Roofing in Charleroi, 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, Charleroi Borough's Departments page lists its "Building Code Official/Inspector & Commercial Code Enforcement" with a link to the website of United Code Consultants, a third-party code firm, and gives the Borough office at 338 Fallowfield Ave, Charleroi. Chapter 142 of the Borough Code (Ord. No. 960, May 13, 2004) says "The Borough hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act" and adopts the Uniform Construction Code, "as amended from time to time," as the Municipal Building Code of the Borough, to be administered by a Borough employee, a retained third-party agency or another listed means as Borough Council decides by resolution. Chapter 142 changes nothing in the code's roofing provisions, and the Borough's code and pages name no residential code edition.

Charleroi Borough has published nothing that names roof work as permit work or as exempt. Chapter 142 adds no permit requirement of its own and names no roof work, and a search of the whole Borough Code for "roof" and for "reroofing" found no section that names roof work as permit work or as exempt; the hits are definitions, zoning, signs, stormwater, sewers and property maintenance. A search for "BOCA" found nothing. The firm's own FAQ, which does not name Charleroi, says "Residential projects typically require permits for new builds, structural alterations, or changes to the means of egress, but generally exempting cosmetic updates and minor repairs" and "If you are unsure whether your project needs a permit, contact our office for clarification before you begin work." 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 Borough requires a permit for a reroof. The firm's FAQ says applications and plans are submitted to the firm by email and that "every building permit includes a State fee, Municipal fee and Technology fee," and it gives 724-328-3633 for residential permit submissions and inspections. The Borough office is at 724-483-6011. Read for this record: Chapter 142 of the Borough Code, Construction Codes, Uniform, in full; every page of a search of the whole Borough Code for "roof", "reroofing" and "BOCA"; the Borough's Departments, Applications and Contact Us pages; and United Code Consultants' FAQ and Applications pages. The Borough's site publishes no building permit application or fee schedule.