Roofing in Bradford Township (Clearfield County), Pennsylvania

Required

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, Bradford Township's Township Directory page lists a "UCC/Building Inspection Agency," Pennsafe Building Inspection Services, 175 Beaver Drive, DuBois (814-375-1111), and its Forms page says "For Building Permit Information visit:" that agency; the Township office is at 2289 Barrett Rd., Suite B, Woodland (814-857-7283), and the Township's About page says "Bradford Township has no zoning." The Township's Ordinances page lists by title its subdivision and land development, landlord, street light, fire hydrant, burial, driveway, junkyard, fire escrow and property maintenance ordinances and the 2015 International Property Maintenance Code, and no title is a building or construction code ordinance; Ordinance 2018-01 (August 7, 2018) adopts the 2015 edition of the International Property Maintenance Code and names no roof work, and no Township page read for this record names a building code edition. The Township's Uniform Construction Code ordinance was not found published and was not read for this record.

Bradford Township's pages and ordinances read for this record do not say whether a house reroof needs a permit. The Township's forms include a Land Use Permit, which asks for the property's address, owner and a "Description of project" and lists setback requirements, and a "QUESTIONNAIRE" headed "EXEMPTION FOR LAND USE PERMIT" that ends "If you cannot meet these setback requirements you must ask the Supervisors for a wavier before a Building Permit can be issued." Neither form names roof work, and this record does not decide whether a house reroof needs a land use permit. The agency's Building Permit Applications page, which addresses "All municipalities not listed under building permit applications," offers applications for a single family dwelling, an addition or garage, a pole building, manufactured homes, a deck or porch, pools, commercial work including a "Commercial Roof" application, signs, fences, demolition, solar panels and day care, and no residential roofing application; this record does not decide whether a house reroof needs a building permit. The Department of Labor and Industry's register of municipal code change ordinances lists a Bradford Township (Clearfield County) filing that "Requires a building permit for all electrical service alterations," with a status line "Enacted 7 / 05 / 05"; the filing names no roof work. 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." The Township's Ordinances page lists by title its subdivision and land development, landlord, street light, fire hydrant, burial, driveway, junkyard, fire escrow and property maintenance ordinances and the 2015 International Property Maintenance Code, and no title is a building or construction code ordinance; Ordinance 2018-01 (August 7, 2018) adopts the 2015 edition of the International Property Maintenance Code and names no roof work, and no Township page read for this record names a building code edition. This record does not state whether the Township requires a permit for a house reroof; ask the Township office (814-857-7283) or the Township's building inspection agency (814-375-1111) before starting. Read for this answer: the Township's home, About, Township Directory, Forms, Contact and Ordinances pages; its Land Use Permit, the exemption questionnaire and Ordinance 2018-01 (scanned pages, read from rendered page images); and the agency's home, Building Permit Applications and Helpful Tools pages and its guide to obtaining a building permit.