Roofing in Crescent 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, Crescent Township takes permit applications at its Administrative Office, 225 Spring Run Road (724-457-8100): Section 220.01 of the Township Code says the Township "hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act, Act 45 of 1999" and adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time," Section 240.09 names a "third party inspector" and "any other party assigned as inspector by the Township Board of Commissioners," and the Township's Building Permits & Planning page lists United Code Consultants, with an office at 134 S. McDonald St., McDonald (724-492-1301), under "Zoning and Building". Chapter 220 changes nothing in the code's roofing provisions, and the Township's pages name no code edition.

No Crescent Township text read names reroofing as building permit work or as exempt. Section 240.01 of the Township Code (Building and Zoning Permits, read October 12, 2026) says "It shall be unlawful for any person, partnership, business, or corporation to undertake or cause to be undertaken the construction, reconstruction, enlargement, alteration or relocation of any building or structure unless an approved building permit has been obtained from Building Code Official (BCO)." The Chapter names no roof work, does not use the word repair, and has no relief clause for repairs or ordinary maintenance; this record does not decide whether a house reroof is a reconstruction or an alteration under it, and the Township's pages read say nothing on whether the Township applies it to reroofs. The Township's Building Permits & Planning page, its zoning permit application (which says it is "hereby made for a permit to erect or alter a structure") and the inspection agency's Residential Building Permit Application, whose boxes include "Remodel / Structural Alteration" and "Porch Roof / Pergola," name no reroofing, and the agency's fee schedule prices "Residential Building Permit (Misc.)" without naming roof work. The agency's FAQ 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 does not name the Township or roofing. The fee schedule Section 240.09 refers to is "on file in the Township Offices" and is not posted, and the Township's online residential building permit application is an embedded web form that could not be read as text. Section 240.11 sets a fine "of not less than $25 nor more than $300, plus all costs of prosecution and/or enforcement" for violating the Chapter. The Administrative Office is open Monday to Friday, with Thursday hours 8:00 am to 4:30 pm; call 724-457-8100 before work starts. Read for this answer: Chapter 220 (Uniform Construction Code, Sections 220.01 to 220.04) and Chapter 240 (Building and Zoning Permits, Sections 240.01 to 240.12) of the Township Code in full; every page of a search of the whole Township Code for "roof" and for "reroofing"; the Township's Building Permits & Planning and Contact Us pages and zoning permit application; and the inspection agency's FAQ, Residential Building Permit Application and fee schedule.