Roofing in Carroll Township (Perry 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, Carroll Township in Perry County has the code administered through the Perry County COG: Section 59-3 of the Township Code says "Administration and enforcement of the Code within Carroll Township shall be undertaken by the Perry County COG," the Township's 2025 request for proposals says enforcement of the UCC "is provided though membership in the Perry County COG, who utilizes a 3rd party to perform building plan review and inspection for permitted construction and renovation projects," and the Township's Outside Links page lists "Building Inspection Underwriters of PA – Building Permit Application" at 25 East McClure Street, New Bloomfield. The Township office is at 50 Rambo Hill Road, Shermans Dale. Section 59-2 adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time" as the municipal building code, and Chapter 59 changes nothing in the code's roofing provisions; neither the code nor the Township's pages name an edition.

No Carroll Township text read for this record says whether a residential reroof needs a building permit. Chapter 51 of the Township Code, the Carroll Township Building Permit Ordinance (Ord. No. 43, June 20, 2000), says in Section 51-5A "It shall be unlawful to construct, enlarge, alter, remove or demolish" a building or structure, "other than what is permitted in § 51-4," without a permit from the Township's Building Permit Officer; Section 51-4 says "The regulations contained herein shall not apply in the case of normal maintenance activities, minor repairs, and alterations that do not structurally change a building or structure," without defining those terms, and Section 51-8C says "Sections of this chapter which are not consistent with the provisions of Act 45 shall be automatically repealed upon its effective date." Chapter 51 names no roof work. Chapter 59, the Township's Uniform Construction Code ordinance (Ord. No. 55, May 4, 2004), adopts the code "as amended from time to time" and names no roof work. This record does not decide whether Chapter 51 reaches a house reroof, or whether such a reroof falls within Section 51-4. The Township's Forms, Applications, and Fee Schedules page prices zoning permits (including "Building 500 sq. foot or less $ 55.00") and has no roofing line, its Zoning Permit Application (a scanned form, read from the rendered page images) names no roof work, and no Township page read for this record says whether a reroof needs a permit; the Perry County COG's own fee schedule and pages were not read. 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 office (717-582-8200, Monday to Friday, 7:00 am to 3:00 pm) or Building Inspection Underwriters of PA (877-453-4321) before starting. Section 51-14 sets a fine "of not less than $100 nor more than $600, plus all court costs" for a violation of Chapter 51. Read for this answer: Chapters 51, Building Permits, and 59, Construction Codes, Uniform, of the Township Code, in full; every page of a search of the whole Township Code for "roof" and for "reroofing," which found no permit provision naming roof work; the Township's Forms, Applications, and Fee Schedules, Outside Links and Administrative Staff pages; its Zoning Permit Application; its 2025 Code Enforcement request for proposals; and Building Inspection Underwriters of PA's home, permits and forms, residential code guidelines and services pages, which do not name the Township.