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Permitting Authorities / Wilkes-Barre Township - Zoning and Code Enforcement Department

Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Township of Wilkes-Barre, PA?

Adopted code

Wilkes-Barre Township - Zoning and Code Enforcement Department

Wilkes-Barre Township in Luzerne County takes building and zoning permit applications at its Zoning & Code Enforcement Department, 150 Watson Street, Wilkes-Barre Township, and requires a Township contractor's license of every contractor doing work there. 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."

Roof code checklist: Township of Wilkes-Barre, PA

ItemAnswerCode citeSourceVerified
Permit to replace a roofNot published
Repair permit thresholdPublishedpacodeandbulletin.gov2026-10-10
Layer limit / roof-overPublishedR908.3.1.1pacodeandbulletin.gov2026-10-10
Deck & sheathingPublishedR905.2.1pacodeandbulletin.gov2026-10-10
Drip edgeNot published
Ice & water shieldNot published
Mid-roof inspectionNot published
Impact-resistant (Class 4) roofingNopacodeandbulletin.gov2026-10-10
Wind design criteriaNot published
Adopted codePublishedpacodeandbulletin.gov2026-10-10
Contractor license / registrationYespalegis.us2026-10-10
Sales & use taxPublishedpa.gov2026-10-10

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 Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Jurisdiction type
city
Address
150 Watson Street, Wilkes-Barre Township, PA 18702
Contact
  • url: https://twp.wilkesbarre.pa.us/code-zoning
  • phone: 570-208-4635
Contractor registration required
Required
Registration details
  • state_level: Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act, Act 132 of 2008, 73 P.S. 517.1 et seq.: registration with the Attorney General's Bureau of Consumer Protection before performing any home improvement over $500 (section 2, section 3(a)); persons whose home improvements totalled less than $5,000 in the previous taxable year are not "contractors" (section 2). Section 12 precludes local registration or licensing of home improvement contractors, with carve-outs for building permits, pre-existing tested trade licences, and local insurance standards adopted before January 1, 2006.
  • city_level: Wilkes-Barre Township's Ordinance No. 2004-10, posted with its Contractors License Application, says "all contractors, whether a general contractor, jobbing contractor, heating contractor, plumbing contractor, electrical contractor, or any other contractor, before doing work within the Township of Wilkes-Barre, shall first purchase a contractor's license," sets the fee at $150.00, requires evidence of "passing a test from any testing state, testing municipality, or certified testing agency, together with evidence of their insurance coverage," and empowers the Code Enforcement Officer "to issue a cease and desist order directing the contractor to cease all work within the Township of Wilkes-Barre until the requisite license has been obtained." The Township's Building Permit Application separately asks for a "PA. HOME IMPROVEMENT REGISTRATION NUMBER (FOR RESIDENTIAL ONLY)." This record does not decide how section 12 of the state Act bears on the ordinance.
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, Wilkes-Barre Township's Zoning & Code Enforcement Department at the municipal building, 150 Watson Street, Wilkes-Barre Township (570-208-4635, Monday to Friday, 7:30 AM to 3:30 PM), lists a Zoning & Code Enforcement Officer on its Zoning & Code Enforcement page, which says "For all zoning, planning and code enforcement related information, please contact our code enforcement officer at the number listed," and posts its own Building Permit Application, whose "READ THIS" box says "CONTRACTOR IS RESPONSIBLE TO SCHEDULE ALL INSPECTIONS WITH ZONING OFFICE." The Township's Rental Ordinance defines a Code Enforcement Officer as "the duly appointed Code Enforcement Office(s) having charge of the Office of Code Enforcement for the Township of Wilkes-Barre." The Township's Ordinances page lists its open burning, alcohol container, election sign, parking, fireworks, rental, animal and other ordinances and no ordinance adopting the Uniform Construction Code or a building code, which was not found published on the Township's site. The Department of Labor and Industry's register of municipal code change ordinances lists a Wilkes-Barre Township filing whose summary says it "Requires a building permit for residential storage sheds with a building area greater than 200 sq. ft. and for a wide variety of alterations and construction related to residential buildings," with "approval letter mailed 11 / 22 / 06" and "Enacted on 4 / 2 / 07." The Township's ordinance behind that filing was not found published and was not read for this record, and this record does not decide what it requires of a reroof. The Township's pages name no code edition.
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. The Township's pages read name no impact-resistance rule or code edition, and nothing read in its Zoning Ordinance adds a local code change.
Repair permit threshold
