Roofing in East Allen 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, East Allen Township in Northampton County issues building permits from its own office at 5344 Nor-Bath Boulevard, Northampton, on its Zoning/UCC Permit Application. Its Building Permits page says "East Allen Township is an opt-in building code community," Article III of Chapter 87 of the Township Code adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time" as the municipal building code, and the Township's 2026 fee schedule (Resolution 2026-03, adopted January 5, 2026) says "Charges by the Township's 3rd Party are based on the 3rd Party's Fee Schedule." Chapter 87 changes nothing in the code's roofing provisions, and neither it nor the Township's pages name a code edition.

East Allen Township's building ordinance requires a permit to alter a building, defines altering to include replacing a roof, and exempts ordinary repairs. Article I of Chapter 87 (Ordinance No. 18 of 1967, Section 87-1A as amended in 1973) says "It shall be unlawful to construct, enlarge, alter, remove or demolish a building without first filing an application with the building official in writing and obtaining the required permit therefor; except that ordinary repairs shall be exempt from this provision," and the same section says the word alter "shall mean to enlarge any building or to remove or replace any exterior or interior wall, roof, floor or support, of any building." Section 87-32A keeps in force building code ordinances adopted on or before July 1, 1999 "which equal or exceed the requirements of the Code." The Township Code does not define "ordinary repairs" or say whether replacing a roof covering alone is replacing a roof under Section 87-1A, and this record does not decide either. The 2026 fee schedule says "Permits are required for all property improvements except for maintenance, repair, and landscaping. Please contact the Zoning Officer to determine the permit(s) required for your project(s)," and lists no roofing fee. The Building Permits page says "building permits are required for all residential and non-residential building construction activities. Please contact our office if you are unsure if a permit is required." The Zoning/UCC Permit Application lists no roofing box; its nearest is "EXTERIOR ALTERATION (NOT STRUCTURAL)." 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." Section 87-8 makes a violation of Article I punishable "by a fine of not more than $1,000, plus costs of prosecution," and the 2026 fee schedule charges a "Double Permit Fee" for an after-the-fact permit. The Zoning Officer is at 610-262-7961, extension 307, and the Township office is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Read for this record: Chapter 87 of the Township Code, Construction Standards, Articles I and III in full; every page of a search of the whole Township Code and its posted documents for "roof" and for "reroofing"; the Township's 2026 fee schedule and Resolution 2026-03 adopting it, read from its page images; the 2026 Zoning/UCC Permit Application; and the Township's Zoning and Codes, Building Permits, Zoning Permits and Permits and Applications pages.