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Permitting Authorities / Northumberland Borough - Code Department

Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Borough of Northumberland, PA?

Adopted code

Northumberland Borough - Code Department

Northumberland Borough in Northumberland County refers building permits to NorthEast Inspection Consultants (NEIC), and its Code Department page says replacing or covering current shingles needs no permit while replacing sheathing or rafters needs an NEIC building permit; the Borough office is at 175 Orange Street. The Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code applies statewide, but Act 45 section 104(b) lists "Repairs to residential buildings" and alterations that make no structural or egress change among work it 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."

Roof code checklist: Borough of Northumberland, PA

ItemAnswerCode citeSourceVerified
Permit to replace a roofNot published
Repair permit thresholdPublishedpacodeandbulletin.gov2026-10-09
Layer limit / roof-overPublishedR908.3.1.1pacodeandbulletin.gov2026-10-09
Deck & sheathingPublishedR905.2.1pacodeandbulletin.gov2026-10-09
Drip edgeNot published
Ice & water shieldNot published
Mid-roof inspectionNot published
Impact-resistant (Class 4) roofingNot published
Wind design criteriaNot published
Adopted codePublishedpacodeandbulletin.gov2026-10-09
Contractor license / registrationYespalegis.us2026-10-09
Sales & use taxPublishedpa.gov2026-10-09

Each row comes from the sourced record on this page; full wording is in the table below. "Not published" means no official source for that item was found when the record was last verified.

Jurisdiction
Borough of Northumberland, Pennsylvania
Jurisdiction type
city
Address
175 Orange Street, Northumberland, PA 17857
Contact
  • url: https://www.norrypa.org/codes
  • phone: 570-473-3414
Contractor registration required
Required
Registration details
  • state_level: Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act, Act 132 of 2008, 73 P.S. 517.1 et seq.: registration with the Attorney General's Bureau of Consumer Protection before performing any home improvement over $500 (section 2, section 3(a)); persons whose home improvements totalled less than $5,000 in the previous taxable year are not "contractors" (section 2). Section 12 precludes local registration or licensing of home improvement contractors, with carve-outs for building permits, pre-existing tested trade licences, and local insurance standards adopted before January 1, 2006.
  • city_level: Section 23.1.06 of the Borough Code (amended January 17, 2006 by Ord. No. 2006-4) says "All business entities or individuals performing services as building contractors, remodelers, excavators or erectors, shall have a valid license issued by the Code Office which will have proof of insurance as a requirement," with a minimum policy of $300,000 per claim, an annual fee set by resolution, and "The license must be presented at the time of requesting a building permit"; "Individuals performing services at their own home shall be exempted from the licensing requirement." This record does not decide how section 12 of the state Act bears on section 23.1.06.
Permit process note
The Borough's Code Department page lists, under "Roof": "Replacing or covering current shingles - NO PERMIT REQUIRED" and "Changing pitch or structure, replacing sheathing and/or rafters - a building permit from NEIC is required." The NEIC building permit application the page links lists "ROOFING" among its types of work, without saying which roof jobs need a permit. Chapter 23 of the Borough Code, Building Construction (Ord. No. 328 of 1977, last amended by Ord. No. 2006-4), adopts "the latest edition of the current nationally applicable Building Code (presently the International Building Code)" as the "Northumberland Borough Building Code"; its earlier BOCA adoptions (Ord. No. 453 of 1997 and Ord. No. 462 of 1999) are posted on the Borough's site. No ordinance by which the Borough adopted the Uniform Construction Code is among the Code Book chapters or ordinances the Borough posts, and the Borough posts no building permit fee schedule. 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." This record does not state whether the Borough requires a permit for a reroof, because it has not read the Borough's Uniform Construction Code adoption ordinance or a building permit fee schedule. Questions go to the Borough Office at 175 Orange Street, 570-473-3414, which passes code questions it cannot answer to NEIC. Read for this record: the Borough's Code Department, Documents and Contact pages; Chapter 23 of the Borough Code in full; the Code Book table of contents; the posted Building Construction ordinances; and the NEIC building permit application the Borough posts.
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, Northumberland Borough's Code Department page says "As of June 7th, 2022 all Borough Code department inquiries and complaints are being addressed by NorthEast Inspection Consultants (NEIC)" and names NEIC as the issuer of building, electrical and demolition permits; the Borough itself issues zoning permits. Chapter 23 of the Borough Code, Building Construction (Ord. No. 328 of 1977, last amended by Ord. No. 2006-4), adopts "the latest edition of the current nationally applicable Building Code (presently the International Building Code)" as the "Northumberland Borough Building Code"; its earlier BOCA adoptions (Ord. No. 453 of 1997 and Ord. No. 462 of 1999) are posted on the Borough's site. No ordinance by which the Borough adopted the Uniform Construction Code is among the Code Book chapters or ordinances the Borough posts, and the Borough posts no building permit fee schedule. Chapter 23 names the International Building Code, latest edition, and no Borough page read names a residential code edition; this record has not read the Borough's own Uniform Construction Code adoption and does not say which residential edition the Borough enforces.
Repair permit threshold
The Borough's Code Department page lists, under "Roof": "Replacing or covering current shingles - NO PERMIT REQUIRED" and "Changing pitch or structure, replacing sheathing and/or rafters - a building permit from NEIC is required." The NEIC building permit application the page links lists "ROOFING" among its types of work, without saying which roof jobs need a permit. Chapter 23 of the Borough Code, Building Construction (Ord. No. 328 of 1977, last amended by Ord. No. 2006-4), adopts "the latest edition of the current nationally applicable Building Code (presently the International Building Code)" as the "Northumberland Borough Building Code"; its earlier BOCA adoptions (Ord. No. 453 of 1997 and Ord. No. 462 of 1999) are posted on the Borough's site. No ordinance by which the Borough adopted the Uniform Construction Code is among the Code Book chapters or ordinances the Borough posts, and the Borough posts no building permit fee schedule. 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, Northumberland Borough's Code Department page says "As of June 7th, 2022 all Borough Code department inquiries and complaints are being addressed by NorthEast Inspection Consultants (NEIC)" and names NEIC as the issuer of building, electrical and demolition permits; the Borough itself issues zoning permits. No Borough text read for this record sets an area or cost threshold 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, Northumberland Borough's Code Department page says "As of June 7th, 2022 all Borough Code department inquiries and complaints are being addressed by NorthEast Inspection Consultants (NEIC)" and names NEIC as the issuer of building, electrical and demolition permits; the Borough itself issues zoning permits. No Borough text read sets a layer limit of its own; the Code Department page says "Replacing or covering current shingles - NO PERMIT REQUIRED" without a layer count. Chapter 23 names the International Building Code, latest edition, and no Borough page read names a residential code edition; the text above is the 2021 IRC's, and this record does not say which edition the Borough enforces.
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, Northumberland Borough's Code Department page says "As of June 7th, 2022 all Borough Code department inquiries and complaints are being addressed by NorthEast Inspection Consultants (NEIC)" and names NEIC as the issuer of building, electrical and demolition permits; the Borough itself issues zoning permits. The Code Department page says "Changing pitch or structure, replacing sheathing and/or rafters - a building permit from NEIC is required." Chapter 23 names the International Building Code, latest edition, and no Borough page read names a residential code edition; the text above is the 2021 IRC's, and this record does not say which edition the Borough enforces.
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. Northumberland Borough is in Northumberland County. The Borough's pages say nothing on sales tax.