Wilkes-Barre Township's pages read name no roofing line and no residential no-permit list for a reroof. The Township's Building Permit Application says "THIS APPLICATION WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED & PERMIT WILL NOT BE ISSUED WITHOUT THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION (NO EXCEPTIONS)" and asks for a contract signed by both parties, a "PA. HOME IMPROVEMENT REGISTRATION NUMBER (FOR RESIDENTIAL ONLY)" and a "COMPLETE DISCRIPTION OF WORK," and it has no roofing box or roofing line. The Township's fee schedule, in its "Residential Fee Schedule" section, lists "All Building Permits" at $50.00 for $0.00 to $5000.00 and "$10.00 per $1000.00" above $5000.00, and names no roofing fee. The Township's zoning permit application and its Zoning & Planning fee schedule name no roofing line. These pages say what a building permit costs and requires, and none of them says whether a reroof needs one. Section 1302.1 of the Township's Zoning Ordinance, headed Issuance of Permit, says "Normal and routine maintenance and repairs to a structure shall be exempt from obtaining a zoning permit," and Section 1214 says "Prior to the issuance of any building permit, the Code Enforcement Officer or the person so authorized by Wilkes-Barre Township to issue building permits shall review the application for the permit." The first is a zoning provision, the second sits in the Zoning Ordinance's floodplain article, and neither names roofing. The Department of Labor and Industry's register of municipal code change ordinances lists a Wilkes-Barre Township filing whose summary says it "Requires a building permit for residential storage sheds with a building area greater than 200 sq. ft. and for a wide variety of alterations and construction related to residential buildings," with "approval letter mailed 11 / 22 / 06" and "Enacted on 4 / 2 / 07." The Township's ordinance behind that filing was not found published and was not read for this record, and this record does not decide what it requires of a reroof. 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, Wilkes-Barre Township's Zoning & Code Enforcement Department at the municipal building, 150 Watson Street, Wilkes-Barre Township (570-208-4635, Monday to Friday, 7:30 AM to 3:30 PM), lists a Zoning & Code Enforcement Officer on its Zoning & Code Enforcement page, which says "For all zoning, planning and code enforcement related information, please contact our code enforcement officer at the number listed," and posts its own Building Permit Application, whose "READ THIS" box says "CONTRACTOR IS RESPONSIBLE TO SCHEDULE ALL INSPECTIONS WITH ZONING OFFICE." The Township's Rental Ordinance defines a Code Enforcement Officer as "the duly appointed Code Enforcement Office(s) having charge of the Office of Code Enforcement for the Township of Wilkes-Barre." The Township's pages and forms set no area or cost threshold for roof work. Read for this record: the Township's Home, Contact Us, Zoning & Code Enforcement, Zoning & Code Enforcement Forms and Ordinances pages (built by script, read from the page data); its Building Permit Application, fee schedule, Zoning & Planning fee schedule, zoning permit application, Contractors License Application with its ordinance, and Rental Ordinance; and Articles 1 to 16 of its Zoning Ordinance, a text search of which for "roof" and "building permit" found no permit clause for roof work. The Township's pages name no residential building permit list and no no-permit list.
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, Wilkes-Barre Township's Zoning & Code Enforcement Department at the municipal building, 150 Watson Street, Wilkes-Barre Township (570-208-4635, Monday to Friday, 7:30 AM to 3:30 PM), lists a Zoning & Code Enforcement Officer on its Zoning & Code Enforcement page, which says "For all zoning, planning and code enforcement related information, please contact our code enforcement officer at the number listed," and posts its own Building Permit Application, whose "READ THIS" box says "CONTRACTOR IS RESPONSIBLE TO SCHEDULE ALL INSPECTIONS WITH ZONING OFFICE." The Township's Rental Ordinance defines a Code Enforcement Officer as "the duly appointed Code Enforcement Office(s) having charge of the Office of Code Enforcement for the Township of Wilkes-Barre." The Township's pages say nothing on roof layers, and nothing read in its Zoning Ordinance changes the code's reroofing provisions.
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, Wilkes-Barre Township's Zoning & Code Enforcement Department at the municipal building, 150 Watson Street, Wilkes-Barre Township (570-208-4635, Monday to Friday, 7:30 AM to 3:30 PM), lists a Zoning & Code Enforcement Officer on its Zoning & Code Enforcement page, which says "For all zoning, planning and code enforcement related information, please contact our code enforcement officer at the number listed," and posts its own Building Permit Application, whose "READ THIS" box says "CONTRACTOR IS RESPONSIBLE TO SCHEDULE ALL INSPECTIONS WITH ZONING OFFICE." The Township's Rental Ordinance defines a Code Enforcement Officer as "the duly appointed Code Enforcement Office(s) having charge of the Office of Code Enforcement for the Township of Wilkes-Barre." The Township's pages draw no line for roof sheathing, and nothing read in its Zoning Ordinance changes the code's roof sheathing provisions.
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. Wilkes-Barre Township is in Luzerne County. The Township's permit pages and forms say nothing on sales tax.

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Roofing questions: Township of Wilkes-Barre, PA

When does a roof repair need a permit in Township of Wilkes-Barre, PA?

