Roofing in East Penn Township (Carbon 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, East Penn Township takes zoning and Uniform Construction Code permit applications at its Municipal Office, 167 Municipal Road, Lehighton. Its Zoning & Building Permit Procedures sheet says "Choose Inspection Company (3rd party inspector) prior to submission of the UCC Building Permit Application" and "Submit application (if applicable the Zoning application at the same time) to the Municipal Office to process," and its Forms page says "You must choose one of the following inspection services and remain with that provider throughout your project" and lists two inspection companies. The Township's pages post no ordinance or code and name no code edition.

East Penn Township's Frequently Asked Questions page, read October 11, 2026, answers "Do I need a permit to replace my roof?" with "No, as long as you are not making any size changes." East Penn Township's ordinance adopting the Uniform Construction Code, and any local amendments to it, were not read for this record, so this record does not decide whether an ordinary reroof needs a permit. 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." The same page answers "Yes, any swimming pool that contains water 24 inches in depth requires a zoning and UCC permit," and ends "WHEN IN DOUBT ALWAYS CONTACT THE OFFICE, AFTER-THE-FACT PERMITS ARE A COSTLY MISTAKE." The Township's Zoning & Building Permit Procedures sheet says "If UCC application/permit is required, applications should be submitted in conjunction with Zoning Permit." Its UCC permit application lists "Alteration" and "Repair" among the boxes under "TYPE OF WORK OR IMPROVEMENT," and neither that application, the zoning application nor the procedures sheet names roofing; the zoning application says "Application is hereby made for a permit to erect or alter a structure," and this record does not decide whether a house reroof is an alteration for zoning. Ask the Municipal Office (570-386-5735, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) before starting. Read for this answer: the Township's home, Forms & Permit Applications, FAQs, Contact Information, Location Information, Meeting Minutes & Agendas and other pages; its Zoning & Building Permit Procedures sheet (Rev. Jan-2026), zoning application and UCC permit application in full; and, for the ordinance, the Township's website, General Code's online code library list (which links the eCode360, American Legal Publishing and Code Publishing libraries; its eight Carbon County, Pennsylvania entries do not include East Penn Township) and Municode's Pennsylvania library list. The Township posts no separate fee schedule; its procedures sheet gives the zoning fee and leaves UCC fees to the inspection company.