Roofing in Cumru 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, Cumru Township administers the code itself: its Code Enforcement page says "The Cumru Township officially adopted the new statewide building code, officially know as the Uniform Construction Code (UCC)," lists the Township's own Building Inspector, Zoning Officer and Fire Inspector, and posts the Township's Residential Building Permit Application, which the Building Code Official signs. The Township's Uniform Construction Code ordinance is not published online and was not read for this record, and the Township's permit pages name no code edition.

No Township text read names reroofing as permit work or as exempt. The Township's codified ordinances are not published online: its website posts the zoning and subdivision ordinances but not the Uniform Construction Code ordinance, so that ordinance, any permit or exemption section in it, and any older building ordinance it keeps in force were not read. The zoning ordinance says "Unless otherwise specified by this Zoning Ordinance, a zoning permit is not required for normal maintenance and repairs" (Article 13); that line concerns the zoning permit, not the building permit. The Code Enforcement page (read October 7, 2026) reminds residents that accessory structures, "including but not limited to sheds, decks, fences, and pools, require permits," and does not name roofing. The Residential Building Permit Application offers "Alteration/Renovation/Repair" as a type of improvement and no roofing box, and the Building/Zoning Permit Fee Structure posted on the same page prices "Alteration/Renovations/Repair" with a "Building Permit fee, if an inspection is required" of $120.00; its only roofing line is in the list of building permits that carry the State surcharge, "Roofs (any roof work that requires a permit)," which does not say when roof work requires one. 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." No Township text read names reroofing as permit work or as exempt, and the Township's building ordinance could not be read, so this record does not decide whether the Township requires a permit for an ordinary reroof. Ask the Township office at 610-777-1343 before work starts. The fee structure says "Should the owner or contractor fail to obtain the required building, fire, zoning review, plumbing, mechanical or electrical permit, fees are doubled," and that permits expire six months from issuance. The office is open 8:00am to 12:00pm and 12:30pm to 4:30pm, Monday through Friday. Read for this answer: the Township's Code Enforcement page; its Residential Building Permit Application; the Building/Zoning Permit Fee Structure in full; its zoning permit application; and Article 13 of the Zoning Ordinance, Administration and Enforcement. The Township's Uniform Construction Code ordinance is not published online and was not read.