The Roofing Book

Permitting Authorities / South Hanover Township - Building Department

Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Township of South Hanover, PA?

Adopted code

South Hanover Township - Building Department

No, Township of South Hanover, PA does not require a permit for like-for-like roof replacement (South Hanover Township - Building Department). South Hanover Township's permit sheet answers "YES (if replacing sheething)" for a building permit to replace roof shingles, and "NO" for a zoning permit. Section 5-105 of the Township Code, part of the Township's Code Enforcement Ordinance (Ord. No. 2-1999, January 26, 1999), says that except as the article specifies no building "shall be erected, constructed, enlarged, altered, repaired, moved, improved, removed, converted, demolished or changed in use or occupancy unless a separate, appropriate permit" has first been obtained, and then says "A building permit shall not be required for the following," a list whose item (24) is "Reroofing." Section 5-704 adopts the Code Enforcement Ordinance with the Uniform Construction Code, and Section 5-705 says its applicable sections "shall continue in full force and effect until such time as these sections fail to equal or exceed the minimum requirements of the Uniform Construction Code." The Township's "WHEN ARE PERMITS REQUIRED?" sheet (updated 1/5/24, read October 9, 2026) gives, for "REPLACING ROOF SHINGLES," a building permit answer of "YES (if replacing sheething)" and a zoning permit answer of "NO." The Township's 2026 fee schedule (Resolution No. 3-2026) has no roofing line. The enacted exemption and the Township's sheet agree that a reroof without sheathing work needs no building permit. 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." Section 5-108 says a person who commences "any work for which a permit is required" without one shall, if later permitted to obtain a permit, "pay double the permit fee," except for emergency work and first-time offenders. The Building Department page says "Residents are encouraged to call or stop by the Township office if they have any questions about their proposed project." Building inspections are scheduled with Approved Code Services at 717-506-0464. The Township office is at 161 Patriot Way, Hershey, 717-566-0224, open Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Read for this answer: Chapter 5 of the Township Code, Code Enforcement, in full, including Article I (the Code Enforcement Ordinance) and Article VII (Uniform Construction Code); every page of a search of the whole Township Code for "roof" and for "reroofing"; the Building Department page; the "When are permits required?" sheet; the Building/Zoning Permit Application; and the 2026 fee schedule, Resolution No. 3-2026, a scanned document read from its page images.

