Manheim Township - Code Compliance Department

Township of Manheim, Pennsylvania (Lancaster County)

city

1840 Municipal Drive, Lancaster, PA 17601

Not required

Required

Manheim Township's Code Compliance Department says re-roofing an existing house needs no permit. Its answer to "Is a permit required for a roof replacement?" (read October 5, 2026) says "Effective January 1, 2017, The Manheim Township Code Compliance Department will no longer require a re-roofing permit for existing residential dwellings. Although no permits are required, all re-roofing work is to comply with the PA Uniform Construction Code as adopted and amended by Manheim Township Ordinance 2019-01 and the applicable sections of IRC Chapter 9. Ice barriers are to be installed at all roof edges per Chapter 9 as required per Table R301.2(1) as adopted per Manheim Township Ordinance 2019-01. Commercial re-roofing permits shall continue to be issued with applicable required inspections." It ends "Please do not hesitate to contact the Code Compliance Department at 717-569-6406, extension 6." Ordinance 2019-01 has been replaced by Ordinance 2026-01, enacted February 9, 2026. The department's Roofing, Siding, Windows & Doors page lists "Re-roofing" under "No Building Permit Required," and lists as permit work "Structural alterations including, but not limited to creating or enlarging openings in bearing walls" and "Addition of over-framed dormers on existing roofs." Chapter 202 of the Township Code (https://ecode360.com/34612659, read October 5, 2026) names no residential roof work either way: its general clause is "A building permit shall be required for residential alterations or repairs as set forth in Section 403.62 of the Uniform Construction Code," and 34 Pa. Code 403.62(d) says "An ordinary repair does not require a permit" without defining it. Its only roofing permit words, "electrical, plumbing, mechanical, roofing and fire alarm permits," are in its amendment to 403.43(g), one of the State's sections on the "permit and inspection process for commercial construction"; its amendment to the residential counterpart, 403.63(g), lists "electrical, plumbing, mechanical and residential fire alarm permit." The no-permit line is the department's stated practice, and this record does not decide whether it is the department's reading of that relief. 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 the Township's Ordinance 2026-01 as enacted February 9, 2026, with an approval letter issued June 23, 2026, and an earlier Township ordinance, enacted February 14, 2005, that "Requires a building permit for all residential repairs and alterations, except where excluded by the UCC regulation at 403.62." Read for this answer: Chapter 202 of the Township Code as codified (Ord. No. 2026-01, Section 202-2 amended by Ord. No. 2026-04), whose Section 202-2 carries the Township's amendments to the State's permit sections; a search of the whole Township Code for "roof," which found no separate building-permit chapter or other permit provision naming roof work; and the Township's 2026 fee resolution and residential fee worksheet. Ordinance 2026-01 sets a fine "not exceeding $1,000 plus costs" for violating its provisions. Work that is permit work, such as structural alterations, goes in through the CityView permit portal or in person at 1840 Municipal Drive, Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

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 Township administers the code itself through its Code Compliance Department. Ordinance 2026-01, enacted February 9, 2026, repealed and replaced Chapter 202, Construction Codes, of the Township Code, and Ordinance 2026-04 amended its Section 202-2 on March 9, 2026. Under Section 202-1 "the Township hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act" and adopts the Uniform Construction Code with local amendments. Section 202-2 adds to the State's residential permit section, 34 Pa. Code 403.62, the sentence "A building permit shall be required for residential alterations or repairs as set forth in Section 403.62 of the Uniform Construction Code." Chapter 202, read in full, names no residential roof work and amends no section of Chapter 9 of the International Residential Code; its residential amendments fill in Table R301.2(1) and change R801.3, Roof drainage. Its one roofing permit reference sits in the State's sections on the "permit and inspection process for commercial construction." A search of the whole Township Code for "roof" found no other permit provision naming roof work. The Code Compliance Department's Roofing, Siding, Windows & Doors page lists "Re-roofing" under "No Building Permit Required."

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, Manheim Township administers the code itself through its Code Compliance Department. Chapter 202 of its Township Code, read in full, amends no Chapter 9 section and contains no UL 2218, Class 4 or hail-impact requirement; it names no residential roof work, and the department's pages say re-roofing an existing house needs no permit.