Wilkes-Barre Township's pages read name no roofing line and no residential no-permit list for a reroof. The Township's Building Permit Application says "THIS APPLICATION WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED & PERMIT WILL NOT BE ISSUED WITHOUT THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION (NO EXCEPTIONS)" and asks for a contract signed by both parties, a "PA. HOME IMPROVEMENT REGISTRATION NUMBER (FOR RESIDENTIAL ONLY)" and a "COMPLETE DISCRIPTION OF WORK," and it has no roofing box or roofing line. The Township's fee schedule, in its "Residential Fee Schedule" section, lists "All Building Permits" at $50.00 for $0.00 to $5000.00 and "$10.00 per $1000.00" above $5000.00, and names no roofing fee. The Township's zoning permit application and its Zoning & Planning fee schedule name no roofing line. These pages say what a building permit costs and requires, and none of them says whether a reroof needs one. Section 1302.1 of the Township's Zoning Ordinance, headed Issuance of Permit, says "Normal and routine maintenance and repairs to a structure shall be exempt from obtaining a zoning permit," and Section 1214 says "Prior to the issuance of any building permit, the Code Enforcement Officer or the person so authorized by Wilkes-Barre Township to issue building permits shall review the application for the permit." The first is a zoning provision, the second sits in the Zoning Ordinance's floodplain article, and neither names roofing. The Department of Labor and Industry's register of municipal code change ordinances lists a Wilkes-Barre Township filing whose summary says it "Requires a building permit for residential storage sheds with a building area greater than 200 sq. ft. and for a wide variety of alterations and construction related to residential buildings," with "approval letter mailed 11 / 22 / 06" and "Enacted on 4 / 2 / 07." The Township's ordinance behind that filing was not found published and was not read for this record, and this record does not decide what it requires of a reroof. 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, Wilkes-Barre Township's Zoning & Code Enforcement Department at the municipal building, 150 Watson Street, Wilkes-Barre Township (570-208-4635, Monday to Friday, 7:30 AM to 3:30 PM), lists a Zoning & Code Enforcement Officer on its Zoning & Code Enforcement page, which says "For all zoning, planning and code enforcement related information, please contact our code enforcement officer at the number listed," and posts its own Building Permit Application, whose "READ THIS" box says "CONTRACTOR IS RESPONSIBLE TO SCHEDULE ALL INSPECTIONS WITH ZONING OFFICE." The Township's Rental Ordinance defines a Code Enforcement Officer as "the duly appointed Code Enforcement Office(s) having charge of the Office of Code Enforcement for the Township of Wilkes-Barre." The Township's pages and forms set no area or cost threshold for roof work. Read for this record: the Township's Home, Contact Us, Zoning & Code Enforcement, Zoning & Code Enforcement Forms and Ordinances pages (built by script, read from the page data); its Building Permit Application, fee schedule, Zoning & Planning fee schedule, zoning permit application, Contractors License Application with its ordinance, and Rental Ordinance; and Articles 1 to 16 of its Zoning Ordinance, a text search of which for "roof" and "building permit" found no permit clause for roof work. The Township's pages name no residential building permit list and no no-permit list.

Can you roof over an existing roof in Township of Wilkes-Barre, 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, Wilkes-Barre Township's Zoning & Code Enforcement Department at the municipal building, 150 Watson Street, Wilkes-Barre Township (570-208-4635, Monday to Friday, 7:30 AM to 3:30 PM), lists a Zoning & Code Enforcement Officer on its Zoning & Code Enforcement page, which says "For all zoning, planning and code enforcement related information, please contact our code enforcement officer at the number listed," and posts its own Building Permit Application, whose "READ THIS" box says "CONTRACTOR IS RESPONSIBLE TO SCHEDULE ALL INSPECTIONS WITH ZONING OFFICE." The Township's Rental Ordinance defines a Code Enforcement Officer as "the duly appointed Code Enforcement Office(s) having charge of the Office of Code Enforcement for the Township of Wilkes-Barre." The Township's pages say nothing on roof layers, and nothing read in its Zoning Ordinance changes the code's reroofing provisions.

Do roofing contractors need a license or registration in Township of Wilkes-Barre, PA?

Yes.

What building code does Township of Wilkes-Barre, 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, Wilkes-Barre Township's Zoning & Code Enforcement Department at the municipal building, 150 Watson Street, Wilkes-Barre Township (570-208-4635, Monday to Friday, 7:30 AM to 3:30 PM), lists a Zoning & Code Enforcement Officer on its Zoning & Code Enforcement page, which says "For all zoning, planning and code enforcement related information, please contact our code enforcement officer at the number listed," and posts its own Building Permit Application, whose "READ THIS" box says "CONTRACTOR IS RESPONSIBLE TO SCHEDULE ALL INSPECTIONS WITH ZONING OFFICE." The Township's Rental Ordinance defines a Code Enforcement Officer as "the duly appointed Code Enforcement Office(s) having charge of the Office of Code Enforcement for the Township of Wilkes-Barre." The Township's Ordinances page lists its open burning, alcohol container, election sign, parking, fireworks, rental, animal and other ordinances and no ordinance adopting the Uniform Construction Code or a building code, which was not found published on the Township's site. The Department of Labor and Industry's register of municipal code change ordinances lists a Wilkes-Barre Township filing whose summary says it "Requires a building permit for residential storage sheds with a building area greater than 200 sq. ft. and for a wide variety of alterations and construction related to residential buildings," with "approval letter mailed 11 / 22 / 06" and "Enacted on 4 / 2 / 07." The Township's ordinance behind that filing was not found published and was not read for this record, and this record does not decide what it requires of a reroof. The Township's pages name no code edition.