Permitting Authorities / Strasburg Borough - Zoning and Building Permits
Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Borough of Strasburg, PA?
Adopted code
Strasburg Borough - Zoning and Building Permits
Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Borough of Strasburg, PA, issued by Strasburg Borough - Zoning and Building Permits. Strasburg Borough's code exempts from its permit requirement only re-roofing of less than 25% of the roof. Section 304H(4)(c) of the Borough Code (Ord. 2004-5, June 8, 2004, as amended by Ord. 2004-9, January 11, 2005; read October 10, 2026) says the Borough "shall require persons to obtain permits under the Strasburg Borough Construction Code" for "All alterations or repairs to residential buildings which are exempt from the UCC by Act 92 of 2004," except nine listed kinds of work that "shall continue to be exempt and no permit will be required," the second of which is "Re-roofing of less than 25% of the total existing roof square footage." A full reroof is above that line. The Borough's Zoning and Code Enforcement page says "Building Permits are required for, but not limited to, the following" and lists "new construction, additions, alterations, in-ground and above-ground pools, window/door replacement" among them, and names no roofing line; its Building / Zoning Permit Application (revised July 2025) lists "Addition / Renovation" and "Other" among its project types and also names no roofing line. The Borough's page adds that "Historic District Permits are required for any improvement to a home within the Historic District that is visible from the street," a separate permit that applies by location. 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 Borough to require a permit for a reroof of 25% or more of the roof. Section 304 of the Borough Code says "It shall be unlawful for any contractor or subcontractor to perform any work for which a Construction Code permit is required unless the owner and contractor obtain and post a Construction Code permit," charges a person who starts work before a permit "an additional fee for expedited processing which shall be equal to the fee which should have been paid at permit application," and sets a penalty of "not less than $200 and not more than $1,000 for each violation plus all costs of prosecution." Applications go to the Borough Office in person or by mail, on the Building / Zoning Permit Application, and the Borough's page says "Applications for permits must be made on forms available at the Borough Office or by downloading them from our Applications page." The Borough Office is open Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., from Labor Day to Memorial Day, and Monday to Thursday, 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., from Memorial Day to Labor Day, at 717-687-7732. Read for this answer: Part 3 of Chapter 4 of the Borough Code, Uniform Construction Code (Sections 301 to 304), in full; every page of a search of the whole Borough Code for "roof" and for "reroofing"; the Borough's Zoning and Code Enforcement and Applications pages; the Building / Zoning Permit Application; and the 2026 fee schedule (Resolution 2026-1, scanned; transcribed from the rendered pages), whose zoning and building permit lines are "New Construction & Additions" "(Including Remodeling)" at "fraction thereof, $25.00 minimum" and a "Residential Building Code Administrative Fee" of $25.00, with no roofing line.
Roof code checklist: Borough of Strasburg, PA
Each row comes from the sourced record on this page; full wording is in the table below. "Not published" means no official source for that item was found when the record was last verified.
Jurisdiction
Borough of Strasburg, Pennsylvania
Address
145 Precision Avenue, Strasburg, PA 17579
Contact
- url: https://strasburgboro.org/departments/zoning-and-code-enforcement/
- phone: 717-687-7732
Roofing permit required
Required
Contractor registration required
Required
Permit process note
Strasburg Borough's code exempts from its permit requirement only re-roofing of less than 25% of the roof. Section 304H(4)(c) of the Borough Code (Ord. 2004-5, June 8, 2004, as amended by Ord. 2004-9, January 11, 2005; read October 10, 2026) says the Borough "shall require persons to obtain permits under the Strasburg Borough Construction Code" for "All alterations or repairs to residential buildings which are exempt from the UCC by Act 92 of 2004," except nine listed kinds of work that "shall continue to be exempt and no permit will be required," the second of which is "Re-roofing of less than 25% of the total existing roof square footage." A full reroof is above that line. The Borough's Zoning and Code Enforcement page says "Building Permits are required for, but not limited to, the following" and lists "new construction, additions, alterations, in-ground and above-ground pools, window/door replacement" among them, and names no roofing line; its Building / Zoning Permit Application (revised July 2025) lists "Addition / Renovation" and "Other" among its project types and also names no roofing line. The Borough's page adds that "Historic District Permits are required for any improvement to a home within the Historic District that is visible from the street," a separate permit that applies by location. 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 Borough to require a permit for a reroof of 25% or more of the roof. Section 304 of the Borough Code says "It shall be unlawful for any contractor or subcontractor to perform any work for which a Construction Code permit is required unless the owner and contractor obtain and post a Construction Code permit," charges a person who starts work before a permit "an additional fee for expedited processing which shall be equal to the fee which should have been paid at permit application," and sets a penalty of "not less than $200 and not more than $1,000 for each violation plus all costs of prosecution." Applications go to the Borough Office in person or by mail, on the Building / Zoning Permit Application, and the Borough's page says "Applications for permits must be made on forms available at the Borough Office or by downloading them from our Applications page." The Borough Office is open Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., from Labor Day to Memorial Day, and Monday to Thursday, 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., from Memorial Day to Labor Day, at 717-687-7732. Read for this answer: Part 3 of Chapter 4 of the Borough Code, Uniform Construction Code (Sections 301 to 304), in full; every page of a search of the whole Borough Code for "roof" and for "reroofing"; the Borough's Zoning and Code Enforcement and Applications pages; the Building / Zoning Permit Application; and the 2026 fee schedule (Resolution 2026-1, scanned; transcribed from the rendered pages), whose zoning and building permit lines are "New Construction & Additions" "(Including Remodeling)" at "fraction thereof, $25.00 minimum" and a "Residential Building Code Administrative Fee" of $25.00, with no roofing line.
