Roofing in Butler, 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, The City of Butler administers the code itself for houses: Section 119-1 of the City Code says "The City of Butler hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," and the City's Building & Zoning page says the Building Permit Office in City Hall, 140 West North Street, has a Commercial Building Division, which uses a third-party agency, Professional Code Services, Inc., for inspections, and a Residential Building Division that works "with all reviews and inspections done in-house with the exception of electrical inspections." Section 119-2 adopts the Uniform Construction Code, "as amended from time to time," as the Municipal Building Code of the City, and Chapter 119 changes nothing in the code's roofing provisions. Neither Chapter 119 nor the City's residential permit pages name a code edition.

The City of Butler's code and pages do not say whether a house reroof needs a permit. The Residential Building Division's page (read October 7, 2026) says "Some building, demolition and home improvement projects require a building permit" and names no roof work either way; the City's 2026 residential permit application offers the permit types "Building," "Electrical," "Mechanical," "Plumbing," "Demolition," "Fire Protection" and "Other" and names no roof work. Chapter 119 of the City Code, the City's Uniform Construction Code ordinance (Ord. No. 1549, 2004), adopts the code by reference and has no permit clause of its own for house repairs or alterations; Section 119-8 repealed the City's former Chapter 112, Building Construction, and an editor's note to the zoning chapter says its sections on building permits and occupancy permits "were repealed 2-20-1997 by Ord. No. 1430." Section 144-8, in the City's floodplain chapter, says "A permit shall be required before any construction or development is undertaken within any area of the City of Butler"; it sits in the chapter that regulates construction in identified floodplain areas and names no roof work. The City's 2026 fee schedule, adopted by Resolution No. 2025-12-18, prices building permits by valuation and has no roofing line. 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 a permit is required for a house reroof in the City of Butler; the Residential Building Division's page says "To receive more information, contact the Permit Office, located on the second floor, 140 W. North Street in Butler or by calling (724) 285-4124 ext 212." The office is open 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday. Read for this answer: Chapter 119 of the City Code, Construction Codes, Uniform, in full; Chapter A264, Fees; Article XXII of Chapter 260, Zoning (Administration and Enforcement), and its Article XXIII, the Ritts Historical and Architectural District; Article III of Chapter 144, Floodplain Management; every page of searches of the whole City Code for "roof" and for "reroofing," which found no permit provision naming roof work; the City's Building & Zoning, Residential Building Division, Commercial Building Division and Building Permits pages; the 2026 residential permit application; and the City's 2026 fee schedule and its 2026 zoning and miscellaneous fee schedule.