Mansfield Borough - Zoning and Building Permits

Borough of Mansfield, Pennsylvania (Tioga County)

city

14 South Main Street, Mansfield, PA 16933

Required

Required

Mansfield Borough's Permit Fee Schedule names a roof replacement as work for which a Uniform Construction Code permit is required. Read October 10, 2026: The Borough's Permit Fee Schedule (the Borough's Zoning & Building Permits page calls it the current schedule; its footer reads "Approved by Mansfield Borough Council Dec. 15, 2022") lists under Other Zoning Fees the line "Permit for any work not requiring a zoning review* No charge" with the note "*Includes any work for which a UCC permit is required, but Zoning does not apply. This specifically includes interior-only renovations and roof repair/replacement which does not trigger a Zoning Review." 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 Mansfield Borough filing that "Requires a building permit for garages, carports, greenhouses and sheds that are accessory to a single family home and are larger than 200 sq. ft.," with an approval letter mailed 1 / 26 / 05 and a status line "Enacted 2 / 09 / 05"; the filing names no roof work. In practice, expect the Borough's third-party agency to require a building permit for a reroof, as the fee schedule states; the schedule says "All fees are doubled if construction commences without payment of the applicable fee," and the agency's residential application says "Before Our Office Can Issue ANY Permit We Will Need Approval From Your Municipality." Chapter 70 of the Borough Code names no roof work and adds no permit clause of its own for residential repairs; its Section 70-7 exempts certain accessory buildings and structures of less than 500 square feet from the Uniform Construction Code and has no bearing on a house reroof. Chapter 68 of the Borough Code (Ord. No. 403, adopted December 13, 2000) adopts the "International Residential Code, 2000," Section 70-5 of Chapter 70 says "All building code ordinances or portions of ordinances which were adopted by this municipality on or before the adoption of this chapter, are hereby rescinded," and the Borough's pages name no code edition. Mansfield Borough's Zoning & Building Permits page says "some construction and demolition projects require building permits" and "For all building permit questions and application, contact our third party building codes company"; the third-party agency's own site lists Mansfield Borough among the municipalities it services and gives a business line of 570-827-3474. Chapter 70 of the Borough Code (Ord. No. 419, adopted May 12, 2004) says the Borough "hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act" and adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time" by reference "as the municipal building code of this municipality"; Ordinance No. 480 (2017), listed with Chapter 70 on the Borough's ordinances page, replaces references to a codes department with the Borough Manager or the Manager's designee. Zoning permit questions go to the Borough Manager at 570-662-2315, ext. 4, at the Borough office, 14 South Main Street. Read for this answer: Chapters 67, 68, 70 and 96 of the Borough Code and Ordinance No. 480 (scanned pages, read from rendered page images); the Borough's Zoning & Building Permits, ordinances and permit fee pages; its Permit Fee Schedule in full; its zoning permit application; and the third-party agency's municipality list, fee schedule and residential application.

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, Mansfield Borough's Zoning & Building Permits page says "some construction and demolition projects require building permits" and "For all building permit questions and application, contact our third party building codes company"; the third-party agency's own site lists Mansfield Borough among the municipalities it services and gives a business line of 570-827-3474. Chapter 70 of the Borough Code (Ord. No. 419, adopted May 12, 2004) says the Borough "hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act" and adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time" by reference "as the municipal building code of this municipality"; Ordinance No. 480 (2017), listed with Chapter 70 on the Borough's ordinances page, replaces references to a codes department with the Borough Manager or the Manager's designee. Zoning permit questions go to the Borough Manager at 570-662-2315, ext. 4, at the Borough office, 14 South Main Street. Chapter 70 of the Borough Code names no roof work and adds no permit clause of its own for residential repairs; its Section 70-7 exempts certain accessory buildings and structures of less than 500 square feet from the Uniform Construction Code and has no bearing on a house reroof. Chapter 68 of the Borough Code (Ord. No. 403, adopted December 13, 2000) adopts the "International Residential Code, 2000," Section 70-5 of Chapter 70 says "All building code ordinances or portions of ordinances which were adopted by this municipality on or before the adoption of this chapter, are hereby rescinded," and the Borough's pages name no code edition; this record has not read the 2000 edition's text and does not decide which edition the Borough applies.

