Jurisdiction
Township of Loyalsock, Pennsylvania
Address
2501 East Third Street, Williamsport, PA 17701
Contact
- url: https://loyalsocktownshipbos.com/building-construction/
- phone: 570-323-6151
Roofing permit required
Not required
Contractor registration required
Required
Permit process note
Outside floodplain areas, Loyalsock Township's Office of Building and Codes lists replacement of existing roofing material with no structural changes as work needing no building permit; its exemptions do not apply in floodplain areas. The Office of Building and Codes links a list headed "Loyalsock Township Building Permit Exemptions - This Is A General Listing, Contact the Township Building Office for Any Clarifications" (read October 9, 2026), which says "This list applies to building permits only and for non-flood plain areas only" and names, as item 11, "Replacement of existing roofing material if no structural changes are made." The office's Building and Construction page adds "Building exemptions do not apply to floodplain areas" and "Zoning permits may still be required where building permit exemptions exist." Its residential alterations guide lists "Removing or relocating a bearing wall, beam or other support structure" among alterations that need a permit and says "This list is not all inclusive so if you are not sure, please contact the township building office prior to construction." Section 103-7B of the Township Code (Ord. No. 325, adopted August 12, 2008, read October 9, 2026) amends 34 Pa. Code 403.1(b)(8) to read "Alterations to residential buildings will require the issuance of a building permit except where excluded by the UCC regulation at 403.62(c)," and names no roof work. The regulation's exceptions include "An ordinary repair does not require a permit" (34 Pa. Code 403.62), which defines no ordinary repair and sets no area or cost limit. Ordinance No. 402 (enacted November 25, 2025, effective January 1, 2026), which adopts the 2021 International Residential Code, amends its sections R105.5 and R108 but makes no change to the code's permit-exemption section or to Chapter 9. The Township's fee schedule (Resolution 2017-22, effective January 1, 2018) has a "Residential & Commercial Alterations" line and no roofing line, and its construction permit application lists no roofing permit type. The enacted text names no roof work either way; the no-permit line is the office's stated practice, and this record does not decide whether it is the office's reading of the regulation's exceptions. 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"; 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"; 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 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 a Loyalsock Township ordinance that "Requires a building permit for all residential alterations except for minor framing changes needed to replace windows and doors," with an approval letter mailed June 2, 2008, "Enacted: 8 / 12 / 08." The fee schedule says "Anyone who begins working without a permit is subject to" added charges of $100 to $200, depending on the permit fee. Read for this answer: Chapter 103 of the Township Code, Construction Codes, Uniform (Sections 103-1 to 103-7), in full; Ordinance No. 402 of 2025, which adopts the 2021 International Codes and amends Chapter 100, in full; a search of the whole Township Code for "roof" and for "reroofing," which found no permit provision naming roof work; the office's Building and Construction page, its building permit exemption list and its residential alterations guide; the construction permit application; and the building permit fee schedule (Resolution 2017-22), the one the office's page links. The Township office is open Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at 570-323-6151.
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, Loyalsock Township administers the code itself: Section 103-1 of the Township Code says the Township "hereby elects to administer and enforce" the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act, Section 103-3 has a Township employee serve as the municipal code official, and the Township's Office of Building and Codes, at 2501 East Third Street, Williamsport, issues building permits. Section 103-2 adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time" as the municipal building code, and Ordinance No. 402 (enacted November 25, 2025, effective January 1, 2026) adopts the 2021 International Residential Code "as published by the International Code Council and amended and regulated in the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code"; its amendments touch sections R101.1, R105.5, R108, R309.1, R314.3, R322, R403, R408 and plumbing and mechanical sections, and none touches Chapter 9 or Section R803. The office's page says "The current codes being used for compliance is the 2021 International Code." Section 103-7B requires a building permit for residential alterations except where the regulation's exceptions apply; the office's own exemption list names roofing replacement with no structural change.
