Roofing in Earl Township (Lancaster 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, Earl Township takes zoning and building permit applications at its office, 517 North Railroad Avenue, New Holland, and uses third-party inspection agencies: its permit application's inspection agency sheet says "Earl Township allows the selection of one of the following four (4) inspection agencies for Residential and Commercial projects" and names Associated Building Inspections, Inc., Code Administrators, Inc. and Commonwealth Code Inspection Service, Inc., and says "The submitted plans will be reviewed by the selected agency for completeness and code compliancy." The Township's Zoning page says "The Zoning Officer is responsible for approving building permits before they are sent to an inspector for final review before a permit can be issued." Section 5-201 of the Township's code adopts the Uniform Construction Code, "as amended from time to time," and changes nothing in its roofing provisions. The Township's pages and permit application name no code edition.

No Earl Township text read names reroofing as permit work or as exempt. The Township's zoning/building permit application, its 2026 fee schedule (a scanned document, read from the rendered page images) and the zoning ordinance's permit section name no roof work; the fee schedule says building permit fees are "Fees determined by Earl Township appointed third party building inspection" agencies, whose own schedules were not read for this record. Section 5-201 of the Township's Code of Ordinances (Ord. 2004-2, July 6, 2004; the codified chapter is a scanned document, read from the rendered page images) elects to administer and enforce the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act and adopts the Uniform Construction Code, "as amended from time to time," "as the municipal building code of Earl Township"; it adds no permit clause of its own, names no roof work, and keeps in force "All building code ordinances or portions of ordinances which were adopted by Earl Township on or before July 1, 1999, and which equal or exceed the requirements of the code". Chapter 4, Part 1 of the same code (Ord. 14 of 1968, as amended) says "It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to erect, rebuild, enlarge or alter any building or structure in the Township of Earl" without a building permit under that Part, "for any building, alteration, structure or improvement having a total area of 100 square feet or more," and states that its purpose is to aid the Supervisors in anticipating new construction for sewage and tax assessment purposes; it names no roof 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." Whether the 1968 permit clause reaches a reroof turns on how its area test and its purpose are read, and no Township text names roof work, so this record does not decide whether the Township requires a permit for an ordinary reroof. The Township says "Any building permit application needs to be submitted by hard copy at the Township Office"; the office is open Monday to Thursday, 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM, and Friday, 7:30 AM to 12:00 Noon. Ask the Township office at 717-354-0773 before work starts. Read for this answer: Chapter 5 of the Township's Code of Ordinances, Code Enforcement, and Chapter 4, Buildings, in full; Part 17 of the Zoning Ordinance, Administration and Enforcement; the Township's Building Applications, Zoning and Code of Ordinances pages; the 2026 zoning/building permit application; and the 2026 fee schedule.