Heidelberg Township - Zoning and Building Permits (York County)

Township of Heidelberg, Pennsylvania (York County)

city

6424 York Road, Spring Grove, PA 17362

Required

Required

The permit a reroof needs here is Heidelberg Township's Zoning Permit, a local permit, not a Uniform Construction Code building permit: the Township's "What permit do I need?" sheet, under its "Items that require a Zoning Permit" list, says "Non-structural alterations to a residential or accessory building such as window, siding, gutter, or roof replacements; remodeling; patios" (read Oct 10, 2026). This record does not decide whether a reroof also needs a Uniform Construction Code building permit. The same sheet opens "Items not regulated under the PA UCC require a Zoning Permit," lists "Major/structural alterations to existing structures" under "Items that require a Building Permit," and says "This is not a complete list. Additional items and circumstances vary." The Township's Zoning Permit Application has a "Roof Replacement" box and says "I understand that this application is for Zoning related work only, and any work requiring inspections or that falls under UCC requirements will not be performed under this application." Section 11.2.A.1.b of the Zoning Ordinance exempts "repairs or maintenance" without naming roof work, and the Township's own sheet, as the issuing office's current statement, lists roof replacements as zoning permit work; this record quotes both and does not decide how they fit together. Section 11.2.A.1 of the Township's Zoning Ordinance (Ordinance 11-4, amended December 7, 2011, read October 10, 2026) requires a zoning permit before a "building and/or structure hereafter being erected or established, constructed, altered, extended, relocated, removed or demolished, except as provided below," and Section 11.2.A.1.b says "No zoning permit shall be required for repairs or maintenance of any structure or land provided such repairs do not change the use or the exterior dimensions of the structure, or otherwise violate the provisions of this Ordinance." 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 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 Zoning Permit requirement is one adopted under section 503, kept in effect by section 303(b)(1), or made under the municipality's other powers. The Township's posted zoning fee schedule from its contracted agency says "Extra services involving enforcement for work performed without a permit will be charged to the property owner at a per inspection rate," its 2022 fee resolution sets a zoning "Application Fee $50.00 due to township at time of application submission," and its Zoning Permit Application says "$50 deposit due at the time of permit application drop off for residential work." Ask the Township office (717-225-6606, "Zoning/Permitting -Ext 130") before starting; the office is open Monday through Thursday, 9:00 AM until 1:00 PM. Read for this answer: the Township's "What permit do I need?" sheet, Building Permit Application Guide, Building Permit Application, Zoning Permit Application, 2022 fee resolution (Resolution 2022-3) with the agency fee schedules attached to it, and its Zoning, Resolutions and Ordinances and Contact pages; and Section 11.2 of its Zoning Ordinance, which is posted only as scanned page images (the page quoted was read from the page image and the rest of the ordinance was searched for "roof" and "repair"). The Township's ordinance adopting the Uniform Construction Code was not found among the ordinances and resolutions posted on its website and was not read for this record.

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 administers the code itself through a contracted code inspection agency and takes permit applications at its Township office, 6424 York Road, Spring Grove: its Building Permit Application Guide says "A Building Permit application is used for all projects that fall under the PA UCC. If work is exempt from the UCC, a Zoning Permit application would be used," its Building Permit Application says "Use this form for all PA UCC required projects," and its 2022 fee resolution lists "Building Permit Fees- Township" and attaches the contracted agency's residential building, commercial building and zoning fee schedules. The Township's pages read name no code edition.

