Permitting Authorities / Borough of Pottstown - Licensing & Inspections Department
Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Borough of Pottstown, PA?
Adopted code
Borough of Pottstown - Licensing & Inspections Department
Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Borough of Pottstown, PA, issued by Borough of Pottstown - Licensing & Inspections Department. Pottstown Borough's enacted code makes a reroof of 25% or more of the roof permit work. Section 1302 of Chapter 5 of the Borough Code (Part 13, read October 6, 2026) adds to the International Residential Code a Section R105.1.1 that says "In addition to all types of construction, placement of structures, repairs and alterations for which the Uniform Construction Code requires a permit, the Borough, pursuant to the authorization of Act 92 of 2004, shall require persons to obtain permits under the Borough of Pottstown Building Code for all of the following," including "All alterations or repairs to residential buildings which are exempt from the UCC by Act 92 of 2004; provided, however, that the following types of alterations and repairs shall continue to be exempt and no permit will be required," and the second item on that list is "Reroofing of less than 25% of the total existing roof square footage." A reroof of 25% or more of the roof is outside that exemption. The Borough's Permits page (read October 6, 2026) says "Permits are required for the following" and lists "Building Permit - New construction, renovations, alterations, and accessory structures including decks, porches, and pools," and its Building Code Information page says "All permits must be obtained and fees paid prior to starting actual work." 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 Pottstown Borough filing with the same exemption list, including "Re-roofing of less than 25% of the total existing roof square footage," found in compliance with an approval letter mailed March 14, 2014, and a public meeting on April 14, 2014; the register shows no enactment date. Section 1302 records the addition as made by Ord. 2121 of April 14, 2014. In practice, expect the Borough to require a permit for a reroof of 25% or more of the roof. The building permit application says "A double permit fee may be levied to each permit type for work performed without a valid permit," and the 2026 Schedule of Fees sets the fee for a permit sought after work has started at "twice the amount of the required fee," capped at $500.00. Building permits cost $60.00 up to the first $2,000 of cost plus 3% of the cost above $2,000, plus the State's $4.50 fee. Section 506 of Chapter 13 makes it unlawful "to engage in the business of constructing, altering, repairing, roofing, remodeling, siding" and other listed work "without first obtaining a license therefor," and the 2026 Schedule of Fees lists a General Contractor License at $125.00. The application asks whether the property is in a historic district. Read for this answer: Chapter 5 of the Borough Code, Code Enforcement, including Part 1 (Building Code), Part 9 (Uniform Construction Code) and Part 13 (International Residential Code) in full; Part 5 of Chapter 13, Contractor Licensing; the historic district provisions of Chapter 4; a search of the whole Borough Code for "roof" and for "reroofing," which found no other permit provision naming roof work; the Borough's Permits and Building Code Information pages; its Application For Building Permit and Plan Examination; and the 2026 Schedule of Fees, which has no roofing line. The Licensing & Inspections Department needs 24 hours' notice for inspections, at 610-970-6520.
Roof code checklist: Borough of Pottstown, PA
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 Pottstown, Pennsylvania
Address
100 East High Street, Pottstown, PA 19464
Contact
- url: https://www.pottstown.org/106/Building-Code-Information
- phone: 610-970-6520
Roofing permit required
Required
Contractor registration required
Required
Permit process note
Pottstown Borough's enacted code makes a reroof of 25% or more of the roof permit work. Section 1302 of Chapter 5 of the Borough Code (Part 13, read October 6, 2026) adds to the International Residential Code a Section R105.1.1 that says "In addition to all types of construction, placement of structures, repairs and alterations for which the Uniform Construction Code requires a permit, the Borough, pursuant to the authorization of Act 92 of 2004, shall require persons to obtain permits under the Borough of Pottstown Building Code for all of the following," including "All alterations or repairs to residential buildings which are exempt from the UCC by Act 92 of 2004; provided, however, that the following types of alterations and repairs shall continue to be exempt and no permit will be required," and the second item on that list is "Reroofing of less than 25% of the total existing roof square footage." A reroof of 25% or more of the roof is outside that exemption. The Borough's Permits page (read October 6, 2026) says "Permits are required for the following" and lists "Building Permit - New construction, renovations, alterations, and accessory structures including decks, porches, and pools," and its Building Code Information page says "All permits must be obtained and fees paid prior to starting actual work." 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 Pottstown Borough filing with the same exemption list, including "Re-roofing of less than 25% of the total existing roof square footage," found in compliance with an approval letter mailed March 14, 2014, and a public meeting on April 14, 2014; the register shows no enactment date. Section 1302 records the addition as made by Ord. 2121 of April 14, 2014. In practice, expect the Borough to require a permit for a reroof of 25% or more of the roof. The building permit application says "A double permit fee may be levied to each permit type for work performed without a valid permit," and the 2026 Schedule of Fees sets the fee for a permit sought after work has started at "twice the amount of the required fee," capped at $500.00. Building permits cost $60.00 up to the first $2,000 of cost plus 3% of the cost above $2,000, plus the State's $4.50 fee. Section 506 of Chapter 13 makes it unlawful "to engage in the business of constructing, altering, repairing, roofing, remodeling, siding" and other listed work "without first obtaining a license therefor," and the 2026 Schedule of Fees lists a General Contractor License at $125.00. The application asks whether the property is in a historic district. Read for this answer: Chapter 5 of the Borough Code, Code Enforcement, including Part 1 (Building Code), Part 9 (Uniform Construction Code) and Part 13 (International Residential Code) in full; Part 5 of Chapter 13, Contractor Licensing; the historic district provisions of Chapter 4; a search of the whole Borough Code for "roof" and for "reroofing," which found no other permit provision naming roof work; the Borough's Permits and Building Code Information pages; its Application For Building Permit and Plan Examination; and the 2026 Schedule of Fees, which has no roofing line. The Licensing & Inspections Department needs 24 hours' notice for inspections, at 610-970-6520.
