Permitting Authorities / City of Johnstown - Laurel Municipal Inspection Agency (Building Codes Official)

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

Adopted code

City of Johnstown - Laurel Municipal Inspection Agency (Building Codes Official)

Building permits for the City of Johnstown are handled by the Laurel Municipal Inspection Agency, the City's building code official, at 140 E. Carroll St., Carrolltown; the City's Permits page says permits are required for all repairs except painting and flooring, and names no roof work. The Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code applies statewide, but Act 45 section 104(b) lists "Repairs to residential buildings" and alterations that make no structural or egress change among work it does not apply to, "except as might be required by ordinances in effect pursuant to section 303(b)(1) or adopted pursuant to section 503."

Roof code checklist: Johnstown, PA

ItemAnswerCode citeSourceVerified
Permit to replace a roofNot published
Repair permit thresholdPublishedpacodeandbulletin.gov2026-10-07
Layer limit / roof-overPublishedR908.3.1.1pacodeandbulletin.gov2026-10-07
Deck & sheathingPublishedR905.2.1pacodeandbulletin.gov2026-10-07
Drip edgeNot published
Ice & water shieldNot published
Mid-roof inspectionNot published
Impact-resistant (Class 4) roofingNot published
Wind design criteriaNot published
Adopted codePublishedpacodeandbulletin.gov2026-10-07
Contractor license / registrationYespalegis.us2026-10-07
Sales & use taxPublishedpa.gov2026-10-07

