O'Hara Township - Building Official/Code Enforcement

Township of O'Hara, Pennsylvania (Allegheny County)

city

325 Fox Chapel Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15238

Required

Required

O'Hara Township's code requires a permit to repair a building, and the Township has published no exemption for a reroof. Section 170-9 of the Township Code (added December 12, 2004, by Ord. No. 1123) says existing requirements, "including those required under Township Ordinance No. 1008," "continue to be valid and enforceable regulations pursuant to Section 303 of the code," and among them that any owner or authorized agent "who intends to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish or change the occupancy of a building or structure" "shall first make application to the Building Official and obtain the required permit." The section's only building exemption is for one-story detached accessory structures up to 200 square feet, and it names no roof work. The department has published nothing on reroofing. Its Residential Building Permit Application (read October 9, 2026) says "A Residential Building and/or Zoning Permit is required prior to the construction including but not limited to the following," listing "Remodeling/Alterations/Repairs," "Roof - changes to the roof (such as adding dormers or in changing from a flat roof to a gable roof)" and "Items not listed as determined by the Building Official," and its Building Permits page says building permits "are also required for many smaller projects," including "interior or exterior alteration projects," and asks owners to "contact the Township early in the planning stages to determine exactly what will be required for your project." The zoning chapter's own permit section (Section 455-20.1) reaches buildings "erected, added to or structurally altered" and names no roof work, and a search of the whole Township Code for "roof" and "reroofing" found no provision naming a roofing permit or exemption. 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). In practice, expect the Township to treat a house reroof as a repair needing a building permit, and ask the department first. The Building Permits page says "Construction may be halted if the proper permits are not obtained prior to beginning a project." The department says "State law allows 30 days for the issuance of a building permit" and that it is best to apply well ahead of the project start; its applications say some projects "May require additional documents which are available at the Township office." The department is at 412-782-1400, Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. Read for this answer: Chapter 170 of the Township Code, Construction Codes, in full; Section 455-20.1 of the zoning chapter; every page of a search of the whole Township Code for "roof" and for "reroofing"; the Building Official/Code Enforcement, Building Code and Building Permits pages; and the Residential Building Permit Application and the Residential "Small Project" Building Permit Application. The Township's building permit fee schedule is not published online and was not read.

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, O'Hara Township administers the code itself: Section 170-3 of the Township Code says "The Township hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," and the Township's Building Official/Code Enforcement department, under its Building Code Official, at 325 Fox Chapel Road, issues building permits. Section 170-4 adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time" as the municipal building code, and Chapter 170 changes nothing in the code's roofing provisions. The Township's Residential Building Permit Application names the "IRC 2015" among its energy compliance options and no later edition, and Chapter 170 names none; the text above is the 2021 edition's, the 2015 edition's text was not read for this record, and this record does not decide which edition the Township applies.

O'Hara Township's code requires a permit to repair a building, and the Township has published no exemption for a reroof. Section 170-9 of the Township Code (added December 12, 2004, by Ord. No. 1123) says existing requirements, "including those required under Township Ordinance No. 1008," "continue to be valid and enforceable regulations pursuant to Section 303 of the code," and among them that any owner or authorized agent "who intends to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish or change the occupancy of a building or structure" "shall first make application to the Building Official and obtain the required permit." The section's only building exemption is for one-story detached accessory structures up to 200 square feet, and it names no roof work. The department has published nothing on reroofing. Its Residential Building Permit Application (read October 9, 2026) says "A Residential Building and/or Zoning Permit is required prior to the construction including but not limited to the following," listing "Remodeling/Alterations/Repairs," "Roof - changes to the roof (such as adding dormers or in changing from a flat roof to a gable roof)" and "Items not listed as determined by the Building Official," and its Building Permits page says building permits "are also required for many smaller projects," including "interior or exterior alteration projects," and asks owners to "contact the Township early in the planning stages to determine exactly what will be required for your project." The zoning chapter's own permit section (Section 455-20.1) reaches buildings "erected, added to or structurally altered" and names no roof work, and a search of the whole Township Code for "roof" and "reroofing" found no provision naming a roofing permit or exemption. The Uniform Construction Code the Township adopts says "An ordinary repair does not require a permit" (34 Pa. Code 403.62) without defining an ordinary repair or setting an area or cost limit; this record does not decide how that bears on Section 170-9. 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). In practice, expect the Township to treat a house reroof as a repair needing a building permit, and ask the department first. The Building Permits page says "Construction may be halted if the proper permits are not obtained prior to beginning a project." 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, O'Hara Township administers the code itself: Section 170-3 of the Township Code says "The Township hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," and the Township's Building Official/Code Enforcement department, under its Building Code Official, at 325 Fox Chapel Road, issues building permits. No Township text read for this record sets an area, percentage 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, O'Hara Township administers the code itself: Section 170-3 of the Township Code says "The Township hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," and the Township's Building Official/Code Enforcement department, under its Building Code Official, at 325 Fox Chapel Road, issues building permits. Chapter 170 of the Township Code changes nothing in the code's reroofing provisions, and no Township page read says anything on roof layers. The Township's Residential Building Permit Application names the "IRC 2015" among its energy compliance options and no later edition, and Chapter 170 names none; the text above is the 2021 edition's, the 2015 edition's 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, O'Hara Township administers the code itself: Section 170-3 of the Township Code says "The Township hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," and the Township's Building Official/Code Enforcement department, under its Building Code Official, at 325 Fox Chapel Road, issues building permits. Chapter 170 of the Township Code changes nothing in the code's roof sheathing provisions. The Residential Building Permit Application asks new work to show the "Pitch or slope of the roof and type of wood sheathing, type of covering shingles," and draws no separate line for roof sheathing. The Township's Residential Building Permit Application names the "IRC 2015" among its energy compliance options and no later edition, and Chapter 170 names none; the text above is the 2021 edition's, the 2015 edition's 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. O'Hara Township is in Allegheny County, where the 1% local tax described above applies. The Township's permit pages and applications say nothing on sales tax.