Impact-resistant roofing
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, Loyalsock Township administers the code itself: Section 103-1 of the Township Code says the Township "hereby elects to administer and enforce" the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act, Section 103-3 has a Township employee serve as the municipal code official, and the Township's Office of Building and Codes, at 2501 East Third Street, Williamsport, issues building permits. Ordinance No. 402 and Chapter 103 of the Township Code add no impact or hail rule for roof coverings.
Repair permit threshold
Loyalsock Township's Office of Building and Codes lists replacement of existing roofing material with no structural changes as work needing no building permit, outside floodplain areas. The Office of Building and Codes links a list headed "Loyalsock Township Building Permit Exemptions - This Is A General Listing, Contact the Township Building Office for Any Clarifications" (read October 9, 2026), which says "This list applies to building permits only and for non-flood plain areas only" and names, as item 11, "Replacement of existing roofing material if no structural changes are made." The office's Building and Construction page adds "Building exemptions do not apply to floodplain areas" and "Zoning permits may still be required where building permit exemptions exist." Section 103-7B of the Township Code (Ord. No. 325, adopted August 12, 2008, read October 9, 2026) amends 34 Pa. Code 403.1(b)(8) to read "Alterations to residential buildings will require the issuance of a building permit except where excluded by the UCC regulation at 403.62(c)," and names no roof work. The regulation's exceptions include "An ordinary repair does not require a permit" (34 Pa. Code 403.62), which defines no ordinary repair and sets no area or cost limit. Ordinance No. 402 (enacted November 25, 2025, effective January 1, 2026), which adopts the 2021 International Residential Code, amends its sections R105.5 and R108 but makes no change to the code's permit-exemption section or to Chapter 9. The Township's fee schedule (Resolution 2017-22, effective January 1, 2018) has a "Residential & Commercial Alterations" line and no roofing line, and its construction permit application lists no roofing permit type. The enacted text names no roof work either way; the no-permit line is the office's stated practice, and this record does not decide whether it is the office's reading of the regulation's exceptions. 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 a Loyalsock Township ordinance that "Requires a building permit for all residential alterations except for minor framing changes needed to replace windows and doors," with an approval letter mailed June 2, 2008, "Enacted: 8 / 12 / 08." 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, Loyalsock Township administers the code itself: Section 103-1 of the Township Code says the Township "hereby elects to administer and enforce" the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act, Section 103-3 has a Township employee serve as the municipal code official, and the Township's Office of Building and Codes, at 2501 East Third Street, Williamsport, issues building permits. The office's line is the one quoted at the start: replacing existing roofing material with no structural changes needs no building permit outside floodplain areas, and the Township Code sets no threshold of its own for roof work.
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, Loyalsock Township administers the code itself: Section 103-1 of the Township Code says the Township "hereby elects to administer and enforce" the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act, Section 103-3 has a Township employee serve as the municipal code official, and the Township's Office of Building and Codes, at 2501 East Third Street, Williamsport, issues building permits. Ordinance No. 402, which adopts the 2021 International Residential Code, changes nothing in the code's reroofing section, and Chapter 103 of the Township Code sets no layer rule; the office's pages say nothing on roof layers. Section 103-7B requires a building permit for residential alterations except where the regulation's exceptions apply, and the office lists replacement of existing roofing material with no structural changes as needing no building permit outside floodplain areas.
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, Loyalsock Township administers the code itself: Section 103-1 of the Township Code says the Township "hereby elects to administer and enforce" the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act, Section 103-3 has a Township employee serve as the municipal code official, and the Township's Office of Building and Codes, at 2501 East Third Street, Williamsport, issues building permits. Ordinance No. 402 changes nothing in the code's roof sheathing provisions, and Chapter 103 of the Township Code sets none. The office's exemption for replacing existing roofing material holds only "if no structural changes are made," and its residential alterations guide lists "Removing or relocating a bearing wall, beam or other support structure" among alterations that need a permit; neither names roof sheathing.
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. Loyalsock Township is in Lycoming County. The Township's building pages and fee schedule say nothing on sales tax.