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 Johnstown, Pennsylvania
Jurisdiction type
city
Address
140 E. Carroll St., Suite 202, Carrolltown, PA 15722
Contact
  • url: https://www.johnstownpa.gov/departments/code_enforcement/permits.php
  • phone: 814-471-0424
Contractor registration required
Required
Permit process note
No City of Johnstown text read names reroofing as permit work or as exempt. The City's Permits page (read October 7, 2026, https://www.johnstownpa.gov/departments/code_enforcement/permits.php) says "Building and Demolition permits are required for all demolition, repairs, renovations, remodels and new construction in the City, excluding painting and flooring," and lists a fee for "Residential Non-UCC and UCC Building Permits: $59.50." The agency's Residential Application, posted on its Residential Permit Information page, says "All roofing jobs must show receipt for the disposal of old roofing material." The City's 2026 fee schedule (Ordinance No. 5374) lists a "Residential Building Permit" at "$55 plus state UCC tax." The City's codified ordinances, published through the online code library linked from its Ordinances page, could not be opened for this record, so the City's Uniform Construction Code ordinance, any permit or exemption section in it, and any older building ordinance it keeps in force were not read. 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." Neither the City's statement nor the agency's application names reroofing as permit work or as exempt, and the City's code could not be read, so this record does not decide whether the City requires a permit for an ordinary reroof. Ask the Laurel Municipal Inspection Agency at 814-471-0424 before work starts. Permits are issued "to the owner, authorized agent, or the contractor doing the work"; the agency's Residential Application asks for the principal contractor's home improvement contractor number and requires a certificate of workers' compensation or an affidavit of exemption when a contractor does the work. Building permits expire after 60 days. The City's own contractor licence applies to contractors "doing commercial building or repair projects within the City." For permit questions the City sends readers to the Laurel Municipal Inspection Agency, telephone 814-471-0424, open 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday. Read for this answer: the City's Code Enforcement and Permits pages, its Ordinances page and the 2026 fee schedule (Ordinance No. 5374); the Laurel Municipal Inspection Agency's home page, participating municipalities page, Residential Permit Information page and Residential Application. The City's codified ordinances could not be read.
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 Johnstown administers the code through the Laurel Municipal Inspection Agency: the City's Permits page says "The City of Johnstown has adopted and administers PA Act 45; the Uniform Construction Code" and that the agency provides the City's "Building Codes Official (BCO)" and "Building Permits (Residential and Commercial)," and the agency, which lists the City of Johnstown among its participating municipalities, says it "was established by Inter-municipal Agreement(s) between the Agency and members Municipalities, to administer and enforce the provisions of the Uniform Construction Code Act." The agency's office is at 140 E. Carroll St., Suite 202, Carrolltown. The City's codified ordinances, published through the online code library linked from its Ordinances page, could not be opened for this record, so the City's Uniform Construction Code ordinance, any permit or exemption section in it, and any older building ordinance it keeps in force were not read. The City's codified ordinances were not read, and the City's and the agency's pages name no code edition.
Repair permit threshold
No City of Johnstown text read names reroofing as permit work or as exempt. The City's Permits page (read October 7, 2026, https://www.johnstownpa.gov/departments/code_enforcement/permits.php) says "Building and Demolition permits are required for all demolition, repairs, renovations, remodels and new construction in the City, excluding painting and flooring," and lists a fee for "Residential Non-UCC and UCC Building Permits: $59.50." The agency's Residential Application, posted on its Residential Permit Information page, says "All roofing jobs must show receipt for the disposal of old roofing material." The City's 2026 fee schedule (Ordinance No. 5374) lists a "Residential Building Permit" at "$55 plus state UCC tax." The City's codified ordinances, published through the online code library linked from its Ordinances page, could not be opened for this record, so the City's Uniform Construction Code ordinance, any permit or exemption section in it, and any older building ordinance it keeps in force were not read. 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." Neither the City's statement nor the agency's application names reroofing as permit work or as exempt, and the City's code could not be read, so this record does not decide whether the City requires a permit for an ordinary reroof. Ask the Laurel Municipal Inspection Agency at 814-471-0424 before work starts. 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 Johnstown administers the code through the Laurel Municipal Inspection Agency: the City's Permits page says "The City of Johnstown has adopted and administers PA Act 45; the Uniform Construction Code" and that the agency provides the City's "Building Codes Official (BCO)" and "Building Permits (Residential and Commercial)," and the agency, which lists the City of Johnstown among its participating municipalities, says it "was established by Inter-municipal Agreement(s) between the Agency and members Municipalities, to administer and enforce the provisions of the Uniform Construction Code Act." The agency's office is at 140 E. Carroll St., Suite 202, Carrolltown. The City's Permits page sets no area, percentage or cost threshold; its only exclusions from the building permit are painting and flooring.
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 Johnstown administers the code through the Laurel Municipal Inspection Agency: the City's Permits page says "The City of Johnstown has adopted and administers PA Act 45; the Uniform Construction Code" and that the agency provides the City's "Building Codes Official (BCO)" and "Building Permits (Residential and Commercial)," and the agency, which lists the City of Johnstown among its participating municipalities, says it "was established by Inter-municipal Agreement(s) between the Agency and members Municipalities, to administer and enforce the provisions of the Uniform Construction Code Act." The agency's office is at 140 E. Carroll St., Suite 202, Carrolltown. The City's codified ordinances, published through the online code library linked from its Ordinances page, could not be opened for this record, so the City's Uniform Construction Code ordinance, any permit or exemption section in it, and any older building ordinance it keeps in force were not read. The City's and the agency's pages say nothing on roof layers. So whether a City ordinance changes the code's reroofing provisions is not stated here. The City's codified ordinances were not read, and the City's and the agency's pages name no code edition.
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 Johnstown administers the code through the Laurel Municipal Inspection Agency: the City's Permits page says "The City of Johnstown has adopted and administers PA Act 45; the Uniform Construction Code" and that the agency provides the City's "Building Codes Official (BCO)" and "Building Permits (Residential and Commercial)," and the agency, which lists the City of Johnstown among its participating municipalities, says it "was established by Inter-municipal Agreement(s) between the Agency and members Municipalities, to administer and enforce the provisions of the Uniform Construction Code Act." The agency's office is at 140 E. Carroll St., Suite 202, Carrolltown. The City's codified ordinances, published through the online code library linked from its Ordinances page, could not be opened for this record, so the City's Uniform Construction Code ordinance, any permit or exemption section in it, and any older building ordinance it keeps in force were not read. The City's and the agency's pages draw no separate line for roof sheathing. So whether a City ordinance changes the code's roof sheathing provisions is not stated here. The City's codified ordinances were not read, and the City's and the agency's pages name no code edition.
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. The City of Johnstown is in Cambria County. The City's permit pages and fee schedule say nothing on sales tax.