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, Strasburg Borough takes permit applications at its Borough Office, 145 Precision Avenue; its Zoning and Code Enforcement page says "Permits must be submitted to the Strasburg Borough Office, not the Zoning Officer" and "Field inspections will be coordinated through the building inspector," and Section 304 of Part 3 of Chapter 4 of the Borough Code has Borough Council "appoint a person or entity to serve as a building code official and a construction code official". Section 303 adopts the standards the Department of Labor and Industry has made part of the Uniform Construction Code as the Strasburg Borough Construction Code, with additions to the International Building Code/2003 that change nothing in the code's roofing provisions. Sections 302 and 303 of the Borough Code name the "International Building Code/2003" and the "International Residential Code/2003" and adopt "the standards which the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry has made part of the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code identified in Section 403.21 of the L & I Regulations," and the Borough's pages name no later edition; this record has not read the 2003 edition's text and does not decide which edition the Borough applies.
Repair permit threshold
Strasburg Borough requires a permit for residential repairs and alterations, and exempts only re-roofing of less than 25% of the roof. Section 304H(4)(c) of the Borough Code (Ord. 2004-5, June 8, 2004, as amended by Ord. 2004-9, January 11, 2005; read October 10, 2026) says the Borough "shall require persons to obtain permits under the Strasburg Borough Construction Code" for "All alterations or repairs to residential buildings which are exempt from the UCC by Act 92 of 2004," except nine listed kinds of work that "shall continue to be exempt and no permit will be required," the second of which is "Re-roofing of less than 25% of the total existing roof square footage." A full reroof is above that line. The Borough's Zoning and Code Enforcement page says "Building Permits are required for, but not limited to, the following" and lists "new construction, additions, alterations, in-ground and above-ground pools, window/door replacement" among them, and names no roofing line; its Building / Zoning Permit Application (revised July 2025) lists "Addition / Renovation" and "Other" among its project types and also names no roofing line. The Borough's page adds that "Historic District Permits are required for any improvement to a home within the Historic District that is visible from the street," a separate permit that applies by location. 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 Borough to require a permit for a reroof of 25% or more of the roof. Section 304 of the Borough Code says "It shall be unlawful for any contractor or subcontractor to perform any work for which a Construction Code permit is required unless the owner and contractor obtain and post a Construction Code permit," charges a person who starts work before a permit "an additional fee for expedited processing which shall be equal to the fee which should have been paid at permit application," and sets a penalty of "not less than $200 and not more than $1,000 for each violation plus all costs of prosecution." 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, Strasburg Borough takes permit applications at its Borough Office, 145 Precision Avenue; its Zoning and Code Enforcement page says "Permits must be submitted to the Strasburg Borough Office, not the Zoning Officer" and "Field inspections will be coordinated through the building inspector," and Section 304 of Part 3 of Chapter 4 of the Borough Code has Borough Council "appoint a person or entity to serve as a building code official and a construction code official". Its threshold is the one in Section 304H(4)(c) quoted at the start: re-roofing of less than 25% of the total existing roof square footage needs no permit, and a larger reroof does.
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, Strasburg Borough takes permit applications at its Borough Office, 145 Precision Avenue; its Zoning and Code Enforcement page says "Permits must be submitted to the Strasburg Borough Office, not the Zoning Officer" and "Field inspections will be coordinated through the building inspector," and Section 304 of Part 3 of Chapter 4 of the Borough Code has Borough Council "appoint a person or entity to serve as a building code official and a construction code official". Part 3 of Chapter 4 changes nothing in the code's reroofing provisions, and the Borough's pages say nothing on roof layers. Sections 302 and 303 of the Borough Code name the "International Building Code/2003" and the "International Residential Code/2003" and adopt "the standards which the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry has made part of the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code identified in Section 403.21 of the L & I Regulations," and the Borough's pages name no later edition; the text above is the 2021 edition's, the 2003 edition's reroofing text was not read for this record, and this record does not decide which edition the Borough applies.
