Permitting Authorities / Ridley Township - Code Enforcement Department
Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Township of Ridley, PA?
Adopted code
Ridley Township - Code Enforcement Department
Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Township of Ridley, PA, issued by Ridley Township - Code Enforcement Department. Ridley Township's building code names roofing among the work its building permit fees apply to. The Township's building code, Article I of Chapter 92 (its 1992 adoption of the BOCA National Building Code, 1990, as amended), replaces BOCA Section 114.3 with a fee schedule whose building permit fees "shall apply to construction, renovation, demolition, moving of buildings, roofing, sandblasting, waterblasting with sand and/or chemicals, air conditioning and swimming pools" (amended by Ord. No. 1808 in 2000), a fee category that names roofing without limiting it to any class of roof work. The same article's Section 111.1 makes it unlawful to "construct, enlarge, alter, repair or demolish a structure" without a permit, "except that repairs, as defined in Section 104.0 and which do not involve any violation of this code, shall be exempted from this provision"; that BOCA definition was not read for this record. Section 105-2 adopts the Uniform Construction Code, "as amended from time to time," as the Township's building code and adds: "However, the exceptions listed in § 403.42(c)(1) and § 403.62(c)(1) and (2) are deleted and, to the extent that they currently or will in the future require permits, then the permitting requirements will continue in full force and effect." Section 403.62 has been amended since that ordinance was adopted in 2004, and this record does not decide which of its current subsections Section 105-2 reaches. The Township's current Permits & Licenses Fee Schedule (resolution effective January 1, 2025) charges residential building permits at $30.00 per $1,000.00 and names no roof work, and its Generic Permit Application has no roofing box. The Code Enforcement page says nothing on reroofing either way. 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 reroof as permit work, as its code's fee section names roofing. The same section says "Where work for which a permit is required by this chapter is started prior to obtaining the required permit, the fees set forth herein for such permit shall be doubled," and Section 92-4 sets a fine of "not more than $1,000" for building in violation of the code. Applications are made on paper at the Township Building with payment ("We do not accept permits via fax or email"), with a copy of the estimate or contract; residential building permits cost $30.00 per $1,000.00 plus UCC fees of $3.50 (Township) and $4.50 (State). The fee schedule says a contractor gives a "PA License Number-If not registered with the state, Ridley Township Contractor's License is needed," at $200.00. Read for this answer: Chapter 105 of the Township Code, Construction Codes, Uniform (Sections 105-1 to 105-6), in full; Chapter 92, Building Construction, Article I (Sections 92-1 to 92-5), in full, and Articles II and IV (Sections 92-6 to 92-8 and 92-12 to 92-14); a search of the whole Township Code for "roof," which found no other permit provision naming roof work; the Code Enforcement page, the Generic Permit Application and the Permits & Licenses Fee Schedule. Permit questions go to the Code Office at 610-534-4803; the Township Building is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Roof code checklist: Township of Ridley, 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
Township of Ridley, Pennsylvania
Address
100 E. MacDade Boulevard, Folsom, PA 19033
Contact
- url: https://www.ridleytwp.org/code
- phone: 610-534-4803
Roofing permit required
Required
Contractor registration required
Required
Permit process note
Ridley Township's building code names roofing among the work its building permit fees apply to. The Township's building code, Article I of Chapter 92 (its 1992 adoption of the BOCA National Building Code, 1990, as amended), replaces BOCA Section 114.3 with a fee schedule whose building permit fees "shall apply to construction, renovation, demolition, moving of buildings, roofing, sandblasting, waterblasting with sand and/or chemicals, air conditioning and swimming pools" (amended by Ord. No. 1808 in 2000), a fee category that names roofing without limiting it to any class of roof work. The same article's Section 111.1 makes it unlawful to "construct, enlarge, alter, repair or demolish a structure" without a permit, "except that repairs, as defined in Section 104.0 and which do not involve any violation of this code, shall be exempted from this provision"; that BOCA definition was not read for this record. Section 105-2 adopts the Uniform Construction Code, "as amended from time to time," as the Township's building code and adds: "However, the exceptions listed in § 403.42(c)(1) and § 403.62(c)(1) and (2) are deleted and, to the extent that they currently or will in the future require permits, then the permitting requirements will continue in full force and effect." Section 403.62 has been amended since that ordinance was adopted in 2004, and this record does not decide which of its current subsections Section 105-2 reaches. The Township's current Permits & Licenses Fee Schedule (resolution effective January 1, 2025) charges residential building permits at $30.00 per $1,000.00 and names no roof work, and its Generic Permit Application has no roofing box. The Code Enforcement page says nothing on reroofing either way. 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 reroof as permit work, as its code's fee section names roofing. The same section says "Where work for which a permit is required by this chapter is started prior to obtaining the required permit, the fees set forth herein for such permit shall be doubled," and Section 92-4 sets a fine of "not more than $1,000" for building in violation of the code. Applications are made on paper at the Township Building with payment ("We do not accept permits via fax or email"), with a copy of the estimate or contract; residential building permits cost $30.00 per $1,000.00 plus UCC fees of $3.50 (Township) and $4.50 (State). The fee schedule says a contractor gives a "PA License Number-If not registered with the state, Ridley Township Contractor's License is needed," at $200.00. Read for this answer: Chapter 105 of the Township Code, Construction Codes, Uniform (Sections 105-1 to 105-6), in full; Chapter 92, Building Construction, Article I (Sections 92-1 to 92-5), in full, and Articles II and IV (Sections 92-6 to 92-8 and 92-12 to 92-14); a search of the whole Township Code for "roof," which found no other permit provision naming roof work; the Code Enforcement page, the Generic Permit Application and the Permits & Licenses Fee Schedule. Permit questions go to the Code Office at 610-534-4803; the Township Building is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
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, Ridley Township administers the code itself: Section 105-1 of the Township Code says "Ridley Township hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," and permit applications go to the Township's Code Enforcement Department at the Township Building, whose page asks residents "to contact the Code Office at 610-534-4803 for permit information and requirements before commencing any new construction or alterations." Section 105-2 adopts the Uniform Construction Code, "as amended from time to time," as the Township's building code and adds: "However, the exceptions listed in § 403.42(c)(1) and § 403.62(c)(1) and (2) are deleted and, to the extent that they currently or will in the future require permits, then the permitting requirements will continue in full force and effect." Section 403.62 has been amended since that ordinance was adopted in 2004, and this record does not decide which of its current subsections Section 105-2 reaches. Section 92-12 of the Township Code adopts the 2009 International Residential Code as the Residential Code of Ridley Township, the Township's pages name no edition, and Section 105-2 adopts the State code "as amended from time to time"; this record has not read the 2009 edition's roofing text. Article IV fills in the 2009 code's climatic table by an attached exhibit, which was not read. The Township's code changes nothing in the code's roofing provisions.
