Springfield Township - Building Department

Township of Springfield, Pennsylvania (Delaware County)

city

50 Powell Road, Springfield, PA 19064

Required

Required

Springfield Township's Building Department lists replacement of roof covering as permit work. The Building Department's page (read October 6, 2026) lists under the heading "Uniform Construction Code Requirements:" the item "Replacement of roof covering," first in a list that runs on through additions, pools, fences, sheds and garages, decks, water heaters and furnaces, electrical service, generators, paving, solar arrays, storage pods and dumpsters placed in the street, and then says "Permits are required for construction projects. This list is not all-inclusive. If you have any questions regarding a construction or remodeling project, please call the office for clarification." Chapter 134 of the Township Code (Sections 134-1 to 134-9), its Uniform Construction Code ordinance, names no roof work either way; it adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time," keeps in force earlier building code ordinances that equal or exceed it, and lists local rules on fire suppression, fire alarms, crawl spaces, wood framing and sewers. The Township's consolidated fee schedule (last amended December 10, 2024) charges houses for work under "CONSTRUCTION, ALTERATIONS, ADDITIONS AND REPAIRS" at "$35/$1,000 of cost or fraction thereof," says "All UCC permits will have a $9 surcharge," and has no roofing line. 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 Building Department to require a permit for a reroof. Section 134-7 of the Township Code says that where work for which a permit is required "is started or proceeded with prior to obtaining said permit, the fees shall be doubled." Applications are online only: the Online Forms page says "As of January 1, the Township will only accept online permits," through the Township's OpenGov portal. While the Township Building at 50 Powell Road is closed for renovation, in-person business is at 1001 Baltimore Pike, Suite 201; the mailing address and phone are unchanged. The Building Department is open 7:30 am to 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday, at 610-544-1300. Chapter 31 of the Township Code says persons who engage in construction or repairs as contractors, naming "roofing contractors" among them, "shall be required to obtain a license from the township for such purpose"; the fee schedule sets the contractor registration fee at $100, or $50 from September 1. Read for this answer: Chapter 134 of the Township Code, Uniform Construction Code (Sections 134-1 to 134-9), in full; Chapter 22, Building Maintenance, Chapter 31, Contractor Registration, and Chapter 40, Fee Schedule, in full, with the consolidated fee schedule attached to Chapter 40; a search of the whole Township Code for "roof" (17 results) and a search for "reroofing" (no results), which found no permit provision naming roof work; and the Building Department, Code Department and Online Forms pages. The scanned 2019 fee schedule posted on the Online Forms page was not read; the portal itself was not opened.

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, Springfield Township administers the code itself: Section 134-1 of the Township Code says "This municipality hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," and the Township's Building Department, whose Building, Plumbing and Mechanical Inspectors "hold Certifications issued by the Commonwealth of PA," issues building permits through the Township's online permit portal. Section 134-2 adopts the Uniform Construction Code, "as amended from time to time," as the municipal building code, and Section 134-3 says the adoption includes "all the codes and their appendices specifically incorporated by reference in the Uniform Construction Code"; Chapter 134 names no edition of the International Residential Code, and the department's pages name none. Section 134-6 keeps earlier local rules on fire suppression, fire alarms, crawl spaces, wood framing and sewers; it changes nothing in the code's roof covering provisions.

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, Springfield Township administers the code itself: Section 134-1 of the Township Code says "This municipality hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," and the Township's Building Department, whose Building, Plumbing and Mechanical Inspectors "hold Certifications issued by the Commonwealth of PA," issues building permits through the Township's online permit portal. Chapter 134 of the Township Code and the Building Department's page set no UL 2218, Class 4 or hail-impact requirement, and neither names an edition of the International Residential Code.

Springfield Township's Building Department lists replacement of roof covering among the work its permit rules reach. The Building Department's page (read October 6, 2026) lists under the heading "Uniform Construction Code Requirements:" the item "Replacement of roof covering," first in a list that runs on through additions, pools, fences, sheds and garages, decks, water heaters and furnaces, electrical service, generators, paving, solar arrays, storage pods and dumpsters placed in the street, and then says "Permits are required for construction projects. This list is not all-inclusive. If you have any questions regarding a construction or remodeling project, please call the office for clarification." Chapter 134 of the Township Code (Sections 134-1 to 134-9), its Uniform Construction Code ordinance, names no roof work either way; it adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time," keeps in force earlier building code ordinances that equal or exceed it, and lists local rules on fire suppression, fire alarms, crawl spaces, wood framing and sewers. The Township's consolidated fee schedule (last amended December 10, 2024) charges houses for work under "CONSTRUCTION, ALTERATIONS, ADDITIONS AND REPAIRS" at "$35/$1,000 of cost or fraction thereof," says "All UCC permits will have a $9 surcharge," and has no roofing line. 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 Building Department to require a permit for a reroof. Section 134-7 of the Township Code says that where work for which a permit is required "is started or proceeded with prior to obtaining said permit, the fees shall be doubled." 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, Springfield Township administers the code itself: Section 134-1 of the Township Code says "This municipality hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," and the Township's Building Department, whose Building, Plumbing and Mechanical Inspectors "hold Certifications issued by the Commonwealth of PA," issues building permits through the Township's online permit portal. The department's list names "Replacement of roof covering" with no area or percentage limit, and Chapter 134 sets no threshold for roof work.

Two layers at most where the state code reaches the job. Pennsylvania adopts the 2021 International Residential Code without changing its reroofing section, R908 (34 Pa. Code 403.21(a)(7); the State's list of changes names no Chapter 9 section). Section R908.3.1.1 says "A roof recover shall not be permitted where any of the following conditions occur," and the third condition is "Where the existing roof has two or more applications of any type of roof covering." So one existing layer may be covered once, and a roof that already has two layers is torn off to the deck. The same section also bars a recover "Where the existing roof or roof covering is water soaked or has deteriorated to the point that the existing roof or roof covering is not adequate as a base for additional roofing" and "Where the existing roof covering is slate, clay, cement or asbestos-cement tile." The existing-building code the State also adopts, the 2021 International Existing Building Code (34 Pa. Code 403.21(f)), carries the same three conditions in Section 705.2.1.1. These rules bind work the Uniform Construction Code reaches. The Act does not apply to "Repairs to residential buildings" or to alterations that make no structural change, "except as might be required by ordinances" (Act 45 section 104(b)(5) and (6)), so whether R908 binds a particular house reroof turns on that exclusion and on the municipality's own ordinances. Everything above is Pennsylvania state law, the same in every municipality. Locally, Springfield Township administers the code itself: Section 134-1 of the Township Code says "This municipality hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," and the Township's Building Department, whose Building, Plumbing and Mechanical Inspectors "hold Certifications issued by the Commonwealth of PA," issues building permits through the Township's online permit portal. Chapter 134 of the Township Code changes nothing in the code's reroofing provisions, and the department's pages say nothing on roof layers.

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, Springfield Township administers the code itself: Section 134-1 of the Township Code says "This municipality hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," and the Township's Building Department, whose Building, Plumbing and Mechanical Inspectors "hold Certifications issued by the Commonwealth of PA," issues building permits through the Township's online permit portal. Chapter 134 of the Township Code changes nothing in the code's roof sheathing provisions. Its Section 134-6.F keeps a local framing rule that "Exterior walls, interior partitions, floors and roofs of wood construction shall be designed and constructed with 16 inches on center"; it says nothing on sheathing, and the department's list names "Replacement of roof covering" without drawing a line for 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. Springfield Township is in Delaware County. The Building Department's pages say nothing on sales tax.