Manheim Township's Code Compliance Department says re-roofing an existing house needs no permit. Its Roofing, Siding, Windows & Doors page (https://www.manheimtownship.org/1210/Roofing-Siding-Windows-Doors, read October 5, 2026) says "The following exterior work would not require you to obtain a building permit" and lists "Re-roofing." Its answer to the question "Is a permit required for a roof replacement?" (read the same day) says "Effective January 1, 2017, The Manheim Township Code Compliance Department will no longer require a re-roofing permit for existing residential dwellings," adds "Commercial re-roofing permits shall continue to be issued with applicable required inspections," and ends "Please do not hesitate to contact the Code Compliance Department at 717-569-6406, extension 6." The same Roofing page lists as permit work "Structural alterations including, but not limited to creating or enlarging openings in bearing walls" and "Addition of over-framed dormers on existing roofs." Chapter 202 of the Township Code (https://ecode360.com/34612659, read October 5, 2026) names no residential roof work either way. Its Section 202-2 adds to 34 Pa. Code 403.62 the general clause "A building permit shall be required for residential alterations or repairs as set forth in Section 403.62 of the Uniform Construction Code," and 403.62(d) says "An ordinary repair does not require a permit," without defining an ordinary repair or capping it by area or cost. The chapter's only roofing permit words, "electrical, plumbing, mechanical, roofing and fire alarm permits" in its amendment to 403.43(g), sit in the State's sections on the "permit and inspection process for commercial construction," and the Township's 2026 fee resolution lists "Re-Roofing" only under its non-residential work classifications; its residential fee worksheet has no roofing line. The no-permit line for houses is the department's stated practice, and this record does not decide whether it is the department's reading of the ordinary-repair relief. 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 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 the Township's Ordinance 2026-01 as enacted February 9, 2026, with an approval letter issued June 23, 2026, and an earlier Township ordinance, enacted February 14, 2005, that "Requires a building permit for all residential repairs and alterations, except where excluded by the UCC regulation at 403.62." Read for this answer: Chapter 202 of the Township Code as codified (Ord. No. 2026-01, Section 202-2 amended by Ord. No. 2026-04), whose Section 202-2 carries the Township's amendments to the State's permit sections; a search of the whole Township Code for "roof," which found no separate building-permit chapter or other permit provision naming roof work; and the Township's 2026 fee resolution and residential fee worksheet. 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). The state text from "Under state law" onward is Pennsylvania state law, the same in every municipality. Locally, Manheim Township administers the code itself through its Code Compliance Department under Chapter 202 of the Township Code, which, read in full, sets no 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, Manheim Township administers the code itself through its Code Compliance Department. Chapter 202 of its Township Code, read in full, adds "A building permit shall be required for residential alterations or repairs as set forth in Section 403.62 of the Uniform Construction Code," names no residential roof work, and amends no section of Chapter 9. The department's own answer on roof replacement says that although no permit is needed for an existing house, "all re-roofing work is to comply with the PA Uniform Construction Code as adopted and amended by Manheim Township Ordinance 2019-01 and the applicable sections of IRC Chapter 9"; Ordinance 2019-01 has since been replaced by Ordinance 2026-01, now Chapter 202.

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 Township administers the code itself through its Code Compliance Department. Chapter 202 of its Township Code, read in full, amends neither Section R803 nor any Chapter 9 section and names no residential roof work; its general clause reads "A building permit shall be required for residential alterations or repairs as set forth in Section 403.62 of the Uniform Construction Code." The department's Roofing, Siding, Windows & Doors page lists "Re-roofing" under "No Building Permit Required" and lists "Structural alterations including, but not limited to creating or enlarging openings in bearing walls" as permit work; it does not mention 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. Locally, Manheim Township is in Lancaster County and administers the code itself through its Code Compliance Department, whose pages say nothing on sales tax. Chapter 202 of its Township Code, read in full, names no residential roof work, and the department's pages say re-roofing an existing house needs no permit.