Repair permit threshold
Ridley Township's code names roofing among the work its building permit fees apply to and sets no size threshold for roof work. The Township's building code, Article I of Chapter 92 (its 1992 adoption of the BOCA National Building Code, 1990, as amended), replaces BOCA Section 114.3 with a fee schedule whose building permit fees "shall apply to construction, renovation, demolition, moving of buildings, roofing, sandblasting, waterblasting with sand and/or chemicals, air conditioning and swimming pools" (amended by Ord. No. 1808 in 2000), a fee category that names roofing without limiting it to any class of roof work. The same article's Section 111.1 makes it unlawful to "construct, enlarge, alter, repair or demolish a structure" without a permit, "except that repairs, as defined in Section 104.0 and which do not involve any violation of this code, shall be exempted from this provision"; that BOCA definition was not read for this record. Section 105-2 adopts the Uniform Construction Code, "as amended from time to time," as the Township's building code and adds: "However, the exceptions listed in § 403.42(c)(1) and § 403.62(c)(1) and (2) are deleted and, to the extent that they currently or will in the future require permits, then the permitting requirements will continue in full force and effect." Section 403.62 has been amended since that ordinance was adopted in 2004, and this record does not decide which of its current subsections Section 105-2 reaches. The Township's current Permits & Licenses Fee Schedule (resolution effective January 1, 2025) charges residential building permits at $30.00 per $1,000.00 and names no roof work, and its Generic Permit Application has no roofing box. 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). 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, Ridley Township administers the code itself: Section 105-1 of the Township Code says "Ridley Township hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," and permit applications go to the Township's Code Enforcement Department at the Township Building, whose page asks residents "to contact the Code Office at 610-534-4803 for permit information and requirements before commencing any new construction or alterations." Neither Chapter 105 nor Chapter 92 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, Ridley Township administers the code itself: Section 105-1 of the Township Code says "Ridley Township hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," and permit applications go to the Township's Code Enforcement Department at the Township Building, whose page asks residents "to contact the Code Office at 610-534-4803 for permit information and requirements before commencing any new construction or alterations." Section 105-2 adopts the Uniform Construction Code, "as amended from time to time," as the Township's building code and adds: "However, the exceptions listed in § 403.42(c)(1) and § 403.62(c)(1) and (2) are deleted and, to the extent that they currently or will in the future require permits, then the permitting requirements will continue in full force and effect." Section 403.62 has been amended since that ordinance was adopted in 2004, and this record does not decide which of its current subsections Section 105-2 reaches. Chapter 92 changes nothing in the code's roofing provisions, and the Township's pages say nothing on roof layers. Section 92-12 of the Township Code adopts the 2009 International Residential Code as the Residential Code of Ridley Township, the Township's pages name no edition, and Section 105-2 adopts the State code "as amended from time to time"; the text above is the 2021 edition's, and the 2009 edition's reroofing text was not read for this record.
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, Ridley Township administers the code itself: Section 105-1 of the Township Code says "Ridley Township hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," and permit applications go to the Township's Code Enforcement Department at the Township Building, whose page asks residents "to contact the Code Office at 610-534-4803 for permit information and requirements before commencing any new construction or alterations." Chapters 105 and 92 change nothing in the code's roof sheathing provisions and draw no line for roof sheathing. Section 92-12 of the Township Code adopts the 2009 International Residential Code as the Residential Code of Ridley Township, the Township's pages name no edition, and Section 105-2 adopts the State code "as amended from time to time"; the text above is the 2021 edition's, and the 2009 edition's sheathing text was not read for this record.
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. Ridley Township is in Delaware County. The Township's Code Enforcement page, permit application and fee schedule say nothing on sales tax.
More roof permit pages in Pennsylvania
Related guides
Ridley Township's Code Enforcement Department, at the Township Building, 100 E. MacDade Boulevard, Folsom, issues building permits for work in the Township, and the Township's building code names roofing among the work its building permit fees apply to. 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."
Working an insurance claim in Township of Ridley, PA? Everything on this page (drip edge, ice & water shield, inspections, Class 4 rules) formatted as a claim-ready evidence pack: verbatim ordinance quotes, code section cites, verification dates, and official source links, ready to attach to a supplement. See a real sample pack (PDF, 4 pages, free).
Buy this jurisdiction's pack: $12 Delivered by email within minutes.
Questions about the Township of Ridley, PA pack?
Not ready to buy, or need a different jurisdiction? Tell us and we’ll reply directly.