equal or exceed the requirements of the Code," and Section 5-109 says "All relevant ordinances, regulations and policies of Heidelberg Township not governed by the Code shall remain in full force and effect." The Township's residential building permits page (read October 10, 2026) lists work for which "A permit is NOT REQUIRED" (fences, retaining walls, water tanks, sidewalks, prefabricated pools, playground equipment, window awnings, low decks and communications wiring) and repeats the regulation's sentence "An ordinary repair does not require a permit," with the list of work that is not an ordinary repair; none of those lines names roof work. The page says to call the Township office "BEFORE SCHEDULING OR BEGINNING WORK to verify if a permit is required." The Township's Zoning Ordinance, Section 27-1203, headed Building Permits, says "A building permit shall not be required for minor repairs to existing buildings or structures, provided that no structural changes or modifications are involved" and "Building permits shall also be required for any reconstruction, enlargement, alteration, raising, or relocation of any building or structure"; that section has the Zoning Officer issue the permit, states an intent to "prevent or minimize flood damage," and names no roof work. The Township's zoning permit page cites Section 27-1203 and adds "No zoning permit is required for normal maintenance and repairs." The Township's 2026 fee resolution (Resolution #2026-12), read from the rendered page images of its scanned file, names roof only in "Deck, Patio or Porch w/roof" and "Solar and Photovoltaic Panel System installations either roof or ground mounted," and prices renovations and alterations by floor area; it has no reroofing line. 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." This record does not state whether the Township requires a permit for a house reroof, and does not decide whether a house reroof is a "minor repair" or an "alteration" under Section 27-1203; ask the Township office (610-767-9297, extension 1) before starting. The office is open Monday to Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Fridays by appointment only. Read for this answer: Part 1 of Chapter 5 of the Township Code (Sections 5-101 to 5-109) in full; Section 27-1203 of the Zoning Ordinance in full; every one of the 33 sections that a search of the Township Code for "roof" lists, which found no permit provision naming roof work (a search for "reroofing" found none); the Township's Permits, UCC permit, residential building permit, zoning permit, commercial permit, fee schedule, ordinances and municipal office pages; and the 2026 fee resolution.

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, Heidelberg Township takes building permit applications at its municipal office, 6272 Route 309, New Tripoli (610-767-9297, extension 1 for permits), and its UCC permit page says "Permits can be submitted by email, mail, or in person at the municipal building." Part 1 of Chapter 5 of the Township Code (Ord. 2004-2, June 10, 2004, read October 10, 2026) says "Heidelberg Township hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act" and lets the Township retain "one or more construction code officials or third-party agencies to act on behalf of the Township"; the Township's 2026 fee resolution carries its third-party inspection agency's residential building permit fee schedule and refers to "Third-Party Inspection Agency" review. Section 5-102 of the Township Code says "The Uniform Construction Code, contained in 34 Pa. Code, Chapters 401-405, as amended from time to time, is hereby adopted and incorporated herein by reference as the municipal building code of Heidelberg Township," and Part 1 adds no permit clause of its own for house repairs; Section 5-106 keeps building code ordinances adopted on or before July 1, 1999 that "equal or exceed the requirements of the Code," and Section 5-109 says "All relevant ordinances, regulations and policies of Heidelberg Township not governed by the Code shall remain in full force and effect." The Township's UCC permit page says "The codes applicable to work for which a construction permit is sought on or after February 14, 2022, are the 2018 International Codes issued by the International Code Council (ICC)," and its Permits page says the codes for permits sought on or after October 1, 2018 are "the 2015 International Codes"; the text above is the 2021 edition's, neither older edition's text was read for this record, and this record does not decide which edition the Township applies.