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, Pottstown Borough administers the code itself: Section 901 of Chapter 5 of the Borough Code says "Pottstown Borough hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," and the Borough's Licensing & Inspections Department, at Borough Hall, 100 East High Street, takes building permit applications and schedules the inspections. Section 902 adopts the Uniform Construction Code, "as amended from time to time," as the Municipal Building Code of Pottstown Borough. Section 1302 fills in the design data of Table R301.2(1), including "Ice shield under-layment required = YES," and adds the permit section quoted under the repair threshold; it changes nothing in the code's roofing provisions. Section 1301 adopts the "International Residential Code, 2009 Edition," and Section 1303 says "It is the intent of the Burgess and Town Council of the Borough of Pottstown to adopt the 2009 Edition of the International Residential Code" and that "that most recent edition of the Code, as adopted by the Act, shall become part of the Code of Ordinances of the Borough of Pottstown without the need for the adoption of any future amending ordinance"; the Borough's pages name no edition; this record has not read the 2009 edition's text and does not decide which edition the Borough applies.
Repair permit threshold
Pottstown Borough exempts from its permit only reroofing of less than 25% of the roof. Section 1302 of Chapter 5 of the Borough Code (Part 13, read October 6, 2026) adds to the International Residential Code a Section R105.1.1 that says "In addition to all types of construction, placement of structures, repairs and alterations for which the Uniform Construction Code requires a permit, the Borough, pursuant to the authorization of Act 92 of 2004, shall require persons to obtain permits under the Borough of Pottstown Building Code for all of the following," including "All alterations or repairs to residential buildings which are exempt from the UCC by Act 92 of 2004; provided, however, that the following types of alterations and repairs shall continue to be exempt and no permit will be required," and the second item on that list is "Reroofing of less than 25% of the total existing roof square footage." A reroof of 25% or more of the roof is outside that 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). The Department of Labor and Industry's register of municipal code change ordinances lists a Pottstown Borough filing with the same exemption list, including "Re-roofing of less than 25% of the total existing roof square footage," found in compliance with an approval letter mailed March 14, 2014, and a public meeting on April 14, 2014; the register shows no enactment date. Section 1302 records the addition as made by Ord. 2121 of April 14, 2014. 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, Pottstown Borough administers the code itself: Section 901 of Chapter 5 of the Borough Code says "Pottstown Borough hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," and the Borough's Licensing & Inspections Department, at Borough Hall, 100 East High Street, takes building permit applications and schedules the inspections. The Borough's threshold is the 25% line in Section 1302 quoted at the start; below it no permit is required, and at or above it the reroof is on the Borough's permit list.
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, Pottstown Borough administers the code itself: Section 901 of Chapter 5 of the Borough Code says "Pottstown Borough hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," and the Borough's Licensing & Inspections Department, at Borough Hall, 100 East High Street, takes building permit applications and schedules the inspections. Chapter 5 of the Borough Code changes nothing in the code's reroofing provisions, and the Borough's pages say nothing on roof layers. Section 1301 adopts the "International Residential Code, 2009 Edition," and Section 1303 says "It is the intent of the Burgess and Town Council of the Borough of Pottstown to adopt the 2009 Edition of the International Residential Code" and that "that most recent edition of the Code, as adopted by the Act, shall become part of the Code of Ordinances of the Borough of Pottstown without the need for the adoption of any future amending ordinance"; the Borough's pages name no edition; the text above is the 2021 edition's, and the 2009 edition's reroofing text was not read for this record, and this record does not decide which edition the Borough applies.
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, Pottstown Borough administers the code itself: Section 901 of Chapter 5 of the Borough Code says "Pottstown Borough hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," and the Borough's Licensing & Inspections Department, at Borough Hall, 100 East High Street, takes building permit applications and schedules the inspections. Chapter 5 of the Borough Code changes nothing in the code's roof sheathing provisions; Section 1302's no-permit list includes "The repair or replacement of any nonstructural member" and draws no separate line for roof sheathing. Section 1301 adopts the "International Residential Code, 2009 Edition," and Section 1303 says "It is the intent of the Burgess and Town Council of the Borough of Pottstown to adopt the 2009 Edition of the International Residential Code" and that "that most recent edition of the Code, as adopted by the Act, shall become part of the Code of Ordinances of the Borough of Pottstown without the need for the adoption of any future amending ordinance"; the Borough's pages name no edition; the text above is the 2021 edition's, and the 2009 edition's sheathing text was not read for this record, and this record does not decide which edition the Borough applies.
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. Pottstown Borough is in Montgomery County. The Borough's pages and 2026 Schedule of Fees say nothing on sales tax.
More roof permit pages in Pennsylvania
Related guides
The Borough of Pottstown's Licensing & Inspections Department, at Borough Hall, 100 East High Street, issues building permits, and the Borough Code exempts from its permit only reroofing of less than 25% of the roof. 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."
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