Roofing in Cambria Township, 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, Cambria Township uses a third-party agency for the code: Section 5-101 of the Township Code says "The Township hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," Section 5-103 lets it do so through "the retention of one or more construction code officials or third-party agencies," and the Township's Permits & Fees page says "For building permit applications, please go directly to the Laurel website," naming the Laurel Municipal Agency, whose office is at 140 E. Carroll St., Suite 202, Carrolltown. The Township itself issues a separate compliance permit at its Municipal Building, 184 Municipal Rd., Ebensburg. Section 5-102 adopts the Uniform Construction Code, "as amended from time to time," as the municipal building code of the Township, and Chapter 5 changes nothing in the code's roofing provisions. Neither the Township Code nor the Township's pages name a code edition.

Cambria Township's pages send building permit applicants to the Laurel Municipal Agency and name no roof work either way. The Township's Permits & Fees page (read October 9, 2026) says "Cambria Township requires the filing of a compliance permit before major changes or additions are made to a property" and sends building permit applicants to the Laurel Municipal Agency; it names no roof work. The agency's residential application, linked from that page, does not name the Township and says "All roofing jobs must show receipt for the disposal of old roofing material." It names no roofing permit type or fee and does not say when roof work needs a permit. The Township's 2026 Schedule of Fees prices "Zoning/Compliance Permits" by cost of improvement and has no roofing line. Part 1 of Chapter 5 of the Township Code adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time" and adds no permit requirement for residential repairs; its compliance permit (Sections 5-121 to 5-129) is tied to "the construction/building of any residential, retail, or commercial building/structure," and the only other general permit clause found, in Chapter 8, Floodplains, says "A permit shall not be required for minor repairs to existing buildings or structures, provided that no structural changes or modifications are involved." No section of the Township Code read names roof work as permit work or as exempt. 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 Township; ask the Laurel Municipal Inspection Agency (814-471-0424) before starting. The agency's residential application asks for the contractor's HIC number and says a certificate of workers' compensation or affidavit of exemption must be submitted if a contractor does the work. The Township Office is open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., at 814-472-8810. Read for this answer: Part 1 of Chapter 5 of the Township Code, Uniform Construction Code (Articles A to D), Chapter 4, Buildings, and Parts 1 and 2 of Chapter 8, Floodplains; every page of a search of the whole Township Code for "roof" and for "reroofing"; the Township's Permits & Fees page, its residential compliance permit application and its 2026 Schedule of Fees; and the Laurel Municipal Agency's residential permit page and residential application.