Roofing in Chippewa 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, Chippewa Township, in Beaver County, takes building permit applications at its municipal building, 2811 Darlington Road, Beaver Falls, where its zoning secretary "works with you to handle and manage permits and applications for any building or development projects within the township." Plan review and inspections are done by Middle Department Inspection Agency, Inc. (MDIA): the Township posts MDIA's permit guides on its own Zoning & Permits page, and MDIA's residential additions guide says "MDIA will review plans submitted to determine code compliance" and that the applicant collects the permit at the Municipal Building. The Township's Uniform Construction Code ordinance is not published online and was not read for this record, and neither the Township's pages nor MDIA's guides posted there name a code edition.

Chippewa Township's pages read for this record do not say whether a house reroof needs a permit. The Township's Uniform Construction Code ordinance is not published online, and this record has not read it. Section 2302 of the Township's Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 27) requires a building permit from the Zoning Officer for new buildings, "Structural alteration or reconstruction of a building or structure," additions and relocations, and says "No. building permit shall be required in the case of normal maintenance activities or for alterations which do not structurally change a building"; it names no roof work. The Township's fee schedule (updated April 15, 2025) and MDIA's 2023 building inspection fee schedule posted by the Township have no roofing line. The Township's Zoning & Permits and Forms & Documents pages say nothing on roofing, and none of the MDIA permit guides they list is for roofing. 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 (724-843-8177) before starting. Applications can be emailed or mailed or dropped off at the municipal building, 2811 Darlington Road, Beaver Falls, and MDIA's guide asks for three working days' notice for inspections. Read for this answer: the Township's Zoning & Permits, Forms & Documents and home pages; the Zoning/UCC permit application; MDIA's residential additions guide and 2023 fee schedule, scanned documents read from their page images; the Township's 2025 fee schedule; and Parts 2 to 8 of the Zoning Ordinance, including Section 2302. The Township's Uniform Construction Code ordinance is not published online and was not read.