Deck & sheathing requirements
State rules from the base code, where the state code reaches the job. Pennsylvania adopts the 2021 International Residential Code without changing Section R803, Roof Sheathing (34 Pa. Code 403.21(a)(7); the State's changes to Chapter 8 are to ridge framing and attic ventilation). Lumber roof sheathing follows Table R803.1: over rafters or beams 24 inches apart it must be at least 5/8 inch net thick. Wood structural panels "shall be identified for grade, bond classification and performance category by a grade mark or certificate of inspection issued by an approved agency," and their spans "shall not exceed the values set forth in Table R503.2.1.1(1) or APA E30." For shingles, "Asphalt shingles shall be fastened to solidly sheathed decks" (R905.2.1), and on any reroof "The structural roof components shall be capable of supporting the roof covering system and the material and equipment loads that will be encountered during installation of the roof covering system" (R908.2). These rules bind work the Uniform Construction Code reaches; the Act does not apply to "Repairs to residential buildings" or to alterations that make no structural change, "except as might be required by ordinances" (Act 45 section 104(b)(5) and (6)). Act 45 section 104(b)(5) excludes alterations "which do not make structural changes or changes to means of egress" and says only that "a structural change does not include a minor framing change needed to replace existing windows or doors"; 34 Pa. Code 403.62(d)(2) lists "The removal or cutting of any structural beam or load-bearing support" as not an ordinary repair. Neither names roof sheathing; this record does not decide whether replacing it is either. Everything above is Pennsylvania state law, the same in every municipality. Locally, Strasburg Borough takes permit applications at its Borough Office, 145 Precision Avenue; its Zoning and Code Enforcement page says "Permits must be submitted to the Strasburg Borough Office, not the Zoning Officer" and "Field inspections will be coordinated through the building inspector," and Section 304 of Part 3 of Chapter 4 of the Borough Code has Borough Council "appoint a person or entity to serve as a building code official and a construction code official". Part 3 of Chapter 4 changes nothing in the code's roof sheathing provisions, and the Borough's pages draw no separate line for roof sheathing. Sections 302 and 303 of the Borough Code name the "International Building Code/2003" and the "International Residential Code/2003" and adopt "the standards which the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry has made part of the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code identified in Section 403.21 of the L & I Regulations," and the Borough's pages name no later edition; the text above is the 2021 edition's, the 2003 edition's sheathing text was not read for this record, and this record does not decide which edition the Borough applies.
Sales & use tax
6% Pennsylvania sales and use tax, with a local tax added on purchases made in Allegheny County (1%) and Philadelphia (2%). On a reroof the roofer pays the tax on the materials and does not add it to the homeowner's bill. The Department of Revenue says: "The Pennsylvania sales tax rate is 6 percent. By law, a 1 percent local tax is added to purchases made in Allegheny County, and 2 percent local tax is added to purchases made in Philadelphia." Roof work is a construction activity: the rule's list of items "presumed to become a permanent part of real estate" includes "Roofing (repairs)" (61 Pa. Code 31.11). For construction activities, "A contractor shall pay tax upon the purchase price ... of all property, including materials, equipment, components and supplies, which he furnishes and installs" (61 Pa. Code 31.12(a)(1)), and the rule's example says the contractor "does not charge sales tax on this transaction to his customer. The contractor may include the tax he must pay in his bid proposal but not as a separately stated item." Apart from limited exceptions set out in the rule, the same holds on jobs for tax-exempt owners: "a contractor erecting a building, repairing a roof, replacing a door for a governmental agency, ... school district, charitable or religious organization, and the like, shall pay tax upon the property which he consumes" (61 Pa. Code 31.13(a)). Everything above is Pennsylvania state law, the same in every municipality. Strasburg Borough is in Lancaster County. The Borough's permit pages and 2026 fee schedule say nothing on sales tax.
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Related guides
Strasburg Borough takes zoning and building permit applications at its Borough Office, 145 Precision Avenue, and its Borough Code requires a permit for residential repairs and alterations except listed work that includes re-roofing of less than 25% of the roof. The Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code applies statewide, but Act 45 section 104(b) lists "Repairs to residential buildings" and alterations that make no structural or egress change among work it does not apply to, "except as might be required by ordinances in effect pursuant to section 303(b)(1) or adopted pursuant to section 503."
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