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Roofing questions: Johnstown, PA

When does a roof repair need a permit in Johnstown, PA?

No City of Johnstown text read names reroofing as permit work or as exempt. The City's Permits page (read October 7, 2026, https://www.johnstownpa.gov/departments/code_enforcement/permits.php) says "Building and Demolition permits are required for all demolition, repairs, renovations, remodels and new construction in the City, excluding painting and flooring," and lists a fee for "Residential Non-UCC and UCC Building Permits: $59.50." The agency's Residential Application, posted on its Residential Permit Information page, says "All roofing jobs must show receipt for the disposal of old roofing material." The City's 2026 fee schedule (Ordinance No. 5374) lists a "Residential Building Permit" at "$55 plus state UCC tax." The City's codified ordinances, published through the online code library linked from its Ordinances page, could not be opened for this record, so the City's Uniform Construction Code ordinance, any permit or exemption section in it, and any older building ordinance it keeps in force were not read. 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." Neither the City's statement nor the agency's application names reroofing as permit work or as exempt, and the City's code could not be read, so this record does not decide whether the City requires a permit for an ordinary reroof. Ask the Laurel Municipal Inspection Agency at 814-471-0424 before work starts. 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 Johnstown administers the code through the Laurel Municipal Inspection Agency: the City's Permits page says "The City of Johnstown has adopted and administers PA Act 45; the Uniform Construction Code" and that the agency provides the City's "Building Codes Official (BCO)" and "Building Permits (Residential and Commercial)," and the agency, which lists the City of Johnstown among its participating municipalities, says it "was established by Inter-municipal Agreement(s) between the Agency and members Municipalities, to administer and enforce the provisions of the Uniform Construction Code Act." The agency's office is at 140 E. Carroll St., Suite 202, Carrolltown. The City's Permits page sets no area, percentage or cost threshold; its only exclusions from the building permit are painting and flooring.

Can you roof over an existing roof in Johnstown, 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 Johnstown administers the code through the Laurel Municipal Inspection Agency: the City's Permits page says "The City of Johnstown has adopted and administers PA Act 45; the Uniform Construction Code" and that the agency provides the City's "Building Codes Official (BCO)" and "Building Permits (Residential and Commercial)," and the agency, which lists the City of Johnstown among its participating municipalities, says it "was established by Inter-municipal Agreement(s) between the Agency and members Municipalities, to administer and enforce the provisions of the Uniform Construction Code Act." The agency's office is at 140 E. Carroll St., Suite 202, Carrolltown. The City's codified ordinances, published through the online code library linked from its Ordinances page, could not be opened for this record, so the City's Uniform Construction Code ordinance, any permit or exemption section in it, and any older building ordinance it keeps in force were not read. The City's and the agency's pages say nothing on roof layers. So whether a City ordinance changes the code's reroofing provisions is not stated here. The City's codified ordinances were not read, and the City's and the agency's pages name no code edition.

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

Yes.

What building code does Johnstown, 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 Johnstown administers the code through the Laurel Municipal Inspection Agency: the City's Permits page says "The City of Johnstown has adopted and administers PA Act 45; the Uniform Construction Code" and that the agency provides the City's "Building Codes Official (BCO)" and "Building Permits (Residential and Commercial)," and the agency, which lists the City of Johnstown among its participating municipalities, says it "was established by Inter-municipal Agreement(s) between the Agency and members Municipalities, to administer and enforce the provisions of the Uniform Construction Code Act." The agency's office is at 140 E. Carroll St., Suite 202, Carrolltown. The City's codified ordinances, published through the online code library linked from its Ordinances page, could not be opened for this record, so the City's Uniform Construction Code ordinance, any permit or exemption section in it, and any older building ordinance it keeps in force were not read. The City's codified ordinances were not read, and the City's and the agency's pages name no code edition.