Plainfield Township - Zoning Office and Keycodes Inspection Agency

Township of Plainfield, Pennsylvania (Northampton County)

city

6292 Sullivan Trail, Nazareth, PA 18064

Required

Plainfield Township's code and its fee schedule point two ways for a house reroof. Section 5-107 of the Township Code, headed "Permit Required to Replace Shingles on Residential Dwelling Unit" (Ordinance No. 358, 2013), says "Replacing shingles on a residential dwelling shall be considered an ordinary repair and residents of the Township shall not be required to obtain a permit in order to replace the shingles on a residential dwelling unit" and "If, however, any of the following are found to be applicable during the replacement of said shingles, then a permit for the alteration and/or reconstruction of a roof is required," naming "Cutting away of a load-bearing wall, partition of portion of a wall" and "The removal or cutting of any structural beam or load-bearing support." The Township's 2026 Schedule of Fees lists, under "ZONING PERMIT FEES," the line "Re-Roofing" at "$100.00 – Residential" and "$200.00 - Commercial," and says "The above permit fees include the Township Administration, Zoning Fees, and Department of Labor and Industry fees." Keycodes' 2026 residential fee schedule, attached to the resolution as Exhibit B, lists "ROOF REPLACEMENT: $115.00 - includes one site visit" under the heading "FLAT RATE COSTS (NEW CONSTRUCTION ONLY) - CONTINUED." So expect the Township's own zoning permit, which its fee schedule prices for Re-Roofing, as a separate permit for a house reroof, and a permit for the alteration or reconstruction of the roof where the work cuts load-bearing walls, beams or supports. Section 5-109 (Ordinance No. 362, 2014) adds that "permits are required for all residential alterations and repairs pursuant to the International Residential Code 2003" and "any subsequent edition thereof or amendments thereto, unless otherwise exempted by this Section." Plainfield Township administers the code through a third-party agency: section 5-101 of the Township Code says "This Township hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," and the Township's 2026 Schedule of Fees (Resolution No. 2026-18) names "the appointed Uniform Construction Code (UCC) third party inspection agency of the Township, Keycodes Inspection Agency" and says "ALL BUILDING PERMIT FEES SHALL BE MADE PAYABLE TO KEYCODES INSPECTION AGENCY." Keycodes is at 1307 West Lehigh Street, Bethlehem, and its residential permit application is posted on the Township's Forms & Documents page. 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." The Township's fee schedule asks for a non-refundable $75.00 deposit with each zoning permit application and a non-refundable building permit plan review deposit with each residential permit application. The Township office is at 6292 Sullivan Trail, Nazareth, 610-759-6944, and Keycodes' office is at 610-866-9663. Read for this answer: Chapter 5, Part 1, Uniform Construction Code, of the Township Code, in full; every page of a search of the Township Code for "roof," "reroofing" and "shingles"; the Township's 2026 Schedule of Fees with its Keycodes exhibits; the Keycodes fee schedule, permit instructions and residential permit application posted on the Township's Forms & Documents page; the Township's Zoning Permit Application; and the Township's Zoning, Forms & Documents and contact pages.

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, Plainfield Township administers the code through a third-party agency: section 5-101 of the Township Code says "This Township hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," and the Township's 2026 Schedule of Fees (Resolution No. 2026-18) names "the appointed Uniform Construction Code (UCC) third party inspection agency of the Township, Keycodes Inspection Agency" and says "ALL BUILDING PERMIT FEES SHALL BE MADE PAYABLE TO KEYCODES INSPECTION AGENCY." Keycodes is at 1307 West Lehigh Street, Bethlehem, and its residential permit application is posted on the Township's Forms & Documents page. Section 5-102 adopts the Uniform Construction Code, "as amended from time to time," as the municipal building code; Part 1 changes none of the code's roofing provisions. Section 5-109 (Ordinance No. 362, 2014) adds that "permits are required for all residential alterations and repairs pursuant to the International Residential Code 2003" and "any subsequent edition thereof or amendments thereto, unless otherwise exempted by this Section." No Township or Keycodes page read for this record names a code edition; this record has not read the 2003 edition's text and does not decide which edition the Township applies.