Roof code checklist: Township of South Hanover, PA

ItemAnswerCode citeSourceVerified
Permit to replace a roofNoecode360.com2026-10-09
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) roofingNopacodeandbulletin.gov2026-10-09
Wind design criteriaNot published
Adopted codePublishedSec. 5-703pacodeandbulletin.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
Township of South Hanover, Pennsylvania
Jurisdiction type
city
Address
161 Patriot Way, Hershey, PA 17033
Contact
  • url: https://www.southhanover.org/departments/building_zoning/index.php
  • phone: 717-566-0224
Roofing permit required
Not required
Contractor registration required
Required
Permit process note
South Hanover Township's permit sheet answers "YES (if replacing sheething)" for a building permit to replace roof shingles, and "NO" for a zoning permit. Section 5-105 of the Township Code, part of the Township's Code Enforcement Ordinance (Ord. No. 2-1999, January 26, 1999), says that except as the article specifies no building "shall be erected, constructed, enlarged, altered, repaired, moved, improved, removed, converted, demolished or changed in use or occupancy unless a separate, appropriate permit" has first been obtained, and then says "A building permit shall not be required for the following," a list whose item (24) is "Reroofing." Section 5-704 adopts the Code Enforcement Ordinance with the Uniform Construction Code, and Section 5-705 says its applicable sections "shall continue in full force and effect until such time as these sections fail to equal or exceed the minimum requirements of the Uniform Construction Code." The Township's "WHEN ARE PERMITS REQUIRED?" sheet (updated 1/5/24, read October 9, 2026) gives, for "REPLACING ROOF SHINGLES," a building permit answer of "YES (if replacing sheething)" and a zoning permit answer of "NO." The Township's 2026 fee schedule (Resolution No. 3-2026) has no roofing line. The enacted exemption and the Township's sheet agree that a reroof without sheathing work needs no building permit. 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." Section 5-108 says a person who commences "any work for which a permit is required" without one shall, if later permitted to obtain a permit, "pay double the permit fee," except for emergency work and first-time offenders. The Building Department page says "Residents are encouraged to call or stop by the Township office if they have any questions about their proposed project." Building inspections are scheduled with Approved Code Services at 717-506-0464. The Township office is at 161 Patriot Way, Hershey, 717-566-0224, open Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Read for this answer: Chapter 5 of the Township Code, Code Enforcement, in full, including Article I (the Code Enforcement Ordinance) and Article VII (Uniform Construction Code); every page of a search of the whole Township Code for "roof" and for "reroofing"; the Building Department page; the "When are permits required?" sheet; the Building/Zoning Permit Application; and the 2026 fee schedule, Resolution No. 3-2026, a scanned document read from its page images.
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, South Hanover Township takes building and zoning permit applications at its municipal office, 161 Patriot Way, Hershey, and Article VII of Chapter 5 of the Township Code (Ord. No. 3-2004) elects to administer and enforce the Uniform Construction Code "through the code enforcement department." The Township's Building Department page says "Presently, the Township of South Hanover is enforcing Act 45, the Uniform Construction Code (UCC) adopted by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania" and "Building Inspections are done by Approved Code Services." Section 5-703 adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time" as the Uniform Construction Code of the Township, and Section 5-706 fills in Table 301.2(1), including "Ice Shield Underlayment Required = No"; Chapter 5 changes nothing in the code's roofing provisions. Article VII adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time" and names no edition of the International Residential Code, and the Township's Building Department page names none either. Article II of Chapter 5 still prints the Township's 1999 adoption of the "BOCA National Building Code, Thirteenth Edition, 1996," and Section 5-709 lists "Building Code Ordinance No. 3-1999, Sections 1, 2, 3 and 7" among the sections "hereby repealed".
Impact-resistant roofing
Not required — No impact-resistance requirement under state law. The State's adoption of the 2021 International Residential Code (34 Pa. Code 403.21) contains no hail or impact rule, and it makes no change to the code's roof assemblies chapter, which itself has no UL 2218, Class 4 or hail-impact requirement for roof coverings. A municipality could add one only by an ordinance that equals or exceeds the Uniform Construction Code under Act 45 section 503, filed with the Department of Labor and Industry; none of the filings on the Department's register of municipal code change ordinances mentions hail or impact resistance. An owner may still choose an impact-rated roof covering. Everything above is Pennsylvania state law, the same in every municipality. Locally, South Hanover Township takes building and zoning permit applications at its municipal office, 161 Patriot Way, Hershey, and Article VII of Chapter 5 of the Township Code (Ord. No. 3-2004) elects to administer and enforce the Uniform Construction Code "through the code enforcement department." The Township's Building Department page says "Presently, the Township of South Hanover is enforcing Act 45, the Uniform Construction Code (UCC) adopted by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania" and "Building Inspections are done by Approved Code Services." Neither Article VII of Chapter 5, which adopts the Uniform Construction Code and fills in Table 301.2(1), nor any other part of Chapter 5 amends the code's roof covering provisions; no UL 2218 or Class 4 impact requirement appears in the Township's adopted code or its amendments.
Repair permit threshold
South Hanover Township's code lists "Reroofing" among work for which "A building permit shall not be required," and its permit sheet requires a building permit for replacing roof shingles only "if replacing sheething." Section 5-105 of the Township Code, part of the Township's Code Enforcement Ordinance (Ord. No. 2-1999, January 26, 1999), says that except as the article specifies no building "shall be erected, constructed, enlarged, altered, repaired, moved, improved, removed, converted, demolished or changed in use or occupancy unless a separate, appropriate permit" has first been obtained, and then says "A building permit shall not be required for the following," a list whose item (24) is "Reroofing." Section 5-704 adopts the Code Enforcement Ordinance with the Uniform Construction Code, and Section 5-705 says its applicable sections "shall continue in full force and effect until such time as these sections fail to equal or exceed the minimum requirements of the Uniform Construction Code." The Township's "WHEN ARE PERMITS REQUIRED?" sheet (updated 1/5/24, read October 9, 2026) gives, for "REPLACING ROOF SHINGLES," a building permit answer of "YES (if replacing sheething)" and a zoning permit answer of "NO." The Township's 2026 fee schedule (Resolution No. 3-2026) has no roofing line. 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." 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, South Hanover Township takes building and zoning permit applications at its municipal office, 161 Patriot Way, Hershey, and Article VII of Chapter 5 of the Township Code (Ord. No. 3-2004) elects to administer and enforce the Uniform Construction Code "through the code enforcement department." The Township's Building Department page says "Presently, the Township of South Hanover is enforcing Act 45, the Uniform Construction Code (UCC) adopted by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania" and "Building Inspections are done by Approved Code Services." The Township's line, quoted at the start, falls at the sheathing: its sheet requires a building permit for replacing roof shingles when the sheathing is replaced, and no Township text 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, South Hanover Township takes building and zoning permit applications at its municipal office, 161 Patriot Way, Hershey, and Article VII of Chapter 5 of the Township Code (Ord. No. 3-2004) elects to administer and enforce the Uniform Construction Code "through the code enforcement department." The Township's Building Department page says "Presently, the Township of South Hanover is enforcing Act 45, the Uniform Construction Code (UCC) adopted by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania" and "Building Inspections are done by Approved Code Services." Chapter 5 of the Township Code changes nothing in the code's reroofing provisions, lists "Reroofing" among work for which a building permit is not required, and the Township's pages say nothing on roof layers.
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, South Hanover Township takes building and zoning permit applications at its municipal office, 161 Patriot Way, Hershey, and Article VII of Chapter 5 of the Township Code (Ord. No. 3-2004) elects to administer and enforce the Uniform Construction Code "through the code enforcement department." The Township's Building Department page says "Presently, the Township of South Hanover is enforcing Act 45, the Uniform Construction Code (UCC) adopted by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania" and "Building Inspections are done by Approved Code Services." Chapter 5 of the Township Code changes nothing in the code's roof sheathing provisions. The Township draws its own line at the sheathing: its "When are permits required?" sheet answers "YES (if replacing sheething)" for a building permit to replace roof shingles, so a reroof that replaces sheathing needs a building permit there.
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. South Hanover Township is in Dauphin County. The Township's permit pages and 2026 fee schedule say nothing on sales tax.

