Newtown Township - Code Enforcement, Zoning & Planning Department

Township of Newtown, Pennsylvania (Bucks County)

city

100 Municipal Drive, Newtown, PA 18940

Not required

Required

For a townhouse or attached single-family home, Newtown Township's Codes Department requires a permit for a roof replacement; for a single-family detached home it says none is needed. The department's frequently asked questions (read October 7, 2026) answer "Do I need a permit to replace my roof?" with "Any single family detached home does not need a permit for a roof replacement. Townhomes/attached single family dwellings do need to secure a permit for roof replacement." Its permits page lists "single-family detached dwelling roofs" among examples of when permits are not required and "townhouse roofs" among examples of when they are, and offers a Townhouse Roof Permit Application, which says "Townhouse roofs must comply with the following" and reprints Section 5-121 of the Township Code. The Township Code names no roof work in its permit rules either way. Chapter 5, Part 1 adopts the Uniform Construction Code by reference (Section 5-102); Section 5-108 changes the code's permit exemptions only for accessory structures under 200 square feet and by deleting item (xvii) of Section 403.62(c)(1); and Section 5-105 keeps in effect earlier Township building code ordinances "which are equal to or exceed the requirements of the Code," naming Ordinance Nos. 97-O-5, 97-O-16, 98-O-4 and 99-O-10. The editor's note says Ordinance 97-O-5 enacted the "1996 BOCA National Building Code" with amendments; those ordinances are no longer printed in the Township Code and were not read for this record. The Township's Schedule of Fees and Charges, adopted January 5, 2026, has no roofing line; its residential building permit categories are dwellings, alterations, additions and signs, garages and sheds, demolition, swimming pools and solar panels. The no-permit line for detached houses is the department's stated practice, and this record does not decide whether it is the department's reading of the state exclusions. 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." For a townhouse roof, the fee schedule says Construction Permit fees "shall be doubled if the project is started without applicable permits and/or approval." The Township also licenses contractors: Chapter 13, Part 7 of the Township Code defines a contractor to include anyone who undertakes "reroofing." Read for this answer: Chapter 5, Part 1 of the Township Code, Uniform Construction Code (Articles A to C, Sections 5-101 to 5-121), in full; Chapter 13, Part 7, Contractor Licensing; a search of the whole Township Code for "roof" and for "reroofing"; the department's page and frequently asked questions; its permits and forms page; the Townhouse Roof Permit Application; and all 22 pages of the Schedule of Fees and Charges adopted January 5, 2026. The department is open Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at 215-968-2800.

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, Newtown Township administers the code itself: Section 5-101 of the Township Code says "Newtown Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," and the Township's Code Enforcement, Zoning & Planning Department page says "The Newtown Township Codes Department is responsible for administration of the Joint Municipal Zoning Ordinance, Subdivision Ordinance, Floodplain Ordinance, Stormwater Ordinance and the building, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical UCC Standards." Its permits page says applications "are also reviewed by the Building Official" and names "our third-party inspection agency Barry Isett & Associates" for electrical inspections. The department is at the Township building, 100 Municipal Drive, Newtown. Section 5-121 amends the 2003 International Building Code's reroofing section; the Township Code changes nothing in the residential code's roofing provisions. Section 5-102 of the Township Code adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time" and names no residential code edition, while Section 5-121, which the department's Townhouse Roof Permit Application reprints, amends "The 2003 International Building Code"; the department's pages name no residential code edition; this record has not read the 2003 edition's text and does not decide which edition the Township applies.