Section 5-107 of the Township Code, headed "Permit Required to Replace Shingles on Residential Dwelling Unit" (Ordinance No. 358, 2013), says "Replacing shingles on a residential dwelling shall be considered an ordinary repair and residents of the Township shall not be required to obtain a permit in order to replace the shingles on a residential dwelling unit" and "If, however, any of the following are found to be applicable during the replacement of said shingles, then a permit for the alteration and/or reconstruction of a roof is required," naming "Cutting away of a load-bearing wall, partition of portion of a wall" and "The removal or cutting of any structural beam or load-bearing support." Section 5-109 (Ordinance No. 362, 2014) adds that "permits are required for all residential alterations and repairs pursuant to the International Residential Code 2003" and "any subsequent edition thereof or amendments thereto, unless otherwise exempted by this Section." The Township's 2026 Schedule of Fees lists, under "ZONING PERMIT FEES," the line "Re-Roofing" at "$100.00 – Residential" and "$200.00 - Commercial," and says "The above permit fees include the Township Administration, Zoning Fees, and Department of Labor and Industry fees." Keycodes' 2026 residential fee schedule, attached to the resolution as Exhibit B, lists "ROOF REPLACEMENT: $115.00 - includes one site visit" under the heading "FLAT RATE COSTS (NEW CONSTRUCTION ONLY) - CONTINUED." 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." So the Township's code relieves a shingle replacement with no structural cutting from a permit, while its 2026 fee schedule bills a Township Re-Roofing fee among its zoning permit fees; this record does not state whether an ordinary house reroof needs a permit. 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, Plainfield Township administers the code through a third-party agency: section 5-101 of the Township Code says "This Township hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," and the Township's 2026 Schedule of Fees (Resolution No. 2026-18) names "the appointed Uniform Construction Code (UCC) third party inspection agency of the Township, Keycodes Inspection Agency" and says "ALL BUILDING PERMIT FEES SHALL BE MADE PAYABLE TO KEYCODES INSPECTION AGENCY." Keycodes is at 1307 West Lehigh Street, Bethlehem, and its residential permit application is posted on the Township's Forms & Documents page. The Township's line is the one quoted at the start: a permit for the alteration or reconstruction of a roof is required where a load-bearing wall or a structural beam or load-bearing support is cut; no Township text read for this record sets an area or cost threshold.

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, Plainfield Township administers the code through a third-party agency: section 5-101 of the Township Code says "This Township hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," and the Township's 2026 Schedule of Fees (Resolution No. 2026-18) names "the appointed Uniform Construction Code (UCC) third party inspection agency of the Township, Keycodes Inspection Agency" and says "ALL BUILDING PERMIT FEES SHALL BE MADE PAYABLE TO KEYCODES INSPECTION AGENCY." Keycodes is at 1307 West Lehigh Street, Bethlehem, and its residential permit application is posted on the Township's Forms & Documents page. Part 1 of Chapter 5 changes none of the code's reroofing provisions, and no Township or Keycodes page read for this record says anything on roof layers. Section 5-107 relieves replacing the shingles on a house from a permit unless load-bearing walls, beams or supports are cut.

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, Plainfield Township administers the code through a third-party agency: section 5-101 of the Township Code says "This Township hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," and the Township's 2026 Schedule of Fees (Resolution No. 2026-18) names "the appointed Uniform Construction Code (UCC) third party inspection agency of the Township, Keycodes Inspection Agency" and says "ALL BUILDING PERMIT FEES SHALL BE MADE PAYABLE TO KEYCODES INSPECTION AGENCY." Keycodes is at 1307 West Lehigh Street, Bethlehem, and its residential permit application is posted on the Township's Forms & Documents page. Part 1 of Chapter 5 changes none of the code's roof sheathing provisions. Section 5-107 draws its line at "The removal or cutting of any structural beam or load-bearing support" and names no roof 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. Plainfield Township is in Northampton County. The Township's pages and 2026 fee schedule say nothing on sales tax.