Heidelberg Township's Uniform Construction Code ordinance names no roof work, and the Township's pages name no roofing permit. Section 5-102 of the Township Code says "The Uniform Construction Code, contained in 34 Pa. Code, Chapters 401-405, as amended from time to time, is hereby adopted and incorporated herein by reference as the municipal building code of Heidelberg Township," and Part 1 adds no permit clause of its own for house repairs; Section 5-106 keeps building code ordinances adopted on or before July 1, 1999 that "equal or exceed the requirements of the Code," and Section 5-109 says "All relevant ordinances, regulations and policies of Heidelberg Township not governed by the Code shall remain in full force and effect." The Township's residential building permits page (read October 10, 2026) lists work for which "A permit is NOT REQUIRED" (fences, retaining walls, water tanks, sidewalks, prefabricated pools, playground equipment, window awnings, low decks and communications wiring) and repeats the regulation's sentence "An ordinary repair does not require a permit," with the list of work that is not an ordinary repair; none of those lines names roof work. The page says to call the Township office "BEFORE SCHEDULING OR BEGINNING WORK to verify if a permit is required." The Township's Zoning Ordinance, Section 27-1203, headed Building Permits, says "A building permit shall not be required for minor repairs to existing buildings or structures, provided that no structural changes or modifications are involved" and "Building permits shall also be required for any reconstruction, enlargement, alteration, raising, or relocation of any building or structure"; that section has the Zoning Officer issue the permit, states an intent to "prevent or minimize flood damage," and names no roof work. The Township's zoning permit page cites Section 27-1203 and adds "No zoning permit is required for normal maintenance and repairs." The Township's 2026 fee resolution (Resolution #2026-12), read from the rendered page images of its scanned file, names roof only in "Deck, Patio or Porch w/roof" and "Solar and Photovoltaic Panel System installations either roof or ground mounted," and prices renovations and alterations by floor area; it has no reroofing line. 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, Heidelberg Township takes building permit applications at its municipal office, 6272 Route 309, New Tripoli (610-767-9297, extension 1 for permits), and its UCC permit page says "Permits can be submitted by email, mail, or in person at the municipal building." Part 1 of Chapter 5 of the Township Code (Ord. 2004-2, June 10, 2004, read October 10, 2026) says "Heidelberg Township hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act" and lets the Township retain "one or more construction code officials or third-party agencies to act on behalf of the Township"; the Township's 2026 fee resolution carries its third-party inspection agency's residential building permit fee schedule and refers to "Third-Party Inspection Agency" review. No Township text read for this record sets an area or cost threshold for roof work.

Two layers at most where the state code reaches the job. Pennsylvania adopts the 2021 International Residential Code without changing its reroofing section, R908 (34 Pa. Code 403.21(a)(7); the State's list of changes names no Chapter 9 section). Section R908.3.1.1 says "A roof recover shall not be permitted where any of the following conditions occur," and the third condition is "Where the existing roof has two or more applications of any type of roof covering." So one existing layer may be covered once, and a roof that already has two layers is torn off to the deck. The same section also bars a recover "Where the existing roof or roof covering is water soaked or has deteriorated to the point that the existing roof or roof covering is not adequate as a base for additional roofing" and "Where the existing roof covering is slate, clay, cement or asbestos-cement tile." The existing-building code the State also adopts, the 2021 International Existing Building Code (34 Pa. Code 403.21(f)), carries the same three conditions in Section 705.2.1.1. These rules bind work the Uniform Construction Code reaches. The Act does not apply to "Repairs to residential buildings" or to alterations that make no structural change, "except as might be required by ordinances" (Act 45 section 104(b)(5) and (6)), so whether R908 binds a particular house reroof turns on that exclusion and on the municipality's own ordinances. Everything above is Pennsylvania state law, the same in every municipality. Locally, Heidelberg Township takes building permit applications at its municipal office, 6272 Route 309, New Tripoli (610-767-9297, extension 1 for permits), and its UCC permit page says "Permits can be submitted by email, mail, or in person at the municipal building." Part 1 of Chapter 5 of the Township Code (Ord. 2004-2, June 10, 2004, read October 10, 2026) says "Heidelberg Township hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act" and lets the Township retain "one or more construction code officials or third-party agencies to act on behalf of the Township"; the Township's 2026 fee resolution carries its third-party inspection agency's residential building permit fee schedule and refers to "Third-Party Inspection Agency" review. Part 1 of Chapter 5 of the Township Code changes nothing in the code's reroofing provisions, and the Township's pages say nothing on roof layers. The Township's UCC permit page says "The codes applicable to work for which a construction permit is sought on or after February 14, 2022, are the 2018 International Codes issued by the International Code Council (ICC)," and its Permits page says the codes for permits sought on or after October 1, 2018 are "the 2015 International Codes"; the text above is the 2021 edition's, neither older edition's reroofing text was read for this record, and this record does not decide which edition the Township applies.

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, Heidelberg Township takes building permit applications at its municipal office, 6272 Route 309, New Tripoli (610-767-9297, extension 1 for permits), and its UCC permit page says "Permits can be submitted by email, mail, or in person at the municipal building." Part 1 of Chapter 5 of the Township Code (Ord. 2004-2, June 10, 2004, read October 10, 2026) says "Heidelberg Township hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act" and lets the Township retain "one or more construction code officials or third-party agencies to act on behalf of the Township"; the Township's 2026 fee resolution carries its third-party inspection agency's residential building permit fee schedule and refers to "Third-Party Inspection Agency" review. Part 1 of Chapter 5 of the Township Code changes nothing in the code's roof sheathing provisions, and the Township's pages draw no separate line for roof sheathing. The Township's UCC permit page says "The codes applicable to work for which a construction permit is sought on or after February 14, 2022, are the 2018 International Codes issued by the International Code Council (ICC)," and its Permits page says the codes for permits sought on or after October 1, 2018 are "the 2015 International Codes"; the text above is the 2021 edition's, neither older edition's sheathing text was read for this record, and this record does not decide which edition the Township applies.

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. Heidelberg Township is in Lehigh County. The Township's permit pages and 2026 fee resolution say nothing on sales tax.