Roofing in Briar Creek Township (Columbia 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, Briar Creek Township handles zoning permits itself through its Zoning Officer, and its home page lists "IPMC / UCC Inspections" and "Zoning and Codes Enforcement" under one contracted third-party code inspection company, 570-380-0498. The Township's Zoning and Codes page says, of a project that needs more than the zoning permit, "If a construction permit is also required, in addition to the Zoning Permit," and links that company's construction permit application, and the company's own UCC Inspections page lists Briar Creek Township among the municipalities it serves. The Township Office is at 150 Municipal Road, Berwick. The Township's pages and ordinances read name no code edition.

Briar Creek Township's texts read for this record do not say whether a house reroof needs a Uniform Construction Code building permit. The Township's Zoning and Codes page (read October 10, 2026) says "Permits are required prior to the placement, erection, construction, or alteration of any building within the Township" and sends the reader to the Zoning Officer "to discuss your plans and see if you require a permit and inspection for your project." Section 1203 of the Township's Zoning Ordinance, Administration and Enforcement, requires a zoning permit "Prior to the placement, erection, construction, addition, or alteration of any building, structure, or land" and then says "Zoning permits are not required for the following activities," listing "General maintenance and repair to existing buildings or structures; including siding, roofing, painting, the addition of storm windows, and similar activities." The Township's Fee Schedule (Resolution 2 of 2026, enacted January 5, 2026) repeats it: "Exemptions - Zoning permits are not required for the following activities unless proposed in a floodplain area," including "General maintenance and repairs to existing buildings (roofing, siding, painting, etc.)." Section 1202 says "After the applicant has received his zoning permit, he shall contact the Township Building Code Official and make application for a building permit" and "Nothing in this chapter shall exempt the applicant from obtaining any permits which may be required by other regulations or codes in effect in Briar Creek Township," and the Township's Zoning Permit Application says "A Building Permit may also be required." These Township texts speak to the zoning permit; none says whether a reroof needs a Uniform Construction Code building permit. The third-party company's Permit Requirements under the Construction Code sheet, posted on its forms page under "Other Forms" and dated May 2022, lists work that "will not need a permit," including "Roof replacement unless it effect's the structure (replace trusses)"; the sheet names no municipality, is not posted on the Township's own site, and this record does not decide whether it states the Township's answer. 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." This record does not state whether the Township requires a permit for a house reroof; ask the Township's Zoning and Codes office (570-380-0498) before starting. The Township Office is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M., at 570-752-8262. Read for this answer: the Township's home, Zoning and Codes, Meetings and Minutes, Maintenance Department and Police Department pages; Part 12 of its Zoning Ordinance, Administration and Enforcement, in full (posted as scanned page images and read from them); its Fee Schedule (Resolution 2 of 2026) and its Zoning Permit Application (both scanned, read from the page images); and, on the third-party company's site, its UCC Inspections page, forms page, Permit Requirements sheet and construction permit application. The Township's ordinance adopting the Uniform Construction Code was not found among the ordinances and resolutions posted on its website and was not read for this record.