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Roofing questions: Borough of Northumberland, PA

When does a roof repair need a permit in Borough of Northumberland, PA?

The Borough's Code Department page lists, under "Roof": "Replacing or covering current shingles - NO PERMIT REQUIRED" and "Changing pitch or structure, replacing sheathing and/or rafters - a building permit from NEIC is required." The NEIC building permit application the page links lists "ROOFING" among its types of work, without saying which roof jobs need a permit. Chapter 23 of the Borough Code, Building Construction (Ord. No. 328 of 1977, last amended by Ord. No. 2006-4), adopts "the latest edition of the current nationally applicable Building Code (presently the International Building Code)" as the "Northumberland Borough Building Code"; its earlier BOCA adoptions (Ord. No. 453 of 1997 and Ord. No. 462 of 1999) are posted on the Borough's site. No ordinance by which the Borough adopted the Uniform Construction Code is among the Code Book chapters or ordinances the Borough posts, and the Borough posts no building permit fee schedule. 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, Northumberland Borough's Code Department page says "As of June 7th, 2022 all Borough Code department inquiries and complaints are being addressed by NorthEast Inspection Consultants (NEIC)" and names NEIC as the issuer of building, electrical and demolition permits; the Borough itself issues zoning permits. No Borough text read for this record sets an area or cost threshold for roof work.

Can you roof over an existing roof in Borough of Northumberland, PA?

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, Northumberland Borough's Code Department page says "As of June 7th, 2022 all Borough Code department inquiries and complaints are being addressed by NorthEast Inspection Consultants (NEIC)" and names NEIC as the issuer of building, electrical and demolition permits; the Borough itself issues zoning permits. No Borough text read sets a layer limit of its own; the Code Department page says "Replacing or covering current shingles - NO PERMIT REQUIRED" without a layer count. Chapter 23 names the International Building Code, latest edition, and no Borough page read names a residential code edition; the text above is the 2021 IRC's, and this record does not say which edition the Borough enforces.

Do roofing contractors need a license or registration in Borough of Northumberland, PA?

Yes.

What building code does Borough of Northumberland, PA use?

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, Northumberland Borough's Code Department page says "As of June 7th, 2022 all Borough Code department inquiries and complaints are being addressed by NorthEast Inspection Consultants (NEIC)" and names NEIC as the issuer of building, electrical and demolition permits; the Borough itself issues zoning permits. Chapter 23 of the Borough Code, Building Construction (Ord. No. 328 of 1977, last amended by Ord. No. 2006-4), adopts "the latest edition of the current nationally applicable Building Code (presently the International Building Code)" as the "Northumberland Borough Building Code"; its earlier BOCA adoptions (Ord. No. 453 of 1997 and Ord. No. 462 of 1999) are posted on the Borough's site. No ordinance by which the Borough adopted the Uniform Construction Code is among the Code Book chapters or ordinances the Borough posts, and the Borough posts no building permit fee schedule. Chapter 23 names the International Building Code, latest edition, and no Borough page read names a residential code edition; this record has not read the Borough's own Uniform Construction Code adoption and does not say which residential edition the Borough enforces.