Newtown Township's Codes Department says a single-family detached home needs no permit for a roof replacement and a townhouse or attached single-family home does. The department's frequently asked questions (read October 7, 2026) answer "Do I need a permit to replace my roof?" with "Any single family detached home does not need a permit for a roof replacement. Townhomes/attached single family dwellings do need to secure a permit for roof replacement." Its permits page lists "single-family detached dwelling roofs" among examples of when permits are not required and "townhouse roofs" among examples of when they are, and offers a Townhouse Roof Permit Application, which says "Townhouse roofs must comply with the following" and reprints Section 5-121 of the Township Code. The Township Code names no roof work in its permit rules either way. Chapter 5, Part 1 adopts the Uniform Construction Code by reference (Section 5-102); Section 5-108 changes the code's permit exemptions only for accessory structures under 200 square feet and by deleting item (xvii) of Section 403.62(c)(1); and Section 5-105 keeps in effect earlier Township building code ordinances "which are equal to or exceed the requirements of the Code," naming Ordinance Nos. 97-O-5, 97-O-16, 98-O-4 and 99-O-10. The editor's note says Ordinance 97-O-5 enacted the "1996 BOCA National Building Code" with amendments; those ordinances are no longer printed in the Township Code and were not read for this record. The Township's Schedule of Fees and Charges, adopted January 5, 2026, has no roofing line; its residential building permit categories are dwellings, alterations, additions and signs, garages and sheds, demolition, swimming pools and solar panels. The no-permit line for detached houses is the department's stated practice, and this record does not decide whether it is the department's reading of the state exclusions. 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." 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, Newtown Township administers the code itself through its Code Enforcement, Zoning & Planning Department (Section 5-101 of the Township Code). The department's line is by type of house, quoted at the start: no permit for a detached single-family home's roof replacement, a permit for a townhouse or attached home's. The Township Code 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, Newtown Township administers the code itself: Section 5-101 of the Township Code says "Newtown Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," and the Township's Code Enforcement, Zoning & Planning Department page says "The Newtown Township Codes Department is responsible for administration of the Joint Municipal Zoning Ordinance, Subdivision Ordinance, Floodplain Ordinance, Stormwater Ordinance and the building, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical UCC Standards." Its permits page says applications "are also reviewed by the Building Official" and names "our third-party inspection agency Barry Isett & Associates" for electrical inspections. The department is at the Township building, 100 Municipal Drive, Newtown. For buildings under the International Building Code, Section 5-121 of the Township Code adds Section 1510.3.1, "Reroofing when fire-rated plywood underlayment is present," which requires removing all existing roof coverings, including the fire-rated plywood underlayment, where any of four conditions occur, among them "Where the existing roof has two or more applications of any type of roof covering" and "Where the existing FRT roof of an attached building was constructed prior to January 1, 1992." The department's Townhouse Roof Permit Application says "Townhouse roofs must comply with the following" and reprints that section. The Township Code changes nothing in the residential code's reroofing provisions. Section 5-102 of the Township Code adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time" and names no residential code edition, while Section 5-121, which the department's Townhouse Roof Permit Application reprints, amends "The 2003 International Building Code"; the department's pages name no residential code edition; the text above is the 2021 edition's, and the 2003 edition's reroofing text was not read for this record, and this record does not decide which edition the Township 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, Newtown Township administers the code itself: Section 5-101 of the Township Code says "Newtown Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," and the Township's Code Enforcement, Zoning & Planning Department page says "The Newtown Township Codes Department is responsible for administration of the Joint Municipal Zoning Ordinance, Subdivision Ordinance, Floodplain Ordinance, Stormwater Ordinance and the building, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical UCC Standards." Its permits page says applications "are also reviewed by the Building Official" and names "our third-party inspection agency Barry Isett & Associates" for electrical inspections. The department is at the Township building, 100 Municipal Drive, Newtown. The Township Code changes nothing in the residential code's roof sheathing provisions. For townhouses, the department's Townhouse Roof Permit Application reprints Section 5-121, which requires removing fire-rated plywood underlayment with the old roof coverings in the conditions it lists. Section 5-102 of the Township Code adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time" and names no residential code edition, while Section 5-121, which the department's Townhouse Roof Permit Application reprints, amends "The 2003 International Building Code"; the department's pages name no residential code edition; the text above is the 2021 edition's, and the 2003 edition's sheathing text was not read for this record, and this record does not decide which edition the Township 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. Newtown Township is in Bucks County. The department's pages and the Schedule of Fees and Charges say nothing on sales tax.