Roofing in Caln Township (Chester 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, Caln Township administers the code itself: Section 59-1 of the Township Code says "The Township hereby elects to administer and enforce the Act and the regulations promulgated under the Act," Section 59-3 says "The Building Code shall be administered and enforced by the Township's Department of Code Enforcement," and the Township's Department of Building and Life Safety, at 253 Municipal Drive, Thorndale, says it "oversees and ensures the issuance of building and zoning permits, enforcement of codes." Section 122-1 adopts the "International Residential Code, 2006 Edition," and Section 59-1 B the International Building Code, 2003 Edition, each "as now and as hereafter supplemented, reissued, amended and revised," while the Township's Permits & Applications page says "Enforcement of 2021 International Codes go into effect JANUARY 1, 2026"; this record has not read the 2003 or 2006 edition's text and relies on the Township's own statement of the 2021 codes. Section 122-2 fills in Table R301.2(1), including a ground snow load of 30 and "Ice Shield Under Lay ment Re- quired" Yes, and the Township's chapters change nothing in the code's roofing provisions. Section 59-4 A keeps in force a pre-1999 requirement: "All repairs and alterations to residential buildings shall comply with the Township's Building Code adopted on May 27, 2004, and any successor code adopted by the Township pursuant to Act 45 of 1999."

Caln Township's code says: "All repairs and alterations to residential buildings shall comply with the Township's Building Code adopted on May 27, 2004, and any successor code adopted by the Township pursuant to Act 45 of 1999." (Section 59-4 A of the Township Code). Section 59-4 of the Township Code, headed "Provisions of Township Building Code which remain in effect," says the Township "shall keep in full force and effect the following requirements in its Building Code, which provisions were in effect as of July 1, 1999," and Section 59-4 A says: "All repairs and alterations to residential buildings shall comply with the Township's Building Code adopted on May 27, 2004, and any successor code adopted by the Township pursuant to Act 45 of 1999." It names no roof work. The Building Code it points to is the Uniform Construction Code regulations, which Section 59-1 adopts as the Township's building code, and the regulations say "An ordinary repair does not require a permit" (34 Pa. Code 403.62) without setting an area or cost limit. The Department has published no statement on reroofing. Its Residential Construction Permit Guidance (read October 7, 2026) lists "Permits required for" new work, cutting away a wall, "The removal or cutting of any structural beam or load bearing support," changes to a required means of egress, and piping, wiring or mechanical work, and lists "Permits not required for" items that include "Window and door replacements not involving structural changes" and "Aluminum and Vinyl Siding installation"; neither list names roof work. The Township's Building Permit Application lists "Roof" among its types of building improvement, beside "Alteration" and "Addition." The Township's 2026 fee schedule has a line "Roofing - structural repairs Flat Fee = $150, plus $4.50 UCC permit fee, and 5% administrative fee" and, for repairs to living space, says "A permit is required when the existing structure is altered but does not include cosmetic changes like cabinet refacing or window replacement that do not involve structural alterations." The Building Permit Application's "Roof" box sits in a general list of improvement types, and the fee schedule's only roofing line is for structural repairs; the Department has not said whether an ordinary reroof needs a permit. The Department of Labor and Industry's register of municipal code change ordinances lists one Caln Township filing, which "Adopts Appendices B, C, D, E, F, and G of the International Fire Code 2006," with an approval letter mailed January 26, 2007 and the status "Enacted 4 / 12 / 07"; it names no roof work. This record does not decide whether Section 59-4 A, which requires compliance with the Building Code and names no permit, makes a house reroof permit work, and does not state whether the Township requires a permit for a house reroof; ask the Department at 610-384-0600 before starting. Where a permit is needed, the fee schedule says "ANY WORK COMMENCED WITHOUT A PERMIT WILL RESULT IN DOUBLE FEES." 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." Applications go to the Township building with two sets of site plans and construction documents; the application says "Allow up to thirty (30) days for all reviews," and the Township says "PA UCC-regulated inspections require a minimum of 48 hours notice to schedule." The Township office is open Monday to Friday, 8AM to 4:30PM, at 610-384-0600. Read for this answer: Chapter 59 of the Township Code, Building Construction, in full; Chapter 60, Building Code, Existing, in full; Chapter 122, Residential Code for One- and Two-Family Dwellings, in full; every page of a search of the whole Township Code for "roof" and for "reroofing"; the Building & Life Safety, Permits & Applications and Fee Schedule pages; the Residential Construction Permit Guidance; and the first two pages of the Building Permit Application.