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South Hanover Township, at 161 Patriot Way, Hershey, takes building and zoning permit applications, with Approved Code Services doing its building inspections, and both the Township Code and the Township's permit sheet list reroofing among work that needs no building permit, the sheet adding a permit where the sheathing is replaced. 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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Roofing questions: Township of South Hanover, PA

Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Township of South Hanover, PA?

No, Township of South Hanover, PA does not require a permit to replace a roof. South Hanover Township's code lists "Reroofing" among work for which "A building permit shall not be required," and its permit sheet requires a building permit for replacing roof shingles only "if replacing sheething." Section 5-105 of the Township Code, part of the Township's Code Enforcement Ordinance (Ord. No. 2-1999, January 26, 1999), says that except as the article specifies no building "shall be erected, constructed, enlarged, altered, repaired, moved, improved, removed, converted, demolished or changed in use or occupancy unless a separate, appropriate permit" has first been obtained, and then says "A building permit shall not be required for the following," a list whose item (24) is "Reroofing." Section 5-704 adopts the Code Enforcement Ordinance with the Uniform Construction Code, and Section 5-705 says its applicable sections "shall continue in full force and effect until such time as these sections fail to equal or exceed the minimum requirements of the Uniform Construction Code." The Township's "WHEN ARE PERMITS REQUIRED?" sheet (updated 1/5/24, read October 9, 2026) gives, for "REPLACING ROOF SHINGLES," a building permit answer of "YES (if replacing sheething)" and a zoning permit answer of "NO." The Township's 2026 fee schedule (Resolution No. 3-2026) has no roofing line. 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." 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, South Hanover Township takes building and zoning permit applications at its municipal office, 161 Patriot Way, Hershey, and Article VII of Chapter 5 of the Township Code (Ord. No. 3-2004) elects to administer and enforce the Uniform Construction Code "through the code enforcement department." The Township's Building Department page says "Presently, the Township of South Hanover is enforcing Act 45, the Uniform Construction Code (UCC) adopted by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania" and "Building Inspections are done by Approved Code Services." The Township's line, quoted at the start, falls at the sheathing: its sheet requires a building permit for replacing roof shingles when the sheathing is replaced, and no Township text sets an area or cost threshold for roof work.

Can you roof over an existing roof in Township of South Hanover, 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, South Hanover Township takes building and zoning permit applications at its municipal office, 161 Patriot Way, Hershey, and Article VII of Chapter 5 of the Township Code (Ord. No. 3-2004) elects to administer and enforce the Uniform Construction Code "through the code enforcement department." The Township's Building Department page says "Presently, the Township of South Hanover is enforcing Act 45, the Uniform Construction Code (UCC) adopted by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania" and "Building Inspections are done by Approved Code Services." Chapter 5 of the Township Code changes nothing in the code's reroofing provisions, lists "Reroofing" among work for which a building permit is not required, and the Township's pages say nothing on roof layers.

Do roofing contractors need a license or registration in Township of South Hanover, PA?

Yes.

What building code does Township of South Hanover, 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, South Hanover Township takes building and zoning permit applications at its municipal office, 161 Patriot Way, Hershey, and Article VII of Chapter 5 of the Township Code (Ord. No. 3-2004) elects to administer and enforce the Uniform Construction Code "through the code enforcement department." The Township's Building Department page says "Presently, the Township of South Hanover is enforcing Act 45, the Uniform Construction Code (UCC) adopted by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania" and "Building Inspections are done by Approved Code Services." Section 5-703 adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time" as the Uniform Construction Code of the Township, and Section 5-706 fills in Table 301.2(1), including "Ice Shield Underlayment Required = No"; Chapter 5 changes nothing in the code's roofing provisions. Article VII adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time" and names no edition of the International Residential Code, and the Township's Building Department page names none either. Article II of Chapter 5 still prints the Township's 1999 adoption of the "BOCA National Building Code, Thirteenth Edition, 1996," and Section 5-709 lists "Building Code Ordinance No. 3-1999, Sections 1, 2, 3 and 7" among the sections "hereby repealed".