Manheim Borough - Zoning and Codes

Borough of Manheim, Pennsylvania (Lancaster County)

city

60 West Colebrook Street, Manheim, PA 17545

Required

Required

A full reroof on a Manheim Borough house needs a permit under the Borough's code, which exempts only "Re-roofing of less than 25% of the total existing roof square footage." Section 100-9 of the Borough Code (Permit required; exemptions; Ord. No. 679, 2022, read October 9, 2026) says that "pursuant to the authorization of Act 92 of 2004" the Borough "shall require persons to obtain permits under the Manheim Borough Construction Code" for "All alterations or repairs to residential buildings which are exempt from the Uniform Construction Code by Act 92 of 2004; provided, however, that the following types of alterations and repairs shall continue to be exempt, and no permit will be required," and the second item on that list is "Re-roofing of less than 25% of the total existing roof square footage." A full reroof covers the whole roof, so it is above that 25% line. The Borough's Zoning & Codes page (read October 9, 2026) says "Permits - zoning and/or building permits are required by the Borough for, but not limited to, the following," a list that includes "Replacement projects, including roofs, siding, windows, doors, etc., except in-kind replacements," and adds "If there is any doubt that a permit may be required, please call the borough office." Its building permit application has no roofing box, and the 2026 fee schedule (Resolution No. 25-2025, read in full) has no roofing line; its residential UCC building permit row lists new work, alterations, decks, larger accessory structures, pools, spas and manufactured homes. 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 one Manheim Borough filing, which "Establishes a number of requirements pertaining to the drilling, installation and testing of geothermal heat pump systems," with an approval letter mailed 7 / 14 / 09; it lists no Manheim Borough filing on residential repairs or alterations. In practice, the Borough's code treats a full reroof on a Manheim Borough house as permit work: apply to the Borough office (717-665-2461) before starting. The Construction Codes chapter's enforcement section says a person who "erects, constructs, alters or repairs a building or structure in violation of the approved construction documents or directive of the building official" shall, "Upon being found liable therefor in a civil enforcement proceeding commenced by the Borough, pay a judgement of not more than $1,000 plus all court costs, including reasonable attorney's fees." Applications go to the Borough office, which is open Monday to Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.; the Borough's fee schedule says "CCIS plan review/inspection fees are charged at actual cost in addition to Borough fees." Separately, for listed historic resources the Borough's Historic Preservation Overlay Zone (Section 220-22) requires a preservation permit from the Zoning Officer for rehabilitation or alteration, and lists among practices "deemed to be acceptable" the "Replacement of slate roofs with a slate look-alike product" and the "Replacement of cedar shake roofs with asphalt or fiberglass roofing designed to replicate the appearance of wood shingles." Read for this answer: Chapter 100 of the Borough Code, Construction Codes (Article I, Property Maintenance Code, and Article II, Uniform Construction Code, Sections 100-3 to 100-12), in full; Ordinance No. 698 of 2026, which amends Article II only to add a rapid entry key box section and renumber two sections; Section 220-22 of the zoning chapter; every page of searches of the whole Borough Code for "roof" and for "reroofing," whose only permit provision naming roof work is Section 100-9; the Zoning & Codes and Forms & Applications pages; the building permit application; and the 2026 fee schedule, a scanned document read from its page images.

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, Manheim Borough administers the code itself: Section 100-4A of the Borough Code says the Borough "elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Act," the Borough's Forms & Applications page says "All Building Permit Applications - Residential and Commercial - are to be submitted to Manheim Borough," and the Borough's building permit application asks the applicant to choose an inspection company for plan review and inspections from "COMMONWEALTH CODE INSPECTION SERVICE, INC." or "ASSOCIATED BUILDING INSPECTIONS, LLC." Section 100-10 fills in Table R301.2(1) with design values such as ground snow load and wind speed; Chapter 100 changes nothing in the code's roofing provisions. The Borough's code adopts the 2015 International Building Code as the Building Code of the Borough (Section 100-4B) and lists the International Residential Code among the adopted codes without naming an edition, saying the codes "may be amended and/or updated from time to time by Resolution of Borough Council" (Section 100-7A); the Zoning & Codes page says "In 2004, the Borough adopted the 2003 International Building Code and has adopted applicable updates." No Borough page or section names an International Residential Code edition, and this record does not decide which edition the Borough applies to a house reroof.

