Roofing in Derry Township (Dauphin 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, Derry Township administers the code itself: Section 85-1 of the Township Code says "The Township of Derry hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," Section 85-3 provides for "designating an employee of the Township to serve as the building code official," and the Township's Community Development Department, at the Municipal Complex, 600 Clearwater Road, Hershey, "is responsible for the administration of the Uniform Construction Codes." Section 85-2 adopts the Uniform Construction Code, "as amended from time to time," as the municipal building code "with the amendments and insertions contained herein"; Section 85-6 amends the State's certificate-of-occupancy and permit-issuance rules, and Section 85-7 fills in the climatic table of the 2015 International Residential Code, including "Ice shield underlayment required = Yes." Chapter 85 changes nothing in the code's roofing technical provisions. Section 85-7 of the Township Code still makes its insertions to the 2015 International Building, Residential and Plumbing Codes, while the department's Building Permit(s) page links its "List of Adopted UCC Building Codes" to the report on the State's adoption of the 2021 International Codes; this record has not read the 2015 edition's roofing text.

Derry Township has published no statement on whether a house reroof needs a permit. Its Building Permit(s) page (read October 6, 2026) says "Please contact the Township of Derry Community Development Department at 717-533-2057, option 2, if you have questions about the need for a permit for your project" and lists no work that does or does not need a permit. The Township's 2026 Fee Schedule charges "Residential Construction (including alterations, renovations, and sprinkler systems)" under the International Residential Code by estimated construction value and has a separate fee for "Commercial roofing" but no residential roofing line; its main permit application lists "Repair, replacement" and "Alteration" among types of improvement and has no roofing box. Chapter 85 of the Township Code, its Uniform Construction Code ordinance (Sections 85-1 to 85-12), adopts the Uniform Construction Code by reference, has no permit clause of its own, and names no roof work either way, so the permit rule that applies is the State's: "An owner or authorized agent who intends to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish or change the occupancy of a residential building" ... "shall first apply to the building code official" (34 Pa. Code 403.62(a)), 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." Nothing read for this record names a house reroof as permit work or as exempt, and this record does not state whether one needs a permit. Before starting a reroof, ask the Community Development Department (717-533-2057, option 2). 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." Read for this answer: Chapter 85 of the Township Code, Construction Codes, Uniform (Sections 85-1 to 85-12), Chapter 106, Housing and Occupancy (Sections 106-1 to 106-14, notices of moving and rental occupancy reports), and Chapter 143, Property Maintenance, in full; a search of the whole Township Code for "roof" and a search for "reroofing" (no results), which found no permit provision naming roof work; the department's Building Permit(s) and Community Development pages; its main permit application and residential submission checklist; and the 2026 Fee Schedule. Work that needs a permit is applied for on the Township's main permit application with the residential submission checklist; part of the fee is due when plans are submitted, and the 2026 Fee Schedule says residential permit fees "may be doubled" if construction commences before a permit is issued. Permits cannot be issued without proof of workers' compensation coverage or a signed and notarized exemption form, unless the homeowner is doing all of the work. The department is open 8:00 am to 5:00 pm at 717-533-2057, option 2.