Springfield Township - Community Development Department

Township of Springfield, Pennsylvania (Montgomery County)

city

1510 Paper Mill Road, Wyndmoor, PA 19038

Required

Required

Springfield Township's code office lists roofing as permit work. The Township's answer to "When do I need a permit?" (read October 7, 2026) says "Permits are required for all new construction, additions and alterations to existing buildings and the following construction activities:" and its list includes "Roofing." Section 13-6 B(6) of the Township Code says "Section 403-62(c)1 shall have the following items amended or deleted from the list of permit exempt items as indicated" and includes "DELETE: Replacement of existing roof material that does not exceed 25% of the total roof area performed within any twelve-month period." The Township's fee schedule effective January 3, 2022 (Resolution No. 1555), the one its Building Permits & Inspections page links, has a section "A.4 Roofing and Siding (Residential and Non-Residential)" whose first line is "New Roof, Roof Alteration or Siding Installation on an Existing Single or Two Family Dwelling" at "$75 up to 1,000 sq. ft. plus $0.25 per sq. ft." 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 require a permit for a reroof of any size. The fee schedule says "All Fees referenced within this section shall be doubled if the project is started without the applicable Township Permits and/or Approvals," and Section 13-9 of the Township Code sets "a fine of not less than $300 nor more than $1,000, plus the cost of enforcement" for a violation of the chapter. The Building Permits & Inspections page says "Work may not begin until a signed permit has been received" and asks for a completed building permit application with its Workers' Compensation portion, two copies of plans and specifications, a site plan and the fee. For alteration of a property listed on the Township's Historic Resource Inventory, Section 46-8 C(1) says "A building permit or demolition permit application may not be submitted until the historic resource alteration permit and demolition permit has been issued." Read for this answer: Chapter 13 of the Township Code, Construction Code, Uniform (Sections 13-1 to 13-9), in full; Chapter 46, Historic Resources; Chapter 70A, Property Maintenance; a search of the whole Township Code for "roof" and for "reroofing"; the Township's permit FAQ and Building Permits & Inspections page; and the fee schedule effective January 3, 2022, a scanned document whose roofing lines were read from the page images. The FAQ says "If you have any questions regarding when a permit is required, please contact the Building Inspector at (215) 836-7600, Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m."

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 13-2 A of the Township Code says "The Board of Commissioners hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," the Township's permit FAQ says "Springfield Township has opted to locally enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code (Act 45 of 1999)," and building permit applications go to the Community Development Department in the Township Administration Building, 1510 Paper Mill Road, Wyndmoor. Section 13-7 fills in the design data of Table R301.2(1), including "Ice shield underlayment required: no," and neither Section 13-6 nor Section 13-7 changes the code's roofing provisions. Section 13-2 B of the Township Code adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time" and says "As provided for under Act 45, Section 304, all subsequent editions or successor codes are hereby adopted," Section 13-7 makes its local changes to the text of the "International Residential Code 2003," and the Township's Building Permits & Inspections page lists the "International Residential Code 2021" among the codes it reviews to; this record has not read the 2003 edition's text.

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 13-2 A of the Township Code says "The Board of Commissioners hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," the Township's permit FAQ says "Springfield Township has opted to locally enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code (Act 45 of 1999)," and building permit applications go to the Community Development Department in the Township Administration Building, 1510 Paper Mill Road, Wyndmoor. Chapter 13 of the Township Code, read in full, amends nothing in the code's roof assemblies chapter, and no UL 2218 or Class 4 impact requirement appears in it or on the Township's permit pages. Section 13-2 B of the Township Code adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time" and says "As provided for under Act 45, Section 304, all subsequent editions or successor codes are hereby adopted," Section 13-7 makes its local changes to the text of the "International Residential Code 2003," and the Township's Building Permits & Inspections page lists the "International Residential Code 2021" among the codes it reviews to; this record has not read the 2003 edition's text.

Springfield Township lists roofing as permit work and charges a roofing fee by roof area. The Township's answer to "When do I need a permit?" (read October 7, 2026) says "Permits are required for all new construction, additions and alterations to existing buildings and the following construction activities:" and its list includes "Roofing." Section 13-6 B(6) of the Township Code says "Section 403-62(c)1 shall have the following items amended or deleted from the list of permit exempt items as indicated" and includes "DELETE: Replacement of existing roof material that does not exceed 25% of the total roof area performed within any twelve-month period." The Township's fee schedule effective January 3, 2022 (Resolution No. 1555), the one its Building Permits & Inspections page links, has a section "A.4 Roofing and Siding (Residential and Non-Residential)" whose first line is "New Roof, Roof Alteration or Siding Installation on an Existing Single or Two Family Dwelling" at "$75 up to 1,000 sq. ft. plus $0.25 per sq. ft." 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, Springfield Township administers the code itself: Section 13-2 A of the Township Code says "The Board of Commissioners hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," the Township's permit FAQ says "Springfield Township has opted to locally enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code (Act 45 of 1999)," and building permit applications go to the Community Development Department in the Township Administration Building, 1510 Paper Mill Road, Wyndmoor. Section 13-6 B(6) removes the small-roof exemption quoted at the start, so no Township text sets a size below which roof replacement needs no permit.

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 13-2 A of the Township Code says "The Board of Commissioners hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," the Township's permit FAQ says "Springfield Township has opted to locally enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code (Act 45 of 1999)," and building permit applications go to the Community Development Department in the Township Administration Building, 1510 Paper Mill Road, Wyndmoor. Chapter 13 of the Township Code changes nothing in the code's reroofing provisions, and the Township's pages say nothing on roof layers. Section 13-2 B of the Township Code adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time" and says "As provided for under Act 45, Section 304, all subsequent editions or successor codes are hereby adopted," Section 13-7 makes its local changes to the text of the "International Residential Code 2003," and the Township's Building Permits & Inspections page lists the "International Residential Code 2021" among the codes it reviews to; the text above is the 2021 edition's, and the 2003 edition's reroofing text was not read for this record.

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 13-2 A of the Township Code says "The Board of Commissioners hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," the Township's permit FAQ says "Springfield Township has opted to locally enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code (Act 45 of 1999)," and building permit applications go to the Community Development Department in the Township Administration Building, 1510 Paper Mill Road, Wyndmoor. Chapter 13 of the Township Code changes nothing in the code's roof sheathing provisions, and the Township's fee schedule prices "New Roof, Roof Alteration or Siding Installation" by area without drawing a separate line for roof sheathing. Section 13-2 B of the Township Code adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time" and says "As provided for under Act 45, Section 304, all subsequent editions or successor codes are hereby adopted," Section 13-7 makes its local changes to the text of the "International Residential Code 2003," and the Township's Building Permits & Inspections page lists the "International Residential Code 2021" among the codes it reviews to; the text above is the 2021 edition's, and the 2003 edition's sheathing text was not read for this record.

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 Montgomery County. The Township's permit pages and fee schedule say nothing on sales tax.