Manheim Borough's code requires a permit for house repairs and alterations the State excludes, and exempts only reroofing of less than 25% of the roof. Section 100-9 of the Borough Code (Permit required; exemptions; Ord. No. 679, 2022, read October 9, 2026) says that "pursuant to the authorization of Act 92 of 2004" the Borough "shall require persons to obtain permits under the Manheim Borough Construction Code" for "All alterations or repairs to residential buildings which are exempt from the Uniform Construction Code by Act 92 of 2004; provided, however, that the following types of alterations and repairs shall continue to be exempt, and no permit will be required," and the second item on that list is "Re-roofing of less than 25% of the total existing roof square footage." A full reroof covers the whole roof, so it is above that 25% line. The Borough's Zoning & Codes page (read October 9, 2026) says "Permits - zoning and/or building permits are required by the Borough for, but not limited to, the following," a list that includes "Replacement projects, including roofs, siding, windows, doors, etc., except in-kind replacements," and adds "If there is any doubt that a permit may be required, please call the borough office." Its building permit application has no roofing box, and the 2026 fee schedule (Resolution No. 25-2025, read in full) has no roofing line; its residential UCC building permit row lists new work, alterations, decks, larger accessory structures, pools, spas and manufactured homes. 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 one Manheim Borough filing, which "Establishes a number of requirements pertaining to the drilling, installation and testing of geothermal heat pump systems," with an approval letter mailed 7 / 14 / 09; it lists no Manheim Borough filing on residential repairs or alterations. In practice, the Borough's code treats a full reroof on a Manheim Borough house as permit work: apply to the Borough office (717-665-2461) before starting. The Construction Codes chapter's enforcement section says a person who "erects, constructs, alters or repairs a building or structure in violation of the approved construction documents or directive of the building official" shall, "Upon being found liable therefor in a civil enforcement proceeding commenced by the Borough, pay a judgement of not more than $1,000 plus all court costs, including reasonable attorney's fees." 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, Manheim Borough administers the code itself: Section 100-4A of the Borough Code says the Borough "elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Act," the Borough's Forms & Applications page says "All Building Permit Applications - Residential and Commercial - are to be submitted to Manheim Borough," and the Borough's building permit application asks the applicant to choose an inspection company for plan review and inspections from "COMMONWEALTH CODE INSPECTION SERVICE, INC." or "ASSOCIATED BUILDING INSPECTIONS, LLC." Section 100-9C(2) sets the Borough's line for roof work at "less than 25% of the total existing roof square footage"; it does not address roof sheathing.

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, Manheim Borough administers the code itself: Section 100-4A of the Borough Code says the Borough "elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Act," the Borough's Forms & Applications page says "All Building Permit Applications - Residential and Commercial - are to be submitted to Manheim Borough," and the Borough's building permit application asks the applicant to choose an inspection company for plan review and inspections from "COMMONWEALTH CODE INSPECTION SERVICE, INC." or "ASSOCIATED BUILDING INSPECTIONS, LLC." Chapter 100 changes nothing in the code's reroofing provisions, and the Borough's pages state no local rule on roof layers. Section 100-9 requires a permit for house repairs and alterations the State excludes, apart from reroofing of less than 25% of the roof, so a full house reroof is permit work under the Borough's code. The Borough's code adopts the 2015 International Building Code as the Building Code of the Borough (Section 100-4B) and lists the International Residential Code among the adopted codes without naming an edition, saying the codes "may be amended and/or updated from time to time by Resolution of Borough Council" (Section 100-7A); the Zoning & Codes page says "In 2004, the Borough adopted the 2003 International Building Code and has adopted applicable updates." No Borough page or section names an International Residential Code edition, and this record does not decide which edition the Borough applies to a house reroof. The text above is the 2021 edition's.

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, Manheim Borough administers the code itself: Section 100-4A of the Borough Code says the Borough "elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Act," the Borough's Forms & Applications page says "All Building Permit Applications - Residential and Commercial - are to be submitted to Manheim Borough," and the Borough's building permit application asks the applicant to choose an inspection company for plan review and inspections from "COMMONWEALTH CODE INSPECTION SERVICE, INC." or "ASSOCIATED BUILDING INSPECTIONS, LLC." Chapter 100 changes nothing in the code's roof sheathing provisions, and the Borough's pages draw no separate line for roof sheathing. Section 100-9 requires a permit for house repairs and alterations the State excludes, apart from reroofing of less than 25% of the roof. The Borough's code adopts the 2015 International Building Code as the Building Code of the Borough (Section 100-4B) and lists the International Residential Code among the adopted codes without naming an edition, saying the codes "may be amended and/or updated from time to time by Resolution of Borough Council" (Section 100-7A); the Zoning & Codes page says "In 2004, the Borough adopted the 2003 International Building Code and has adopted applicable updates." No Borough page or section names an International Residential Code edition, and this record does not decide which edition the Borough applies to a house reroof.

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. Manheim Borough is in Lancaster County. The Borough's permit pages and 2026 fee schedule say nothing on sales tax.