Roofing in Center Township (Indiana 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, Center Township in Indiana County uses a third-party agency: its Contact page says "Center Township has selected TKL Code Inspection Services for local permitting and inspections" and "Permit applications can be submitted in person in our office," at 1212 Neal Road, Homer City. The agency's Center Township Building Permit and Plans Examination Application carries the Township's name and address, and the agency's Building Permits page says "All building permits must be returned to the appropriate township or borough." The Township's ordinance adopting the Uniform Construction Code and its permit fee schedule are not published online, and this record has not read them; the Township's Document Archives Library posts meeting agendas and a records fee schedule only. The agency's "APPLICABLE BUILDING CODES" sheet, "Adopted January 1, 2026," names the "2021 International Residential Code" and the "2021 International Existing Building Code."

Center Township has published no line on whether a reroof needs a permit. The agency's "UCC BUILDING CODE EXEMPTIONS" sheet (a scanned page, read from its image) lists "REPAIRS TO RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS" and "ALTERATIONS TO RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS WHICH DO NOT MAKE STRUCTURAL CHANGES OR CHANGES TO MEANS OF EGRESS" and says "All of the above do not require a UCC permit but they may require a township or borough permit" and "This is not a complete list." That sheet names no roof work and does not name Center Township, and the Center Township application has no roofing box. No Township or agency text read for this record says whether a reroof needs a permit. The Township's ordinance adopting the Uniform Construction Code and its permit fee schedule are not published online, and this record has not read them; the Township's Document Archives Library posts meeting agendas and a records fee schedule only. 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." The agency's application says "By signing and submitting this Building Permit Application, the applicant acknowledges and agrees they are responsible for the plan review fee." The Township office is open Monday to Friday from 8 AM to 3 PM at (724) 479-2688, and the agency, at 5 Clover Lane, Indiana, is at 724-801-8204. Read for this record: the Township's home, Contact and Document Archives Library pages; and the agency's Building Permits and FAQs pages, its Center Township Building Permit and Plans Examination Application, its Building Permit Exemption Application, its UCC Building Code Exemptions sheet and its Applicable Building Codes sheet.