Mansfield Borough's fee schedule treats a roof replacement as Uniform Construction Code permit work and sets no area or cost threshold for it. The Borough's Permit Fee Schedule (the Borough's Zoning & Building Permits page calls it the current schedule; its footer reads "Approved by Mansfield Borough Council Dec. 15, 2022") lists under Other Zoning Fees the line "Permit for any work not requiring a zoning review* No charge" with the note "*Includes any work for which a UCC permit is required, but Zoning does not apply. This specifically includes interior-only renovations and roof repair/replacement which does not trigger a Zoning Review." Read October 10, 2026. 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 Mansfield Borough filing that "Requires a building permit for garages, carports, greenhouses and sheds that are accessory to a single family home and are larger than 200 sq. ft.," with an approval letter mailed 1 / 26 / 05 and a status line "Enacted 2 / 09 / 05"; the filing names no roof work. State law sets no square-footage or percentage threshold for roof work; any threshold is set locally. The Uniform Construction Code "does not apply to" "Alterations to residential buildings which do not make structural changes or changes to means of egress, except as required by ordinances in effect under sections 303(b)(1) or 503 of the act" or to "Repairs to residential buildings, except as required by ordinances in effect under sections 303(b)(1) and 503 of the act" (34 Pa. Code 403.1(b)(8) and (9)), and "A permit is not required for the exceptions listed in § 403.1(b) (relating to scope) and the following, if the work does not violate a law or ordinance" (34 Pa. Code 403.62(c)). For houses the regulation adds: "An ordinary repair does not require a permit." Its list of work that is not an ordinary repair names cutting away a load-bearing wall, "The removal or cutting of any structural beam or load-bearing support," changes to a required means of egress, and new or relocated piping, wiring or mechanical work (34 Pa. Code 403.62(d)); roofing is not named. A municipality may require more: under Act 45 section 503(c) it "may enact ordinances pursuant to this section which adopt additional code requirements for alterations or repairs to residential buildings," after a public hearing and after filing the proposed ordinance with the Department of Labor and Industry. These rules concern a "Residential building," which the regulation defines as "Detached one-family and two-family dwellings and townhouses which are not more than three stories above grade plane in height with a separate means of egress and their accessory structures" (34 Pa. Code 401.1). Everything above is Pennsylvania state law, the same in every municipality. Locally, Mansfield Borough's Zoning & Building Permits page says "some construction and demolition projects require building permits" and "For all building permit questions and application, contact our third party building codes company"; the third-party agency's own site lists Mansfield Borough among the municipalities it services and gives a business line of 570-827-3474. Chapter 70 of the Borough Code (Ord. No. 419, adopted May 12, 2004) says the Borough "hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act" and adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time" by reference "as the municipal building code of this municipality"; Ordinance No. 480 (2017), listed with Chapter 70 on the Borough's ordinances page, replaces references to a codes department with the Borough Manager or the Manager's designee. Zoning permit questions go to the Borough Manager at 570-662-2315, ext. 4, at the Borough office, 14 South Main Street. The fee schedule note quoted at the start names roof repair and replacement in terms and sets no area or cost 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, Mansfield Borough's Zoning & Building Permits page says "some construction and demolition projects require building permits" and "For all building permit questions and application, contact our third party building codes company"; the third-party agency's own site lists Mansfield Borough among the municipalities it services and gives a business line of 570-827-3474. Chapter 70 of the Borough Code (Ord. No. 419, adopted May 12, 2004) says the Borough "hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act" and adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time" by reference "as the municipal building code of this municipality"; Ordinance No. 480 (2017), listed with Chapter 70 on the Borough's ordinances page, replaces references to a codes department with the Borough Manager or the Manager's designee. Zoning permit questions go to the Borough Manager at 570-662-2315, ext. 4, at the Borough office, 14 South Main Street. The Borough's fee schedule names roof repair and replacement as Uniform Construction Code permit work, and neither it nor Chapter 70 says anything on roof layers. Chapter 68 of the Borough Code (Ord. No. 403, adopted December 13, 2000) adopts the "International Residential Code, 2000," Section 70-5 of Chapter 70 says "All building code ordinances or portions of ordinances which were adopted by this municipality on or before the adoption of this chapter, are hereby rescinded," and the Borough's pages name no code edition; the text above is the 2021 edition's, the 2000 edition's reroofing text was not read for this record, and this record does not decide which edition the Borough applies.

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, Mansfield Borough's Zoning & Building Permits page says "some construction and demolition projects require building permits" and "For all building permit questions and application, contact our third party building codes company"; the third-party agency's own site lists Mansfield Borough among the municipalities it services and gives a business line of 570-827-3474. Chapter 70 of the Borough Code (Ord. No. 419, adopted May 12, 2004) says the Borough "hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act" and adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time" by reference "as the municipal building code of this municipality"; Ordinance No. 480 (2017), listed with Chapter 70 on the Borough's ordinances page, replaces references to a codes department with the Borough Manager or the Manager's designee. Zoning permit questions go to the Borough Manager at 570-662-2315, ext. 4, at the Borough office, 14 South Main Street. The Borough's fee schedule names roof repair and replacement as Uniform Construction Code permit work, and neither it nor Chapter 70 says anything on roof sheathing. Chapter 68 of the Borough Code (Ord. No. 403, adopted December 13, 2000) adopts the "International Residential Code, 2000," Section 70-5 of Chapter 70 says "All building code ordinances or portions of ordinances which were adopted by this municipality on or before the adoption of this chapter, are hereby rescinded," and the Borough's pages name no code edition; the text above is the 2021 edition's, the 2000 edition's sheathing text was not read for this record, and this record does not decide which edition the Borough applies.

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. Mansfield Borough is in Tioga County. The Borough's permit pages and fee schedule say nothing on sales tax.