Not required — No impact-resistance requirement under state law. The State's adoption of the 2021 International Residential Code (34 Pa. Code 403.21) contains no hail or impact rule, and it makes no change to the code's roof assemblies chapter, which itself has no UL 2218, Class 4 or hail-impact requirement for roof coverings. A municipality could add one only by an ordinance that equals or exceeds the Uniform Construction Code under Act 45 section 503, filed with the Department of Labor and Industry; none of the filings on the Department's register of municipal code change ordinances mentions hail or impact resistance. An owner may still choose an impact-rated roof covering. Everything above is Pennsylvania state law, the same in every municipality. Locally, Heidelberg Township administers the code itself through a contracted code inspection agency and takes permit applications at its Township office, 6424 York Road, Spring Grove: its Building Permit Application Guide says "A Building Permit application is used for all projects that fall under the PA UCC. If work is exempt from the UCC, a Zoning Permit application would be used," its Building Permit Application says "Use this form for all PA UCC required projects," and its 2022 fee resolution lists "Building Permit Fees- Township" and attaches the contracted agency's residential building, commercial building and zoning fee schedules. The Township's pages read for this record contain no UL 2218, Class 4 or hail-impact requirement.

Heidelberg Township's own "What permit do I need?" sheet lists, under "Items that require a Zoning Permit," "Non-structural alterations to a residential or accessory building such as window, siding, gutter, or roof replacements; remodeling; patios" (read October 10, 2026), and the Zoning Permit is a local permit, not a Uniform Construction Code building permit. Section 11.2.A.1 of the Township's Zoning Ordinance (Ordinance 11-4, amended December 7, 2011, read October 10, 2026) requires a zoning permit before a "building and/or structure hereafter being erected or established, constructed, altered, extended, relocated, removed or demolished, except as provided below," and Section 11.2.A.1.b says "No zoning permit shall be required for repairs or maintenance of any structure or land provided such repairs do not change the use or the exterior dimensions of the structure, or otherwise violate the provisions of this Ordinance." 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 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 Zoning Permit requirement is one adopted under section 503, kept in effect by section 303(b)(1), or made under the municipality's other powers. The Township's posted zoning fee schedule from its contracted agency says "Extra services involving enforcement for work performed without a permit will be charged to the property owner at a per inspection rate," its 2022 fee resolution sets a zoning "Application Fee $50.00 due to township at time of application submission," and its Zoning Permit Application says "$50 deposit due at the time of permit application drop off for residential work." 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 administers the code itself through a contracted code inspection agency and takes permit applications at its Township office, 6424 York Road, Spring Grove: its Building Permit Application Guide says "A Building Permit application is used for all projects that fall under the PA UCC. If work is exempt from the UCC, a Zoning Permit application would be used," its Building Permit Application says "Use this form for all PA UCC required projects," and its 2022 fee resolution lists "Building Permit Fees- Township" and attaches the contracted agency's residential building, commercial building and zoning fee schedules. The Township pages read name roof replacement as Zoning Permit work and set no area or cost threshold for it.

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 administers the code itself through a contracted code inspection agency and takes permit applications at its Township office, 6424 York Road, Spring Grove: its Building Permit Application Guide says "A Building Permit application is used for all projects that fall under the PA UCC. If work is exempt from the UCC, a Zoning Permit application would be used," its Building Permit Application says "Use this form for all PA UCC required projects," and its 2022 fee resolution lists "Building Permit Fees- Township" and attaches the contracted agency's residential building, commercial building and zoning fee schedules. The Township's pages say nothing on roof layers. Its "What permit do I need?" sheet lists roof replacements under the Zoning Permit.

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 administers the code itself through a contracted code inspection agency and takes permit applications at its Township office, 6424 York Road, Spring Grove: its Building Permit Application Guide says "A Building Permit application is used for all projects that fall under the PA UCC. If work is exempt from the UCC, a Zoning Permit application would be used," its Building Permit Application says "Use this form for all PA UCC required projects," and its 2022 fee resolution lists "Building Permit Fees- Township" and attaches the contracted agency's residential building, commercial building and zoning fee schedules. The Township's Building Permit Application Guide asks building permit drawings to show "Roof sheathing - thickness, type, and edge blocking" and "Roof covering"; its pages draw no separate line for replacing roof sheathing.

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 York County. The Township's permit pages and 2022 fee resolution say nothing on sales tax.